إِذا اِبتَهَلتُ سَأَلتُ اللَهَ رَحمَتَهُ

إِذا اِبتَهَلتُ سَأَلتُ اللَهَ رَحمَتَهُ

كَنَّيتُ عَنكَ وَما يَعدوكَ إِضماري

كَنَّيتُ عَنكَ وَما يَعدوكَ إِضماري

Whenever I supplicate, I ask God for His mercy.

When I pray I ask Allah for His mercy

When I stand in supplication, beseeching God for His Mercy,

I allude to you, and my hidden intent goes no further than you.

I pretended not to think of you though you were in my thoughts

I speak in code of you, for my secret heart seeks none but you.

أَحبَبتُ مِن شِعرِ بَشّارٍ لِحُبِّكُمُ

أَحبَبتُ مِن شِعرِ بَشّارٍ لِحُبِّكُمُ

مَيتاً شُغِفتُ بِهِ مِن شِعرِ بَشّارِ

مَيتاً شُغِفتُ بِهِ مِن شِعرِ بَشّارِ

For love of you, I loved, from Bashshar's poetry,

I loved Basher's poetry for your love

For your sake, I have grown to love the poetry of Bashar,

A dead one I was enamored of, from Bashshar's poetry:

Though dead, his poetry made me long for you

Enamored with a dead man's words found in his verse:

يا رَحمَةَ اللَهِ حُلّي في مَنازِلِنا

يا رَحمَةَ اللَهِ حُلّي في مَنازِلِنا

وَجاوِرينا فَدَتكِ النَفسُ مِن جارِ

وَجاوِرينا فَدَتكِ النَفسُ مِن جارِ

O mercy of God, dwell in our homes,

O Allah's mercy, beautify our homes

"O Mercy of God, descend and dwell within our homes,"

And be our neighbor—may my soul be your ransom, O neighbor!

And dwell with us, I would give my soul for a neighbor like you

"And be our neighbor—may my soul be ransom for such a neighbor!"