عَجَباً لي كَيفَ أَبقى

عَجَباً لي كَيفَ أَبقى

وَلَقَد أُثخِنتُ عِشقا

وَلَقَد أُثخِنتُ عِشقا

How strange that I still live,

How strange that I endure

I wonder at myself, how I still survive,

though passion has grievously wounded me!

When love has rent me through

When I have been struck so deeply by love's blade.

لَم يُقاسِ الناسُ داءً

لَم يُقاسِ الناسُ داءً

كَالهَوى يُبلي وَيَبقى

كَالهَوى يُبلي وَيَبقى

People have suffered no sickness

None suffer as I do

No ailment suffered by mankind compares

like love: it wears one down, yet endures.

From passion which destroys and yet endures

To passion, which consumes the flesh yet stays constant.

أَيُّ شَيءٍ بَعدَ أَنَّ ال

أَيُّ شَيءٍ بَعدَ أَنَّ ال

دَمعَ فيهِ لَيسَ يَرقا

دَمعَ فيهِ لَيسَ يَرقا

What remains, now that the

What can survive when eyes

What is left to happen, now that my

tears in love will not cease?

No longer shed their tears?

Tears shed for him refuse to ever dry?

وَلَقَد شَقَّ عَلَيَّ ال

وَلَقَد شَقَّ عَلَيَّ ال

حُبُّ ما شا أَن يَشُقّا

حُبُّ ما شا أَن يَشُقّا

And indeed I have been sorely afflicted by

So great was my love's spear

Indeed, it has burdened me heavily—

love, as much as it wished to afflict me.

That split my soul with agonizing fears

This love, afflicting me as much as it pleases.

لَيتَ شِعري هَكَذا كا

لَيتَ شِعري هَكَذا كا

نَ أَخي عُروَةُ يَلقى

نَ أَخي عُروَةُ يَلقى

Would that I knew: was it thus

Would that my brother faced

Would that I knew: was it in such a state

that my brother Urwa suffered?

The fate that is my lot

That my brother Urwa faced his torment?

وَنَصيحٍ قالَ لا تَع

وَنَصيحٍ قالَ لا تَع

جَل بِهُلكِ النَفسِ خُرقا

جَل بِهُلكِ النَفسِ خُرقا

And a well-wisher said, 'Do not rush

And counselled me "Make not

And a counselor who said, "Do not hasten

foolishly to the destruction of your soul.'

Haste to destroy yourself" - but such he disgraced

To your soul's destruction through mere folly."

كِدتُ مِن غَيظٍ عَلَيهِ

كِدتُ مِن غَيظٍ عَلَيهِ

إِذ لَحاني أَتَفَقّا

إِذ لَحاني أَتَفَقّا

In my anger at him, I almost

I raged and vented wrath

I nearly, out of sheer rage against him,

burst when he reproached me.

When he approached to guide

Burst apart when he heaped blame upon me.

وَيكَ إِنَّ الحُبَّ لَم يَم

وَيكَ إِنَّ الحُبَّ لَم يَم

لِك سِوى رِقِّيَ رِقّا

لِك سِوى رِقِّيَ رِقّا

Woe to you! Love has enslaved

"For love" I testified

"Woe to you!" I cried, "Love has possessed

no one but me.

"Can master me, however it may scathe"

My servitude, leaving no other bond but mine."

لِيَ مَولىً أَرتَجي مِن

لِيَ مَولىً أَرتَجي مِن

هُ عَلى رَغمِكَ عِتقا

هُ عَلى رَغمِكَ عِتقا

I have a master from whom I hope,

I have a Lord who may

I have a master from whom I hope to gain,

despite you, to receive my freedom.

Yet free me, though you'd bind

Despite your protests, my eventual freedom.

قَمَرٌ بَينَ نُجومٍ

قَمَرٌ بَينَ نُجومٍ

ناصِبٌ في الصَدرِ حُقّا

ناصِبٌ في الصَدرِ حُقّا

A moon among stars,

A moon amid the stars

He is a full moon amidst the lesser stars,

with a small round casket raised upon his chest.

My breast has split in twain to bear its scars

Bearing a chest sculpted like an ivory box.

أُفعِمَ الأَردافُ مِنهُ

أُفعِمَ الأَردافُ مِنهُ

وَاِنطَوى الكَشحُ وَدَقّا

وَاِنطَوى الكَشحُ وَدَقّا

His buttocks are filled out,

His hips provoke desire

His hips are full and heavily weighted,

and his waist draws inward and grows slender.

His waist folds and entices

While his waist is slender, folded, and fine.

وَإِذا ما قامَ يَمشي

وَإِذا ما قامَ يَمشي

مالَتِ الأَردافُ شِقّا

مالَتِ الأَردافُ شِقّا

And whenever he rises to walk,

When he begins to walk

And when he rises to walk, his gait sways,

his buttocks sway to one side.

