وَأَرضَيتُ فيكَ الحُبَّ وَالحُبُّ جائِرٌ

وَأَرضَيتُ فيكَ الحُبَّ وَالحُبُّ جائِرٌ

وَأَغضَبتُ فيكَ العَزمَ وَالعَزمُ ناصِحُ

وَأَغضَبتُ فيكَ العَزمَ وَالعَزمُ ناصِحُ

And for your sake I appeased love, though love is unjust;

I was content with love in you, though love is unjust,

And for your sake I angered resolve, though resolve counsels well.

And I was angry with determination in you, though determination gives advice.

وَما مَرَّ بي يَومٌ مِنَ الأُنسِ جامِعٌ

وَما مَرَّ بي يَومٌ مِنَ الأُنسِ جامِعٌ

وَلا فاتَني يَومٌ عَنِ الوَصلِ جامِحُ

وَلا فاتَني يَومٌ عَنِ الوَصلِ جامِحُ

And no day that gathered us in companionship came my way;

No day of intimacy has passed me by completely gathered,

Nor did a day that shied from union ever pass me by.

Nor has any day of separation avoided me completely separated.

وَيا طيبَ ما تُحنَى عَلَيهِ ضَمائِري

وَيا طيبَ ما تُحنَى عَلَيهِ ضَمائِري

مِنَ الوُدِّ لَو أَنَّ الَّذي تَمَّ فاتِحُ

مِنَ الوُدِّ لَو أَنَّ الَّذي تَمَّ فاتِحُ

And how sweet is what my inmost thoughts bend over,

Oh, how good is what my conscience whispers tenderly

Of affection—if only what was completed were a beginning!

Of affection - if only what has passed were begun again -

يَشِفُّ عَلى مُستَجمِعِ اللَيلِ وَجهُهُ

يَشِفُّ عَلى مُستَجمِعِ اللَيلِ وَجهُهُ

وَما أَوجُهُ الإِحسانِ إِلّا مَصابِحُ

وَما أَوجُهُ الإِحسانِ إِلّا مَصابِحُ

His face shines above the night's gathered darkness;

His face would shine in the darkness of the gathered night,

And the faces of kindness are nothing but lamps.

And the best of kindness is nothing but lanterns.

وَعانَدتُ أَيّامي بِيَومِ لِقائِهِ

وَعانَدتُ أَيّامي بِيَومِ لِقائِهِ

فَما عُدَّ لَولاهُ مِنَ الدَهرِ صالَحُ

فَما عُدَّ لَولاهُ مِنَ الدَهرِ صالَحُ

And I defied my days with the day of meeting him;

I struggled against my days with the day I would meet him,

For without him, no part of time was reckoned good.

So, without him, none of time seemed good.

يَقولونَ لي لِم أَنتَ لِلحُزنِ رازِحُ

يَقولونَ لي لِم أَنتَ لِلحُزنِ رازِحُ

فَقُلتُ عَلى القَلبِ الَّذي هُوَ نازِحُ

فَقُلتُ عَلى القَلبِ الَّذي هُوَ نازِحُ

They say to me, "Why are you bowed down by sorrow?"

They say to me "Why are you so downcast?"

So I said, "For the heart that is far away."

So I said "For the heart that has migrated."

وَكَم سُدَّ بابُ الرِزقِ عَنّي فَسُمتُها

وَكَم سُدَّ بابُ الرِزقِ عَنّي فَسُمتُها

أَنامِلَ لِلأَرزاقِ فيها مَفاتِحُ

أَنامِلَ لِلأَرزاقِ فيها مَفاتِحُ

And how often the door of livelihood was shut against me, so I sought them—

And how often was the door of livelihood closed to me, so I called them

Fingertips in which lay the keys to sustenance.

Fingers, with the means of livelihood being their keys.

كَأَنَّهُمُ لَم يَعلَموا أَنقَلبَهُ

كَأَنَّهُمُ لَم يَعلَموا أَنقَلبَهُ

جَريحٌ وَلا أَنَّ العُيونُ جَوارِحُ

جَريحٌ وَلا أَنَّ العُيونُ جَوارِحُ

As though they did not know that his heart

It is as if they did not know his situation has changed

Is wounded, nor that eyes inflict wounds.

And that eyes are wounded.

فَحَمَّلتُهُم ما لا يُطيقُ فُؤادُهُ

فَحَمَّلتُهُم ما لا يُطيقُ فُؤادُهُ

فَقَد حُنِيَت مِن ثِقلِهِنَّ الجَوانِحُ

فَقَد حُنِيَت مِن ثِقلِهِنَّ الجَوانِحُ

So I burdened them with what his heart cannot bear;

So I blamed them for what their hearts could not bear,

For the ribs have been bowed beneath their weight.

For wings drooped under their weight.

وَما ضَرَّني أَن بالَ في البَحرِ بائِلٌ

وَما ضَرَّني أَن بالَ في البَحرِ بائِلٌ

وَلا ساءَني أَن ناطَحَ الصَخرَ ناطِحُ

وَلا ساءَني أَن ناطَحَ الصَخرَ ناطِحُ

And it did me no harm that someone urinated in the sea;

It did not hurt me that the confused babbled in the sea,

Nor did it distress me that someone butted against the rock.

Nor did it pain me that the stubborn butted against rocks.

