يا مَيُّ مَلَّ الهَوى إِلّا مَعناكِ

يا مَيُّ مَلَّ الهَوى إِلّا مَعناكِ

وَحالَ صَبٌّ صَبا إِلَا لِمَعناكِ

وَحالَ صَبٌّ صَبا إِلَا لِمَعناكِ

O Mayy, all have wearied of love save the one you torment.

O water of passion none but you quenches our thirst

And every yearning lover has changed, save the lover of your essence.

And the youth poured their drink only for your sake

وَغَيَّر اللَومُ مَن يَهوى سِواكِ وَلَم

وَغَيَّر اللَومُ مَن يَهوى سِواكِ وَلَم

تُحَل صُروفَ الرَدى مَن كانَ يَهواكِ

تُحَل صُروفَ الرَدى مَن كانَ يَهواكِ

And reproach changed whoever loves another than you; yet never

Blame changed those who loved another but you, yet

Did death's vicissitudes change whoever loved you.

The calamities of fate spared none who adored you

وَأَصبَحَ الناسُ مَسروراً بِسِرِّكِ عَن

وَأَصبَحَ الناسُ مَسروراً بِسِرِّكِ عَن

عِلمٍ وَآخِرِ مَغروراً بِأَسماكِ

عِلمٍ وَآخِرِ مَغروراً بِأَسماكِ

And among people, one rejoices in your secret through

And people began their day secretly happy with your mystery

Knowledge, and another is beguiled by your names.

While others were fooled by your names

يَغتالُهُ مِن سَرابِ الآلِ خَلَّبَهُ

يَغتالُهُ مِن سَرابِ الآلِ خَلَّبَهُ

فَيَنثَني عَن بَروقٍ مِن ثِناياكِ

فَيَنثَني عَن بَروقٍ مِن ثِناياكِ

The mirage's deceptive shimmer waylays him,

Deluded by mirages of hopes, dissuaded

So he turns away from the lightning flashes of your front teeth.

By glimmers within your folds

وَيوهِم الناسَ جَهلاً مِنهُ مَعرِفَةً

وَيوهِم الناسَ جَهلاً مِنهُ مَعرِفَةً

بِكَنَهِ مَعنى الهَوى عَن ضَعفِ إِدراكِ

بِكَنَهِ مَعنى الهَوى عَن ضَعفِ إِدراكِ

And in his ignorance he makes people believe he has knowledge

And in ignorance they feigned knowledge

Of love's innermost meaning, out of feeble understanding.

Of the essence of passion, weak was their grasp

وَكَنهُ مَعنى غَرامي لَيسَ يَشهَدُهُ

وَكَنهُ مَعنى غَرامي لَيسَ يَشهَدُهُ

بِكَنَهِ حُسنِكَ إِلّا مَن تَمَعناكِ

بِكَنَهِ حُسنِكَ إِلّا مَن تَمَعناكِ

And no one witnesses the innermost meaning of my passion

But the essence of my passion none can witness

In the essence of your beauty, save one who has fathomed you.

Unless immersed, meditating upon you

وَلَستُ مَن يَدَّعي وَصلاً بِلا سَفَرٍ

وَلَستُ مَن يَدَّعي وَصلاً بِلا سَفَرٍ

إِلى حِماكِ وَقُرباً دونَ لُقياكِ

إِلى حِماكِ وَقُرباً دونَ لُقياكِ

And I am not one who claims union without a journey

I boast no union without journeying

To your sanctuary, or nearness without meeting you.

To your protection, no nearness sans seeing you

فَكَم عَقَرتُ عَلى البَيداءِ مِن بَدَنٍ

فَكَم عَقَرتُ عَلى البَيداءِ مِن بَدَنٍ

أَكَلَهُ السَعيُ في قَصدي لِمَغناكِ

أَكَلَهُ السَعيُ في قَصدي لِمَغناكِ

So how many a body have I laid low upon the desert waste,

How many a camel I rode in the desert

Consumed by striving in my quest for your abode!

Consumed by efforts to reach your oasis

وَكَم سَلَكتُ رُبى الوَعساءِ مُجتَهِداً

وَكَم سَلَكتُ رُبى الوَعساءِ مُجتَهِداً

عَلَيَّ أُرَوّي صَدى قَلبي بِرَيّاكِ

عَلَيَّ أُرَوّي صَدى قَلبي بِرَيّاكِ

And how often I have traversed the hills of soft sand, striving

And how many a sleepy settlement I passed

In hopes of quenching my heart's thirst with your fragrance.

Yearning to appease my heart by the thought of you

وَالعِزُّ مِنكِ وَذُلّي فيكِ قَد ضَمِنّا

وَالعِزُّ مِنكِ وَذُلّي فيكِ قَد ضَمِنّا

بِاليَأسِ مِن طَمَعي بِالوَصلِ إِهلاكي

بِاليَأسِ مِن طَمَعي بِالوَصلِ إِهلاكي

And your majesty and my abasement in you have assured

My strength is from you, and in you my weakness

My destruction through despair of my hope for union.