His hips sway gracefully as they rock

As his heavy hips tilt from side to side.

ثَمَّ لَونٌ يَفضَحُ الخَم

ثَمَّ لَونٌ يَفضَحُ الخَم

رَ صَفا مِنهُ وَرَقّا

رَ صَفا مِنهُ وَرَقّا

There is a hue that puts wine

A hue that shames the wine

He possesses a hue that puts wine to shame,

to shame, clearer and finer than it.

And leaf, so delicate

Surpassing it in clarity and delicacy.

حُبُّ هَذا لا سِوى ذا

حُبُّ هَذا لا سِوى ذا

مَحَقَ الأَعمارَ مَحقا

مَحَقَ الأَعمارَ مَحقا

Love of this one, and no other,

A love none else could sate

It is the love of him, and none but him,

has utterly consumed lifetimes.

Has squandered all my years and sealed my fate

That has utterly wasted away my days.

فَاِشدُدَن بِالحُبِّ كَفّاً

فَاِشدُدَن بِالحُبِّ كَفّاً

وَصِلَن بِالحُبِّ رِبقا

وَصِلَن بِالحُبِّ رِبقا

So tighten your hand's grip on love,

Clench your fist in passion's name

So grip love firmly with your hand,

and link the halters with love.

And beg for union's sake

And keep the bond of passion tied tight.

إِنَّما أَسعَدَ رَبّي

إِنَّما أَسعَدَ رَبّي

بِالهَوى قَوماً وَأَشقى

بِالهَوى قَوماً وَأَشقى

It is my Lord who has made

To some it joy did make

For my Lord has granted bliss through love

some happy through love, and others wretched.

To others misery, as God ordained

To some, while others He has doomed to misery.

وَبِلادٍ في بِلادٍ

وَبِلادٍ في بِلادٍ

أَوحَشُ البُلدانِ طُرقا

أَوحَشُ البُلدانِ طُرقا

And lands within lands,

I roamed from land to land

Through lands stretching into further lands,

with the most desolate paths of all—

Seeking the bleakest clime

Whose paths are the most desolate and wild,

قَد شَقَقتُ اللَيلَ عَنها

قَد شَقَقتُ اللَيلَ عَنها

بِبَناتِ الريحِ شَقّا

بِبَناتِ الريحِ شَقّا

I have torn the night away from them,

And split the night in quest

I have pierced the veil of night across them

cleaving it with the daughters of the wind.

Of camels striding on with stately crest

With camels swift as the daughters of the wind—

طافِياتٍ راسِباتٍ

طافِياتٍ راسِباتٍ

جُبتُها عُنقاً فَعُنقا

جُبتُها عُنقاً فَعُنقا

They floated up and sank down;

Past plains of dun and gold

Floating like ships, then plunging deep,

I crossed those lands at one swift gait after another,

I journeyed without rest

As I traversed the wastes, pace after pace.

نَحوَ إِبراهيمَ حَتّى

نَحوَ إِبراهيمَ حَتّى

نَزَلَت في العَدوِ وَفقا

نَزَلَت في العَدوِ وَفقا

toward Ibrahim, until

To where my love was blessed

Heading toward Ibrahim, until my mount

they settled into an even gallop.

With faith and poetry's encomiums best

Alighted right on the mark in her gallop.

فَوقَها الوُدُّ المُصَفّى

فَوقَها الوُدُّ المُصَفّى

وَالمَديحُ المُتَنَقّى

وَالمَديحُ المُتَنَقّى

Upon them rode pure affection

For his unstinting hand

Upon her back she bore purified affection

and carefully chosen praise.

He's mocked as being crazed

And praise selected with the utmost care.

مالَ إِبراهيمُ بِالما

مالَ إِبراهيمُ بِالما

لِ كَذا غَرباً وَشَرقا

لِ كَذا غَرباً وَشَرقا

Ibrahim directed his wealth

But where his feet have grazed

Ibrahim has poured out wealth abundantly,

thus, westward and eastward.

The land blooms forth in glory unsurpassed

Casting it thus, to the West and the East.

فَكَفاني بُخلُ مَن يَخ

فَكَفاني بُخلُ مَن يَخ

نُقُ حَلقَ الكيسِ خَنقا

نُقُ حَلقَ الكيسِ خَنقا

So he spared me the stinginess of one who

And if I say, or wish

He saved me from the miser who strangles

chokes his purse's throat tightly shut,

That truly I could tell

The neck of his purse with a choking grip—

واجِداً مِن غَيرِ وَجدٍ

واجِداً مِن غَيرِ وَجدٍ

لاوِياً خَطماً وَشِدقا

لاوِياً خَطماً وَشِدقا

resentful without cause for resentment,

The Niles flow from your palms,

One who possesses much, yet gives without joy,

twisting his snout and the corner of his mouth.

