رِقَابَ العُقلِ لاَ تَنسَى زَمَاني

رِقَابَ العُقلِ لاَ تَنسَى زَمَاني

أجُرُّ الدَّيلَ فِيكِ عَلَى أمَانِ

أجُرُّ الدَّيلَ فِيكِ عَلَى أمَانِ

O Riqāb al-ʿUql, do not forget my days,

The necks of reason do not forget my time

when I trailed my hem within you in safety.

I draw my tail gently inside you

فَلا تَخَشَى صُدُودِي عَنكِ إني

فَلا تَخَشَى صُدُودِي عَنكِ إني

عَلَى بُعدِيَّ عَنكِ إِلَيكِ رَانِ

عَلَى بُعدِيَّ عَنكِ إِلَيكِ رَانِ

So do not fear my turning away from you, for I,

So do not fear my aloofness from you, for I

despite my distance from you, gaze longingly toward you.

In my distance from you, am inclined toward you

وفي قَلبي مَحَبَّتِكِ التى لاَ

وفي قَلبي مَحَبَّتِكِ التى لاَ

يُعَبِّرُ عن حَقِيقَتِهَا لِسني

يُعَبِّرُ عن حَقِيقَتِهَا لِسني

And in my heart is love for you that cannot

And in my heart is a love for you that cannot

be expressed in its true essence by my tongue.

Be expressed in its essence by my tongue

ولَكِن أُتِيحَ لِىَّ التَّنائِى

ولَكِن أُتِيحَ لِىَّ التَّنائِى

وأرجُو أن يُتَاحَ لِىَّ التَّدَاني

وأرجُو أن يُتَاحَ لِىَّ التَّدَاني

And yet separation was allotted to me,

But seclusion has been made possible for me

and I hope that nearness may be allotted to me.

And I hope proximity will be made possible for me

فَهَا أنَا في مَكَانٍ غَيرِ دانٍ

فَهَا أنَا في مَكَانٍ غَيرِ دانٍ

وَقَلبي في مَكَانٍ غَيرِ دَانِ

وَقَلبي في مَكَانٍ غَيرِ دَانِ

So here I am in a distant place,

So here I am in a place far from flowing

and my heart is in a distant place.

While my heart is in a place far from flowing

عَمٍ رَانٍ يُقَلِّبني غَرَامٌ

عَمٍ رَانٍ يُقَلِّبني غَرَامٌ

عَرَاني مِن حُرُوفِ عَمٍ و رَانِ

عَرَاني مِن حُرُوفِ عَمٍ و رَانِ

Blind yet gazing, I am tossed about by a passion

Playing with me is a passion

that befell me from the letters of ʿam ('blind') and rān ('gazing');

That has stripped me bare of the letters ‘ayn and ra’

ومِن رَاءٍ و حَاءِ مِيمٍ ويَاءٍ

ومِن رَاءٍ و حَاءِ مِيمٍ ويَاءٍ

عَرَاني مَا دَهَاني إِذ عَرَاني

عَرَاني مَا دَهَاني إِذ عَرَاني

and from rāʾ and ḥāʾ, mīm and yāʾ,

And of ra’, ha’, meem, and ya’

what overwhelmed me befell me when it befell me.

It has stripped me bare whatever clothed me when it stripped me bare