أوَ لم ترَي يَدَهُ على أحشائهِ

أوَ لم ترَي يَدَهُ على أحشائهِ

فهي الدواءُ لِمَن يموتُ بدائهِ

فهي الدواءُ لِمَن يموتُ بدائهِ

And have you not seen his hand over his vitals?

Have you not seen his hand upon his guts,

For it is the cure for one dying of his ailment.

It is the cure for one who dies of his illness.

إن كنتِ رائفةً ومُشفقَةً على

إن كنتِ رائفةً ومُشفقَةً على

مُضناكِ فابكي مرَّةً لبُكائه

مُضناكِ فابكي مرَّةً لبُكائه

If you are compassionate and tender toward

If you are kind and compassionate to

your lovesick one, then weep once for his weeping.

Your troubled one, then cry once for his crying,

وتنفّسي مثلَ النَّسيمِ ونفِّسي

وتنفّسي مثلَ النَّسيمِ ونفِّسي

كرَباً فأنتِ عليمةٌ بدَوائه

كرَباً فأنتِ عليمةٌ بدَوائه

And breathe like the breeze, and relieve

And breathe like the breeze and breathe out

anguish, for you know its remedy.

The distress, for you know its cure.

واستقبليه كالرَّبيعِ بزهرهِ

واستقبليه كالرَّبيعِ بزهرهِ

وبطيبهِ وبعشبهِ وبمائه

وبطيبهِ وبعشبهِ وبمائه

And welcome him like spring, with its blossoms,

And receive him like the spring with its flowers

and with its fragrance, its grass, and its water.

And its fragrance and grass and water,

فلعلَّ نضراً منكِ يُنضرُ قلبهُ

فلعلَّ نضراً منكِ يُنضرُ قلبهُ

فلطالما عَصفَت رياحُ شقائه

فلطالما عَصفَت رياحُ شقائه

So perhaps some freshness from you will refresh his heart,

Perhaps some vitality from you will revive his heart

for long have the winds of his misery raged.

For the winds of his misery have blown for so long.

لطفت عواطفُهُ فذابَ تلطُّفاً

لطفت عواطفُهُ فذابَ تلطُّفاً

ولطافةُ الرحمنِ في شُعرائه

ولطافةُ الرحمنِ في شُعرائه

His feelings grew tender, so he melted in tenderness,

His feelings have softened so he melted with tenderness

and the All-Merciful's gentleness is in His poets.

And God’s tenderness is in his poets.

فتلطَّفي واللّطفُ فيكِ سجيَّةٌ

فتلطَّفي واللّطفُ فيكِ سجيَّةٌ

بفَتى دعاهُ الحبُّ من شُهدائه

بفَتى دعاهُ الحبُّ من شُهدائه

So be gentle—and gentleness is your nature—

So be tender, and tenderness is your nature,

to a youth whom Love has called one of its martyrs.

With a young man whom love called from its martyrs.

إن البلاءَ من المحبَّةِ أصلُهُ

إن البلاءَ من المحبَّةِ أصلُهُ

فبلاءُ آدمَ كانَ من حوّائه

فبلاءُ آدمَ كانَ من حوّائه

Indeed, affliction has its origin in love;

Verily, the test is from love in its origin

for Adam's affliction came from his Eve.

For Adam's test was from his snake.

عَجَباً أبردكِ زرقةً وتموجاً

عَجَباً أبردكِ زرقةً وتموجاً

من موجةٍ في البحر يومَ صفائه

من موجةٍ في البحر يومَ صفائه

How wondrous! Is your cloak, in its blueness and rippling,

How strange you have been cooled blueness and waves

from a wave in the sea on a day when it is clear?

From a wave in the sea on its clearest day.

أم في الظلامِ البدرُ ألبسَ أختَهُ

أم في الظلامِ البدرُ ألبسَ أختَهُ

بُرداً جميلاً من برودِ سمائه

بُرداً جميلاً من برودِ سمائه

Or, in the darkness, did the full moon clothe his sister

Or did the full moon dress his sister

in a beautiful cloak from the cloaks of his sky?

With beautiful coolness from the cold of its sky?