قلبي إلى وجه سلمى مغرمٌ عاني

قلبي إلى وجه سلمى مغرمٌ عاني

وحبها معدم آثارَ أعياني

وحبها معدم آثارَ أعياني

My heart is enamored of Salma's face, held captive.

My heart is enamored with Salma's face, suffering,

And love of her annihilates the traces of my separate being.

And her love has obliterated all traces of my existence,

فيا رفيقي حديث الغير أعياني

فيا رفيقي حديث الغير أعياني

روِّح فؤادي بذكر النازح الداني

روِّح فؤادي بذكر النازح الداني

So, my companion, talk of others has wearied me.

So my friend, talking about others distracts my existence,

Refresh my heart with remembrance of the distant one who is near.

Comfort my heart by mentioning the yearning lover,

فذكرُه لم يزل روحي وريحاني

فذكرُه لم يزل روحي وريحاني

من لي بمن هو باد في غلالته

من لي بمن هو باد في غلالته

For remembrance of him has ever been my spirit and my sweet basil.

For his mention has always been my soul and delight.

Who can bring me the one appearing in his sheer robe,

Who do I have that floats in his dreams

كالبدر يشرق من صافي غمامته

كالبدر يشرق من صافي غمامته

فغنِّ لي باسمه وافصح بآيته

فغنِّ لي باسمه وافصح بآيته

Like the full moon shining out of his clear cloud?

Like the full moon shining from its pure clouds?

So sing his name to me, and speak plainly of his sign.

So sing to me his name and articulate his signs,

واصرف همومي بصرفٍ من مدامته

واصرف همومي بصرفٍ من مدامته

فدنُّها من جناب العز أدناني

فدنُّها من جناب العز أدناني

And dispel my cares with an unmixed draught of his wine.

And distract my worries with a portion from his wine,

For its wine-jar has drawn me near the precinct of glory.

For being near the Almighty has brought me closer.

بالله يا بارق الأسرار قف نفسا

بالله يا بارق الأسرار قف نفسا

فالكون نور ومن يلهو يرى غلسا

فالكون نور ومن يلهو يرى غلسا

By God, O lightning-flash of mysteries, pause for a breath.

By God, O sparkler of secrets, stop for a moment,

For the universe is light, and whoever dallies sees predawn gloom.

For the universe is light and whoever plays sees darkness,

إني أردت الهدى خذ منه لي قبسا

إني أردت الهدى خذ منه لي قبسا

واحطط رحالي بباب الدير ملتمسا

واحطط رحالي بباب الدير ملتمسا

Indeed, I have sought guidance; take a firebrand from it for me.

I wanted guidance, so take from it a spark for me,

And set down my saddlebags at the monastery gate, seeking

And set down my luggage at the monastery gate, seeking

راحاً فقيُّوم ذاك الدير لي داني

راحاً فقيُّوم ذاك الدير لي داني

شمس المعاني بأفلاك العلى بهرت

شمس المعاني بأفلاك العلى بهرت

Wine, for the keeper of that monastery is near to me.

Rest, so the keeper of that monastery drew me near.

The sun of meanings dazzled in the spheres on high;

The sun of meanings shone in the orbits of highness,

وقصة العشق في أهل الهوى اشتهرت

وقصة العشق في أهل الهوى اشتهرت

والحسن أحكامه بين الورى قهرت

والحسن أحكامه بين الورى قهرت

And the tale of love became renowned among the people of passion.

And the story of passion spread among the passionate,

And beauty's decrees prevailed among humankind.

And beauty overpowered people with its rulings,

ولي بهيكله محجوبة ظهرت

ولي بهيكله محجوبة ظهرت

من بعد ما خفيت عني بجسماني

من بعد ما خفيت عني بجسماني

And in his temple a veiled one appeared to me,

And for me its temple appeared veiled

After she had been hidden from me by my body.

After it was hidden from me in my body.

شعر الشعور يحاكي حية لسعت

شعر الشعور يحاكي حية لسعت

فلو دعا كلَّ نفسٍ نحوه لسعت

فلو دعا كلَّ نفسٍ نحوه لسعت

The hair of awareness resembles a snake that stung;

The poetry of feeling imitates the sting of a snake,

So if he called every soul toward him, each would hasten.

So if each soul called to it, it would sting,

لكن حقيقتنا هذا الذي صنعت

لكن حقيقتنا هذا الذي صنعت

منيعة الوصل إلا عن فتى منعت

منيعة الوصل إلا عن فتى منعت

But this is what our reality has wrought:

But our reality is what You have created,

Unattainable in union save to a youth, she has forbidden

Impregnable to join except for a youth it deprived,

في الحب معناه أن يصبو إلي ثاني

في الحب معناه أن يصبو إلي ثاني

عن العلو علت من فرط عزتها

عن العلو علت من فرط عزتها

His inward self, in love, to yearn toward another.

In love, its meaning is that he longs for another.

She rose beyond loftiness itself, so great was her majesty.

She transcended highness because of her great pride,

والكون قد غاب في أنوار طلعتها

والكون قد غاب في أنوار طلعتها

حقيقة أنا فان في محبتها

حقيقة أنا فان في محبتها

And the universe vanished in the radiance of her countenance.