Their streams cleft in twain by your love's spells

Twisting his snout and jaw in disdain.

قَسَمَ الرَحمَنُ لِلأُم

قَسَمَ الرَحمَنُ لِلأُم

مَةِ مِن كَفَّيكَ رِزقا

مَةِ مِن كَفَّيكَ رِزقا

The Merciful allotted to the community

You curse my father's name,

The Merciful has apportioned to the nation

sustenance from your two hands.

Yet you're renowned each day

A sustenance flowing directly from your hands.

فَلَكَ المالُ المُلَقّى

فَلَكَ المالُ المُلَقّى

وَلَكَ العِرضُ المُوَقّى

وَلَكَ العِرضُ المُوَقّى

So yours is the wealth cast forth,

For your open hand, and he

So yours is the wealth that comes to meet you,

and yours the honor kept inviolate.

Who slanders should be cloven clean in twain!

And yours is the honor, guarded and pristine.

جادَ إِبراهيمُ حَتّى

جادَ إِبراهيمُ حَتّى

جَعَلوهُ الناسُ حُمقا

جَعَلوهُ الناسُ حُمقا

Ibrahim gave so generously

Ja'far donned the plumes

Ibrahim has shown such generosity that

that people deemed him a fool.

Of glory, soaring high

People have begun to call his largesse madness.

وَإِذا ما حَلَّ في أَر

وَإِذا ما حَلَّ في أَر

ضٍ مِنَ الأَرضينَ شِقّا

ضٍ مِنَ الأَرضينَ شِقّا

And whenever he settles in

Above all Quraysh clans

And whenever he settles in any land,

a tract of any of the lands,

Quintessence of honor free from tie

In any tract among the regions of the earth,

كانَ ذاكَ الأُفقُ مِنها

كانَ ذاكَ الأُفقُ مِنها

أَخصَبَ الآفاقِ أُفقا

أَخصَبَ الآفاقِ أُفقا

that region of it becomes

He glides as smoothly as

That horizon becomes, of all places,

the most fertile of all regions.

A steed who by none is passed

The most fertile and bountiful of realms.

فَلَوَ اِنّي قُلتُ أَو آ

فَلَوَ اِنّي قُلتُ أَو آ

لَيتُ يَوماً قُلتُ حَقّا

لَيتُ يَوماً قُلتُ حَقّا

So if I were to speak, or swear

Were I to speak, or were I to swear an oath—

one day, I would speak the truth:

And on that day speak nothing but the truth—

ما تَرى النيلَينِ إِلّا

ما تَرى النيلَينِ إِلّا

مِن نَدى كَفَّيكَ شُقّا

مِن نَدى كَفَّيكَ شُقّا

You see the two Niles only

You would see that the two Niles flow only

as channels cleft from the dew of your two hands.

As streams derived from the dew of your palms.

أَيُّها الشاتِمُ وَهناً

أَيُّها الشاتِمُ وَهناً

مِن أَبي إِسحاقَ بَرقا

مِن أَبي إِسحاقَ بَرقا

O you who revile, late at night,

O you who hurls weak insults, filled with delusion,

a lightning-flash from Abu Ishaq:

At the lightning brilliance of Abu Ishaq:

كُلَّ يَومٍ أَنتَ لاقٍ

كُلَّ يَومٍ أَنتَ لاقٍ

وَجهَهُ لِلجودِ طَلقا

وَجهَهُ لِلجودِ طَلقا

every day you encounter

Every day you are destined to encounter

his face beaming with generosity.

His face beaming, open with generosity.

اِكتَسى ريشَ جَناحَي

اِكتَسى ريشَ جَناحَي

جَعفَرٍ ثُمَّ تَرَقّى

جَعفَرٍ ثُمَّ تَرَقّى

He donned the feathers of the two wings

He has clad himself in the feathers of Ja'far's wings,

of Ja'far, then rose higher.

Of Ja'far's lineage, and then ascended high.

وَتَنَقّى مِن قُرَيشٍ

وَتَنَقّى مِن قُرَيشٍ

جَوهَرَ العِزِّ المُنَقّى

جَوهَرَ العِزِّ المُنَقّى

And from Quraysh he selected

He has selected from the tribe of Quraysh

the pure jewel of glory.

The purest jewel of glory, refined and choice.

وَجَرى جَريَ جَوادٍ

وَجَرى جَريَ جَوادٍ

قَد أَفاتَ الخَيلَ سَبقا

قَد أَفاتَ الخَيلَ سَبقا

And he ran like a noble steed

He has galloped with the stride of a noble steed

that has left the horses behind in the race.

That leaves all other chargers trailing far behind.