Will I Ever See You Again?

In a shawl woven with love, a tiny baby is wrapped,
Then the tenderest of kisses cover him,
The moment is heartbreaking, but it cannot be delayed,
As his parched lips part again and again,
Seeking to be quenched.
The mother whispers as he leaves;
'Will I see you again O Ali Asghar?
Will you return to me alive?'

After the thundering hooves of beasts have gone,
And the clouds of dust settle down,
I see burning tents;
Distraught women and children running about.
One calls out:
'Uncle Abbaas! Where are you?
Do you see what they are doing?'
Only the roaring Euphrates murmurs a reply,
'Abbaas can only witness... can only witness with tears'
Ya Abbaas... will we see you again?

In Shaam the time has come to part,
This 'freedom' comes at a price:
Sweet Sakinah will not come along
Her fragrant body will remain in the dungeons,
The darkness where she spent her last moments,
whispering,
'Father, when will I see you again?
Ali Asghar, when will I see you again?'
Sakinah.. when will we see you again?

At the rushing shores of the Euphrates,
Where loyalty and submission was epitomized,
The tears flow freely, with no shame
and the hearts bleed as they hear a whisper:
'Brother! Will I see you again?
Answer me, will I see you again?'

Baynul Haramayn, looking to the right
then to the left,
Torn between two brothers,
Between master and slave,
Madinah beckons, and the sad tidings must be borne
Yet you cannot answer my call any more,
'Masters, will you come visit me?
May I visit you again?
When will I see you again?'

S.A