And the universe disappeared in the lights of her rising,

A reality in whose love I am annihilated.

I am truly transient in my love of her,

نادمتها فمحتني عند رؤيتها

نادمتها فمحتني عند رؤيتها

وكان محوي بها أصلاً لوجداني

وكان محوي بها أصلاً لوجداني

I drank with her; then she effaced me when I beheld her.

I reproached her, so she erased me when seeing me,

And my effacement through her was the foundation of my awareness.

And my erasure by her was originally my essence.

ما غافل عن تجليها كمنتبه

ما غافل عن تجليها كمنتبه

والقلب راق بها يا صفو مشربه

والقلب راق بها يا صفو مشربه

One heedless of her manifestation is not like one awake.

Not absentminded of her manifestation like one awakening,

And through her the heart grew clear—how pure its source of drink!

And the heart is comfortable through her O purity of its drink,

وقد أزالت لدينا كلَّ مشتبه

وقد أزالت لدينا كلَّ مشتبه

ولو شرحت الذي منها خصصت به

ولو شرحت الذي منها خصصت به

And she has dispelled for us everything uncertain.

She has removed for us all ambiguities,

And if I explained what I was specially granted from her,

And if I explained what she specified for me,

يوماً لأصبح من في الكون يهواني

يوماً لأصبح من في الكون يهواني

على التقادير بالإيجاد منعمةٌ

على التقادير بالإيجاد منعمةٌ

One day, everyone in the universe would come to love me.

All in existence would one day make me insignificant.

According to the decrees, she bestowed the gift of existence,

Upon creations, beneficence with bringing into being,

لما تجلت وفي وجه الرضى سمةٌ

لما تجلت وفي وجه الرضى سمةٌ

من الأعاريب أمر العشق معجمةٌ

من الأعاريب أمر العشق معجمةٌ

When she revealed herself, with a mark on the face of contentment.

When she manifested, and on the face of pleasure a mark,

Among the Bedouin Arabs, the affair of love is unintelligible.

From foreigners, the command of passion is incomprehensible,

أشتاقها وهي في سري مخيمةٌ

أشتاقها وهي في سري مخيمةٌ

ونورها ظاهر ما بين أجفاني

ونورها ظاهر ما بين أجفاني

I long for her while she is encamped in my innermost self.

I long for her while she camps in my interior,

And her light is manifest between my eyelids.

And her light apparent between my eyelids.

ركبت للشوق في بيدائها نُجُبا

ركبت للشوق في بيدائها نُجُبا

والكون يخفق منها قلبه وجبا

والكون يخفق منها قلبه وجبا

Driven by longing, I rode thoroughbred camels through her desert.

I rode the yearning in her deserts loftily,

And the universe's heart throbs because of her, trembling.

And the universe’s heart flutters and ebbs from her,

يا لائمي في الهوى لومي غدا عجبا

يا لائمي في الهوى لومي غدا عجبا

وكيف يصبح عنها الطرف محتجبا

وكيف يصبح عنها الطرف محتجبا

O you who blame me for love, blaming me has become a wonder.

O you who blame me for passion, blame me tomorrow in wonder,

And how could the eye become veiled from her,

And how can the gaze from her become veiled?

وحسنها في جميع الخلق يلقاني

وحسنها في جميع الخلق يلقاني

مطوَّل الوجد مني ذاك مختصرُ

مطوَّل الوجد مني ذاك مختصرُ

When her beauty meets me in all creation?

And her beauty meets me in all creation.

My long account of ecstasy—that is but an abridgment.

Prolonged ecstasy from me is summarized,

والعشق أجمعه في القلب منحصرُ

والعشق أجمعه في القلب منحصرُ

يا قوم إني على الأغيار منتصرُ

يا قوم إني على الأغيار منتصرُ

And love, all of it, is contained in the heart.

And all passion is confined in the heart,

O people, I am victorious over all that is other.

O people, I am victorious over strangers,

إن غيبت ذاتها عني فلي بصرُ

إن غيبت ذاتها عني فلي بصرُ

يرى محاسنها في كلِّ إنسان

يرى محاسنها في كلِّ إنسان

If she veils her essence from me, I have sight

If her essence is absent from me, then I have vision

That sees her beauties in every human being.

That sees her charms in every human.

عني محت سائر الأوهام والشبهِ

عني محت سائر الأوهام والشبهِ

لما تجلت بأمر غير مشتبهِ

لما تجلت بأمر غير مشتبهِ

She erased all illusions and doubts from me,

She erased all fantasies and doubts from me,

When she revealed herself in an unmistakable way.

When she manifested with a command beyond doubt,

وإنني لم أزل فيها بمنتبهِ

وإنني لم أزل فيها بمنتبهِ

ما في محبتها ضدٌّ أضيق بهِ

ما في محبتها ضدٌّ أضيق بهِ

And I have never ceased to be awake in her.

And I have not ceased being vigilant in her,

In love of her, there is no rival to trouble me.

There is no contrary in her love that constricts me,

هي المدام وكل الخلق ندماني

هي المدام وكل الخلق ندماني

She is the wine, and all creatures are my drinking companions.

She is the wine, and all creation are my cupbearers.