مَولايَmy lord عَزَّis exalted فَلاand so not يَهونُbecomes lowly
مَولايَ عَزَّ فَلا يَهونُ
وَقَساand he is cruel عَلَيَّtoward me فَماand so not يَلينُsoftens
وَقَسا عَلَيَّ فَما يَلينُ
My lord is exalted and will not be brought low;
My Master! Mighty, he does not relent
My master has grown mighty, so he is not easily humbled,
and he is cruel to me and will not soften.
And harsh to me, he does not soften
And he has been harsh with me, refusing to soften.
حُيِّيتَlong may you live ليfor me مِنas a مُبغِضٍhater
حُيِّيتَ لي مِن مُبغِضٍ
فَعَلَيكَso against you رَبّيmy Lord أَستَعينُI seek help
فَعَلَيكَ رَبّي أَستَعينُ
Long may you live for me, hater that you are;
You have revived in me a hater
May you be preserved for me, even as one who loathes me,
so I seek my Lord’s help against you.
So my Lord, on You I depend
For I seek the aid of my Lord in enduring you.
ياO مَنyou who حَديثيmy talk حَيثُwherever كُنwas (continued next line)
يا مَن حَديثي حَيثُ كُن
تُI (ending of كُنْتُ) بِوَصفِهِin describing him أَبَداًalways يَكونُis
تُ بِوَصفِهِ أَبَداً يَكونُ
O you—my talk, wherever I may
O You who hears my talk wherever
O you, about whom my conversation—wherever I am—
be, is always a description of you,
You are with it forever spoken
Is eternally devoted to describing his charms,
حَتّىuntil يُقالَit is said فَكَمso how long إِذَنthen
حَتّى يُقالَ فَكَم إِذَن
ماذاthis is not هَوىlove هَذاthis جُنونُmadness
ماذا هَوى هَذا جُنونُ
until people say, “How long, then?
Until it's said how then
Until people ask, 'How much more, then?'
This is not love—this is madness!”
Is this madness bespoken
'What passion is this? This is sheer madness!'
ظَبيٌa gazelle عَلَيهِupon him مَلاحَةٌloveliness
ظَبيٌ عَلَيهِ مَلاحَةٌ
عُنِيَتwere absorbed بِطَلعَتِهِin his countenance العُيونُthe eyes
عُنِيَت بِطَلعَتِهِ العُيونُ
A gazelle adorned with loveliness;
A gazelle, hunted ceaselessly
A gazelle possessed of such exquisite grace,
eyes are absorbed in his countenance.
Eyes attracted by his beauty
That all eyes are captivated by his appearance.
سَبَقَcame beforehand القَضاءُfate’s decree لِحُسنِهِfor his beauty
سَبَقَ القَضاءُ لِحُسنِهِ
أَلّاthat not يَكونَbe لَهُfor him قَرينُa peer
أَلّا يَكونَ لَهُ قَرينُ
Fate decreed beforehand, for his beauty,
Fate has ordained for his fairness
Divine decree has foreordained regarding his beauty,
that he should have no peer.
He shall have no equal, surely
That there shall never be an equal unto him.
Sol 6.1