1. A book came to me from a beloved, though between us
was a distance - O what a distance!
١. كِتابٌ أَتاني مِن حَبيبٍ وَبَينَنا
لِطولِ التَنائي بَرزَخٌ أَيُّ بَرزَخِ
2. His intimacy advanced toward me from afar
and the fragrance wafted to me from a farsakh away.
٢. تَقَدَّمَ لي عَنهُ مِن البُعدِ أُنسُهُ
وَفاحَ إِلَيَّ الطيبُ مِن رَأسِ فَرسَخِ
3. It was as if, when he arrived, the meadow's breeze
flowed in a shirt scented with perfume.
٣. كَأَنَّ نَسيمَ الرَوضِ عِندَ قُدومِهِ
سَرى بِقَميصٍ بِالعَبيرِ المُضَمَّخِ
4. His elation certainly showed in a tremor -
Say, then, in a book dated with joy.
٤. لَقَد بانَ مِن تاريخِهِ في هِزَّةٌ
فَقُل في كِتابٍ بِالسُرورِ مُؤَرَّخِ