كَما لا يَنقَضي الأَرَبُ

كَما لا يَنقَضي الأَرَبُ

كَذا لا يَفتُرُ الطَرَبُ

كَذا لا يَفتُرُ الطَرَبُ

Just as desire never comes to an end,

Like the night that never ends

Just as desire never finds an end,

so too rapture never wanes.

So too my torment knows no respite

So too my rapture never knows a pause.

خَلَت مِن حاجَتي الدُنيا

خَلَت مِن حاجَتي الدُنيا

فَلَيسَ لِوَصلِها سَبَبُ

فَلَيسَ لِوَصلِها سَبَبُ

The world is devoid of what I need,

The world is devoid of what I seek

The world is empty of the prize I seek,

so there is no means of reaching it.

For reunion there is no cause

And severed is the path to reach its heart.

تَفانَت دونَها الأَطماعُ

تَفانَت دونَها الأَطماعُ

حالَت دونَها الحُجُبُ

حالَت دونَها الحُجُبُ

Hopes have perished short of it;

Before it ambitions pale

Ambitions perished short of grasping it,

veils have barred the way to it.

Veils block the way

And veils have risen to obstruct the way.

رَأَيتُ البائِسينَ سِوا

رَأَيتُ البائِسينَ سِوا

يَ قَد يَإِسوا وَما طَلَبوا

يَ قَد يَإِسوا وَما طَلَبوا

I saw that the wretched, other than

I saw the wretched, all equal

I saw the wretched ones—other than I—

me, had already despaired without seeking.

Despairing though they never asked

Succumb to hopelessness without a quest.

وَلَم يُبقِ الهَوى إِلّا الـ

وَلَم يُبقِ الهَوى إِلّا الـ

ـتَمَنّي وَهوَ مُحتَسَبُ

ـتَمَنّي وَهوَ مُحتَسَبُ

And longing has left nothing but

Of passion naught remains except

And Love has left me nothing in its wake

wishing, and that is reckoned.

A wish, counted as good deed

But wishing—which is reckoned as my lot.

سِوى أَنّي إِلى الحَيوا

سِوى أَنّي إِلى الحَيوا

نِ بِالحَرَكاتِ أَنتَسِبُ

نِ بِالحَرَكاتِ أَنتَسِبُ

Except that among living

Save that, for life itself

Save that I am akin to living things

creatures I am counted by my movements.

I blame my impulses and whims

By mere movement is my lineage traced.