هَذا المُصَلَّى وَهَذِهِ الكُثُبُ

هَذا المُصَلَّى وَهَذِهِ الكُثُبُ

بِمِثْلِ هَذَا يَهُزُّكَ الطَّرَبُ

بِمِثْلِ هَذَا يَهُزُّكَ الطَّرَبُ

This is the prayer-ground, and these are the dunes;

This is the prayer ground, and these are the dunes.

At such a sight, ecstasy shakes you.

At something like this, rapture stirs you.

فَالْحَيُّ قَدْ شُرِعَتْ مَضَرِبُهُ

فَالْحَيُّ قَدْ شُرِعَتْ مَضَرِبُهُ

وَحُسْنُهُ عَنْهُ زَالتِ الحُجُبُ

وَحُسْنُهُ عَنْهُ زَالتِ الحُجُبُ

For the tribe has pitched its tents,

For the clan's tents have been thrown open,

and the veils have fallen away from its beauty.

And the veils have lifted from its beauty.

وَكُلُّ صَبٍّ صَبَا لِسَاكِنِهِ

وَكُلُّ صَبٍّ صَبَا لِسَاكِنِهِ

يَسْجُدُ شَوْقاً لَهُ وَيَقْترِبُ

يَسْجُدُ شَوْقاً لَهُ وَيَقْترِبُ

Every impassioned lover who yearns for its dweller

And every lovesick lover who yearns for its dweller

bows down in longing and draws near.

Prostrates before him in longing and draws near.

أَنِخْ مَطَايَاكَ عِنْدَ رَبْعِهُمُوُ

أَنِخْ مَطَايَاكَ عِنْدَ رَبْعِهُمُوُ

كَيْ لاَ تَطَاكَ الرِّحَالُ والنُجُبُ

كَيْ لاَ تَطَاكَ الرِّحَالُ والنُجُبُ

Make your mounts kneel at their encampment,

Make your mounts kneel beside their dwelling,

lest the laden saddles and noble camels trample you.

Lest saddles and fine camels trample you.

وَاسْعِ عَلى الجَفنِ خَاضِعاً فَعَسى

وَاسْعِ عَلى الجَفنِ خَاضِعاً فَعَسى

يَشْفَعُ فِيكَ الخُضُوعُ وَالأَدَبُ

يَشْفَعُ فِيكَ الخُضُوعُ وَالأَدَبُ

Approach upon your eyelids, humbly—perhaps

And walk humbly upon your eyelid; perhaps

humility and courtesy will intercede for you.

Humility and courtesy will intercede for you.

وَارْجِ قِرَاهُمْ إِذَا نَزَلْتَ بِهِمْ

وَارْجِ قِرَاهُمْ إِذَا نَزَلْتَ بِهِمْ

فَأَنْتَ ضَيْفٌ لَهُمْ وَهُمْ عُرُبُ

فَأَنْتَ ضَيْفٌ لَهُمْ وَهُمْ عُرُبُ

Hope for their hospitality when you alight among them:

And hope for their hospitality when you alight among them,

you are their guest, and they are Arabs.

For you are their guest, and they are Arabs.

وَاسْجُدْ لَهُمْ وَاْقَتَرِبْ فَعَاشِقُهُمْ

وَاسْجُدْ لَهُمْ وَاْقَتَرِبْ فَعَاشِقُهُمْ

يَسْجُدُ شَوْقاً لهُمْ وَيَقْتَرِبُ

يَسْجُدُ شَوْقاً لهُمْ وَيَقْتَرِبُ

Bow down before them and draw near, for their lover

And prostrate before them and draw near, for their lover

bows down in longing and draws near.

Prostrates before them in longing and draws near.

