ألا يا مَن إذا وَلَّوهُ جارا

ألا يا مَن إذا وَلَّوهُ جارا

ألستَ ترى محبَّك كيف صارا

ألستَ ترى محبَّك كيف صارا

Ah, you who, when given power, act unjustly,

Oh you, when an unworthy one turns away

Do you not see what has become of your lover?

Don't you see how your lover has fared?

ويا قمراً ينير الحيل ليلاً

ويا قمراً ينير الحيل ليلاً

وشمساً تشرق الكلا نهارا

وشمساً تشرق الكلا نهارا

And O moon that lights the stratagems at night,

He was a moon, lighting the dark nights

And sun that shines upon the herbage by day,

And a sun, radiating amid the days

فديتُك لم أقسكَ بغصن بانٍ

فديتُك لم أقسكَ بغصن بانٍ

ولا شَبَّهتُ خدَّك جلَّنارا

ولا شَبَّهتُ خدَّك جلَّنارا

May I be your ransom! I have not compared you to a bān-tree bough,

My life for you! I never compared you to a flexing branch

Nor likened your cheek to pomegranate blossom.

Nor your cheek to a burning coal

وكيف وأنت معدن كلِّ حسنٍ

وكيف وأنت معدن كلِّ حسنٍ

إذا ما عُدَّ كنتَ له قرارا

إذا ما عُدَّ كنتَ له قرارا

And how could I, when you are the source of all beauty?

How could I when you are the source of all beauty?

Whenever it is reckoned, you are its resting place.

When counted, you are its destination

وليس يتمُّ حُسنُ الخَلق إن لم

وليس يتمُّ حُسنُ الخَلق إن لم

يكن من بعض حسنك مستعارا

يكن من بعض حسنك مستعارا

And the beauty of creation is not complete unless

Beauty is not complete unless

It is borrowed from some portion of your beauty.

It borrows some of your beauty

لخلقك نسخة في اللوح كانت

لخلقك نسخة في اللوح كانت

تَخَيَّرَها مُكوِّنُها اختيارا

تَخَيَّرَها مُكوِّنُها اختيارا

A model of your form was upon the Tablet;

Your creation was a copy in a tablet

Its Maker chose it with care.

Chosen by its Maker discerningly

فكيف وقد نشأتَ اليوم فينا

فكيف وقد نشأتَ اليوم فينا

تطيق قلوبنا عنك اصطبارا

تطيق قلوبنا عنك اصطبارا

So how, now that you have arisen among us,

So how can our hearts bear patience from you

Can our hearts patiently endure being apart from you?

When you were created for us today?

فمَن تجفوه لن يرجو حياةً

فمَن تجفوه لن يرجو حياةً

ومَن واصلتَه لم يخشَ عارا

ومَن واصلتَه لم يخشَ عارا

Whoever you shun will have no hope of life,

For he who you spurn will not hope for life

And whoever you keep close has no fear of disgrace.

And he who you befriend will fear no shame

بحبِّك صار عاشقُك المُعَنّى

بحبِّك صار عاشقُك المُعَنّى

على العشّاق يفتخر افتخارا

على العشّاق يفتخر افتخارا

Through loving you, your tormented lover has come

Through love of you, your lover is exalted

To boast proudly over the other lovers.

Boasting over lovers boastfully

إذا ما عَيَّروني فيك قالوا

إذا ما عَيَّروني فيك قالوا

حبيبك لا يزور ولن يُزَار

حبيبك لا يزور ولن يُزَار

Whenever they taunted me about you, they said:

When they taunt me about you, they say

'Your beloved does not visit, nor will he be visited.'

Your beloved neither visits nor can be visited

فقلتُ لهم رضيتُ به حبيباً

فقلتُ لهم رضيتُ به حبيباً

ولا وحياتِه ما ذاقَ عارا

ولا وحياتِه ما ذاقَ عارا

So I told them, 'I am content with him as my beloved;

I said to them, I am content with him as my beloved

And no, by his life, he has tasted no disgrace.'

By his life! He has never tasted shame