هِيَ الحَياةُ الَّتي تَحْيَا النُّفُوسُ بِها

هِيَ الحَياةُ الَّتي تَحْيَا النُّفُوسُ بِها

تُمِيتُها كُلَّما شَاءَتْ وَتُحْييها

تُمِيتُها كُلَّما شَاءَتْ وَتُحْييها

She is the life through which souls live.

It is the life with which souls live

She kills them whenever she wishes, and revives them.

It kills them whenever it wants and revives them

لَوْ أَنَّها خَاطَبَتْ مَيْتاً لَكَلَّمَها

لَوْ أَنَّها خَاطَبَتْ مَيْتاً لَكَلَّمَها

وَقَامَ مِنْ قَبْرِهِ شَوْقاً يُلَبِّيها

وَقَامَ مِنْ قَبْرِهِ شَوْقاً يُلَبِّيها

Were she to address a dead man, he would speak to her,

If it spoke to a dead person, he would answer its call

and rise from his grave in longing to answer her call.

And rise from his grave yearning to meet it

عَادَيْتُ مِنْ أَجْلِها رُوحي وَقَدْ عَلِمَتْ

عَادَيْتُ مِنْ أَجْلِها رُوحي وَقَدْ عَلِمَتْ

رُوحي بِأَنِّي أُعَادِي مَنْ يُعادِيها

رُوحي بِأَنِّي أُعَادِي مَنْ يُعادِيها

For her sake I turned against my soul, though it already knew—

I turned against my soul for its sake, and my soul knew

my soul—that I oppose whoever opposes her.

That I oppose whoever opposes it

وَلَسْتُ أَبْكي بِدَمْعِي حِينَ تُبْعِدُني

وَلَسْتُ أَبْكي بِدَمْعِي حِينَ تُبْعِدُني

لَكِنْ بِرُوحي عَلَيْها حِينَ أَبْكِيها

لَكِنْ بِرُوحي عَلَيْها حِينَ أَبْكِيها

I do not weep with my tears when she drives me away,

And I don’t cry with my tears when it distances me

but with my soul over her, when I weep for her.

Rather with my soul that cries for it

للَّهِ إِنْسانُ طَرْفي حِينَ صَارَ بِها

للَّهِ إِنْسانُ طَرْفي حِينَ صَارَ بِها

عَبْدي كَما صِرْتُ فِيها عَبْدَ حُبِّيها

عَبْدي كَما صِرْتُ فِيها عَبْدَ حُبِّيها

How wondrous the pupil of my eye, when through her it became

By Allah, the human in whose eyes it resides

my slave, just as I became, on her account, a slave to my love for her.

Becomes its slave just as I became a slave to my love for it

غُرِيتُ بِاللَّوْمِ فِيها إِذْ غُرِيتُ بِها

غُرِيتُ بِاللَّوْمِ فِيها إِذْ غُرِيتُ بِها

فَصِرْتُ أَهْوى مَلامي مِنْ مَلامِيها

فَصِرْتُ أَهْوى مَلامي مِنْ مَلامِيها

I grew enamored of reproach concerning her, since I grew enamored of her.

I was tempted to blame it when I was tempted by it

So I came to prefer being reproached to reproaching her.

So I grew to love blaming it along with blaming myself for it

هَذا لأَنَّ عَذابي صارَ يَعْذُبُ لِي

هَذا لأَنَّ عَذابي صارَ يَعْذُبُ لِي

فيها وَأَنَّ حَيَاتي مِنْ أَيادِيها

فيها وَأَنَّ حَيَاتي مِنْ أَيادِيها

This is because my torment has become sweet to me

This is because my torment started tormenting me through it

on her account, and because my life is among her gifts.

And my life was in its hands

يَا قَاتَلَ اللَهُ قَلْبي كَيْفَ صَبَّرَنِي

يَا قَاتَلَ اللَهُ قَلْبي كَيْفَ صَبَّرَنِي

دَعَوْتُ بِالْمَوْتِ خَوْفاً مِنْ دَوَاعِيها

دَعَوْتُ بِالْمَوْتِ خَوْفاً مِنْ دَوَاعِيها

Oh, may God slay my heart—how it made me endure!

O killer of my heart, how did you make me patient

I prayed for death, afraid of her summons.

I called for death fearing its allure

بِحَقِّها يا هَوَاها أَغْرِ هَجْرَكَ بِي

بِحَقِّها يا هَوَاها أَغْرِ هَجْرَكَ بِي

إِذا تَمَنَّيْتُ مِنْها هَجْرَ وَصْلِيها

إِذا تَمَنَّيْتُ مِنْها هَجْرَ وَصْلِيها

By her right, O love for her, unleash your estrangement upon me,

For its sake, O its passion, make your abandonment hard on me

if I wish her to sever my union with her.

Whenever I wish for its abandonment or its union

رُحْ يا سَقَامِي عَلَى الأَعْضاءِ مُحْتَكِماً

رُحْ يا سَقَامِي عَلَى الأَعْضاءِ مُحْتَكِماً

كَما غَدَوْتَ لِفَرْطِ السُّقْمِ تُفُنِيها

كَما غَدَوْتَ لِفَرْطِ السُّقْمِ تُفُنِيها

Go, O my sickness, ruling at will over my limbs,

Go away, my sickness, judging my limbs

just as you have come, through excessive sickness, to destroy them.

As you have become due to intense sickness that destroys it

خُذْ مِنْ قُوى النَّفْسِ مَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ صِلَةً

خُذْ مِنْ قُوى النَّفْسِ مَا أَحْبَبْتَهُ صِلَةً

مِنِّي وَلا تُبْقِ لِي إِنْ شِئْتَ باقِيها

مِنِّي وَلا تُبْقِ لِي إِنْ شِئْتَ باقِيها

Take whatever you like of the soul's strength as a gift

Take from the soul's strength whatever connection you wanted

from me, and leave me none of what remains, if you wish.

And leave me nothing of it, if you wish

وَأَنْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بِمَا تَهْواهُ يا تَلَفِي

وَأَنْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بِمَا تَهْواهُ يا تَلَفِي

رَضِيتُ مِنْكَ بِهِ إِنْ كُنْتَ تُرْضِيها

رَضِيتُ مِنْكَ بِهِ إِنْ كُنْتَ تُرْضِيها

And you—decree whatever you desire, O my ruin;

And you, my demise, judge however you wish

I accept it from you, if you please her.

I will accept it from you if you please it

عَساكِرُ الشَّوْقِ في قَلْبِي مُخَيِّمَةٌ

عَساكِرُ الشَّوْقِ في قَلْبِي مُخَيِّمَةٌ

مُذْ خَيَّمَ الوَجْدُ لِي في رَبْعِ حُبِّيها

مُذْ خَيَّمَ الوَجْدُ لِي في رَبْعِ حُبِّيها

Armies of longing are encamped in my heart,

The armies of passion camped in my heart

since passion pitched camp for me in the abode of my love for her.

Ever since ardour pitched its tents in the land of my love for it

هَا قَدْ لَبِستُ ثِيابَ الضُّرِّ فِيكِ فَقَدْ

هَا قَدْ لَبِستُ ثِيابَ الضُّرِّ فِيكِ فَقَدْ

بُلِيتُ بِالسُّقْمِ فِيها قَبْلَ أُبْلِيها

بُلِيتُ بِالسُّقْمِ فِيها قَبْلَ أُبْلِيها

Behold, I have donned the garments of affliction for you, for

Look, I have worn the clothes of misery for you, so

I was stricken with sickness in them before I could wear them out.

I was afflicted with sickness for its sake before it was