عِنْدِي لَكُمْ يَا أُهَيْلَ كَاظِمَةٍ

عِنْدِي لَكُمْ يَا أُهَيْلَ كَاظِمَةٍ

أَسْرَارُ وجْدٍ حَديثُهَا عَجَبُ

أَسْرَارُ وجْدٍ حَديثُهَا عَجَبُ

O dear folk of Kāẓima, I harbor for you

I have for you, O dear folk of Kazima,

secrets of passion whose telling is a wonder.

Secrets of passion whose telling is a wonder.

أَرَى بِكُم خَاطِري يُلاحِظُنيِ

أَرَى بِكُم خَاطِري يُلاحِظُنيِ

مِنْ أَيْنَ هَذَا الإِخَاءُ وَالنَّسَبُ

مِنْ أَيْنَ هَذَا الإِخَاءُ وَالنَّسَبُ

Through you, I see my own heart watching me—

I see, through you, my own thought gazing at me:

whence comes this brotherhood, this kinship?

Whence this brotherhood and kinship?

وَإنْ تَشَوَّقْتَكُمْ بَعَثْتُ لَكُمْ

وَإنْ تَشَوَّقْتَكُمْ بَعَثْتُ لَكُمْ

كُتْبَ غَرَامِي وَمِنْكُمُ الكُتُبُ

كُتْبَ غَرَامِي وَمِنْكُمُ الكُتُبُ

Whenever I long for you, I send you

And if I yearn for you, I send you

the letters of my passion, and letters come from you.

Letters of my passion—and from you come the letters.

وَأَشْرَبُ الرَّاح حِينَ أَشْرَبُهَا

وَأَشْرَبُ الرَّاح حِينَ أَشْرَبُهَا

صِرْفاً وَأَصْحُو بِهَا فَمَا السَّبَبُ

صِرْفاً وَأَصْحُو بِهَا فَمَا السَّبَبُ

I drink the wine; when I drink it

And when I drink the wine, I drink it

unmixed, it sobers me—what can be the cause?

Unmixed, and grow sober through it—what is the reason?

خَمْرَتُهَا مِنْ دَمي وَعَاصِرُهَا

خَمْرَتُهَا مِنْ دَمي وَعَاصِرُهَا

ذَاتي وَمِن أَدْمُعِي لَهَا الحَبَبُ

ذَاتي وَمِن أَدْمُعِي لَهَا الحَبَبُ

Its wine is made from my blood, and its wine-presser

Its wine is from my blood, and the one who presses it

is my own essence; from my tears come its bubbles.

Is my own self, and its bubbles come from my tears.

إنْ كُنْتُ أَصْحُو بِشُرْبِهَا فَلَقَدْ

إنْ كُنْتُ أَصْحُو بِشُرْبِهَا فَلَقَدْ

عَرْبَدَ قَوْمُ بِهَا وَمَا شَرِبُوا

عَرْبَدَ قَوْمُ بِهَا وَمَا شَرِبُوا

If drinking it makes me sober, there have indeed

If I grow sober by drinking it, then indeed

been people made drunkenly riotous by it without drinking.

Some have grown riotous through it, though they have not drunk.

هِيَ النَّعِيمُ المُقِيمُ في خَلَدِي

هِيَ النَّعِيمُ المُقِيمُ في خَلَدِي

وَإِنْ غَدَتْ في الكُؤوُسِ تَلْتَهِبُ

وَإِنْ غَدَتْ في الكُؤوُسِ تَلْتَهِبُ

It is the abiding bliss within my innermost heart,

It is the abiding bliss within my mind,

though in the cups it blazes like fire.

Even if it comes to blaze in the cups.

فَغَنِّ لي إِنْ سَقَيْتَ يَا أَمَلي

فَغَنِّ لي إِنْ سَقَيْتَ يَا أَمَلي

بِاسْمِ التَّي بي عَليَّ تَحْتَجِبُ

بِاسْمِ التَّي بي عَليَّ تَحْتَجِبُ

So sing to me as you pour, O my hope,

So sing to me, if you give me drink, O my hope,

in the name of her who uses me to veil herself from me.

In the name of her who, through me, veils herself from me.