My despair to ever attain you destroys me

وَكَيفَ يَطمَعُ مِثلي في وِصالِكِ أَو

وَكَيفَ يَطمَعُ مِثلي في وِصالِكِ أَو

بِأَن تَرى عَينُهُ مَرعى مَطاياكِ

بِأَن تَرى عَينُهُ مَرعى مَطاياكِ

And how can one like me hope for union with you, or

What hopes can my likes hold of union with you

For his eye to see the pasture of your mounts?

Of eyes feasting upon your procession?

لَكِن ظُهورِكَ بِالتَأنيسِ جَسِّرَني

لَكِن ظُهورِكَ بِالتَأنيسِ جَسِّرَني

حَتّى تَفَوَّهتُ في سِرّي بِذِكراكِ

حَتّى تَفَوَّهتُ في سِرّي بِذِكراكِ

But your comforting manifestation emboldened me,

But your soothing presence gave me courage

Until, in my secret heart, I voiced your remembrance.

To whisper my secret and your name

يا رَبَّةِ السَترِ هَل لِلكَشفِ مِن أَمَدٍ

يا رَبَّةِ السَترِ هَل لِلكَشفِ مِن أَمَدٍ

يُقضى فَيُجلى قَذى عَيني بِرُؤياكِ

يُقضى فَيُجلى قَذى عَيني بِرُؤياكِ

O mistress of the veil, is there an appointed time for unveiling

O object of veils, will disclosure come one day

To be fulfilled, so the sight of you may clear the mote from my eye?

Dispelling the shell from my eyes by your sight?

وَهَل لِلَيلِ الجَفا صُبحٌ فَيَرقُبُهُ

وَهَل لِلَيلِ الجَفا صُبحٌ فَيَرقُبُهُ

مَن لا يُرى الصُبحَ إِلّا مِن مُحَيّاكِ

مَن لا يُرى الصُبحَ إِلّا مِن مُحَيّاكِ

And has the night of estrangement a dawn to be awaited

Can night’s abandon know dawn, watched for

By one who sees dawn only in your countenance?

By one who sees no dawn but your smile?

وَما اِختَفى الصُبحُ عَنّي يا مُنى أَمَلي

وَما اِختَفى الصُبحُ عَنّي يا مُنى أَمَلي

لَكِنَّما السَقمُ عَن عَينَيَّ أَخفاكِ

لَكِنَّما السَقمُ عَن عَينَيَّ أَخفاكِ

And dawn has not vanished from me, O object of my hope;

The dawn never left me, O my wish

Rather, sickness has hidden you from my eyes.

Ailment just hid it from my eyes

سِفِرتِ فَاِحتَجَبَت عَنكِ العُيونُ فَفي

سِفِرتِ فَاِحتَجَبَت عَنكِ العُيونُ فَفي

حَجبِ العُيونِ كَمالُ اللُطفِ أَبداكِ

حَجبِ العُيونِ كَمالُ اللُطفِ أَبداكِ

You unveiled yourself, and eyes were veiled from you; for in

You traveled, so eyes were veiled from you

The veiling of eyes, perfect subtlety revealed you.

In their veil was the perfection of your grace

حَكيتِ بِالعَينِ أَعياناً شَهِدنَكِ كَال

حَكيتِ بِالعَينِ أَعياناً شَهِدنَكِ كَال

مَحكِيِّ وَاِحتَجَبوا عَن رُؤيَةِ الحاكي

مَحكِيِّ وَاِحتَجَبوا عَن رُؤيَةِ الحاكي

You portrayed beings to the eye; they witnessed you as the

With a glance you told spectacular tales

Portrayed, and were veiled from seeing the portrayer.

Like a narrator, while viewers were veiled

حَتّى رَأى كُلُّ شَخصٍ مِنكَ طاقَتَهُ

حَتّى رَأى كُلُّ شَخصٍ مِنكَ طاقَتَهُ

في حَدِّهِ فَاِنتَفى تَحديدُ مَعناكِ

في حَدِّهِ فَاِنتَفى تَحديدُ مَعناكِ

Until each person saw of you as much as his capacity allowed,

Each saw a reflection of you in themselves

Within his limits; thus your essence could not be delimited.

So fathomless remained your essence

وَلَم يَنَل أَحَدٌ عِلمَ الإِحاطَةِ بِالغَي

وَلَم يَنَل أَحَدٌ عِلمَ الإِحاطَةِ بِالغَي

بِ المَشاهِدَ في الأَكوانِ إِلّاكِ

بِ المَشاهِدَ في الأَكوانِ إِلّاكِ

And no one attained all-encompassing knowledge of the unseen

None comprehended your mysterious whole

Witnessed throughout the worlds, except you.

Except the Knower of the unseen realms

فَإِن أَقُل غَيرَ هَذا فيكِ وَاِخجَلي

فَإِن أَقُل غَيرَ هَذا فيكِ وَاِخجَلي

مِن الغَرامِ وَواكُفري وَإِشراكي

مِن الغَرامِ وَواكُفري وَإِشراكي

So if I say anything else of you—alas for my shame

If I say less of you, reproach me

Before love—and alas for my unbelief and my ascribing partners to you!

And rebuke me for blasphemy against you