مَدائِحُ لَمّا أَشرَقَ الحَقُّ فَوقَها

مَدائِحُ لَمّا أَشرَقَ الحَقُّ فَوقَها

تَبَلَّجَ إِنَّ الصِدقَ فيها مَدائِحُ

تَبَلَّجَ إِنَّ الصِدقَ فيها مَدائِحُ

Praises—when truth shone above them,

Eulogies - when the truth shone above them -

It shone forth; indeed, truthfulness within them is praise.

Glistened. Indeed, sincerity in them is eulogies.

وَلَولا رُواءٌ لِلرُواةِ لَبِسنَهُ

وَلَولا رُواءٌ لِلرُواةِ لَبِسنَهُ

مِنَ الحَقِّ ما شَكّوا بِأَنِّيَ مازِحُ

مِنَ الحَقِّ ما شَكّوا بِأَنِّيَ مازِحُ

And but for a splendor these praises wore for the reciters,

Were it not for quenching the thirst of the reciters

Drawn from truth, they would not have doubted that I was jesting.

They would have worn me out, doubting I joke.

جُزيتَ عَنِ المَعروفِ خَيراً وَ أَهلِهِ

جُزيتَ عَنِ المَعروفِ خَيراً وَ أَهلِهِ

فَإِنَّكَ قَد حَقَّقتَهُ وَهوَ طائِحُ

فَإِنَّكَ قَد حَقَّقتَهُ وَهوَ طائِحُ

May you be rewarded with good on behalf of kindness and its people;

May you be rewarded well for kindness and its people

For you have made it real when it was falling away.

For you have realized it while it was fleeing.

أَأَطَمَعُ أَن يَجري عَلى السُّحبِ ساحِبٌ

أَأَطَمَعُ أَن يَجري عَلى السُّحبِ ساحِبٌ

وَآمُلُ أَن يَأتي عَلى البَحرِ سابِحُ

وَآمُلُ أَن يَأتي عَلى البَحرِ سابِحُ

Shall I hope that a plodder can outrun the clouds,

Do I hope that a cloud will float on clouds?

And hope that a swimmer can cover the whole sea?

Or expect that a swimmer will come on the sea?

لَأَصلَحَت مِن حالي وقد كانَ رازِحاً

لَأَصلَحَت مِن حالي وقد كانَ رازِحاً

وَأَعجَزتَ شُكري بَعدَها فَهوَ رازِحُ

وَأَعجَزتَ شُكري بَعدَها فَهوَ رازِحُ

You have indeed mended my condition, which had been bowed down;

My state would have been improved, though it had been downcast,

And after that you rendered my gratitude powerless, so it is bowed down.

And my gratitude would have been too feeble thereafter.

عَقائِلُ شُكرٍ أَعقَبَت يَومَ تُجتَلى

عَقائِلُ شُكرٍ أَعقَبَت يَومَ تُجتَلى

وَكَم عَقِمَت بَعدَ الجِلاءِ المَناكِحُ

وَكَم عَقِمَت بَعدَ الجِلاءِ المَناكِحُ

Noble maidens of gratitude bore offspring on the day they were unveiled;

Signs of gratitude followed the day you were revealed,

And how often marriages proved barren after the unveiling!

And how many wombs were barren after marriage!

فَقُل لِحَبيبِ الشِعرِ إِنَّ صَباحَهُ

فَقُل لِحَبيبِ الشِعرِ إِنَّ صَباحَهُ

وَرى مِنهُ ما تَروي العُصورُ الجَوامِحُ

وَرى مِنهُ ما تَروي العُصورُ الجَوامِحُ

So tell Habib of poetry that his morning

Say to the beloved poet that his dawn

Kindled from him what the headlong ages recount.

Sees what destroys violent times.

وَقَد فَنِيَت مِنّا عَلَيهِ المَدائِحُ

وَقَد فَنِيَت مِنّا عَلَيهِ المَدائِحُ

وَما فَنِيَت مِنّا عَلَيهِ المَنائِحُ

وَما فَنِيَت مِنّا عَلَيهِ المَنائِحُ

And indeed our praises of him have run out;

From us, eulogies have expired for him -

Yet our gifts to him have not run out.

But invectives have not expired from us.

فَمُذ صانَ وَجهي صُنتُ فِكري لِمَدحِهِ

فَمُذ صانَ وَجهي صُنتُ فِكري لِمَدحِهِ

فَوَجهي لَهُ مِن قَبلِ فِكرِيَ مادِحُ

فَوَجهي لَهُ مِن قَبلِ فِكرِيَ مادِحُ

So, since he preserved my face, I have reserved my thought for his praise;

So I chaste guarded my thoughts to eulogize him

So my face praises him before my thought does.

For my thoughts praise him through my face.

وَلَم أَنسَ ذاكَ اللُطفَ وَالبَحرُ مُخلِفٌ

وَلَم أَنسَ ذاكَ اللُطفَ وَالبَحرُ مُخلِفٌ

وَلا نورَ ذاكَ البِشرِ وَالعَيشُ كالِحُ

وَلا نورَ ذاكَ البِشرِ وَالعَيشُ كالِحُ

And I have not forgotten that kindness, when the sea broke its promise;

I have not forgotten that gentleness though the sea forgets,

Nor the light of that smile, when life was scowling.

Nor the light of that good tiding though life is arid.