1. A passion I was utterly consumed by,
And a memory that vividly stirs longing in me,

2. And a harm, whenever I complain of it,
Increases my hurt and makes it more bitter,

3. The rain clouds watered a meadow of mine,
Yet still I beseech them for more showers,

4. I showed patience, but could find
No patience to wean me off yearning.

5. So I have no joy in the departing,
Nor hope in the returning,

6. No pleasure in estrangement,
Nor well-being in separation.

7. My soul is a palace at Buthyan,
Neighbouring no other palace,

8. At the top of Mount Ghawyq, where
Its river meets with a river.

9. My meadow resembles, to the beholder,
Marj and Omar,

10. And a garden that wears adornments,
Whenever it wears flowers.

11. You see the red and yellow
Vying with the red and the yellow,

12. Chamomile that snatches sights
From the small and fully-grown.

13. My blood-red anemones take aim
At their cheeks’ virgin redness.

14. They appeared in green gowns,
Transcending all green gowns,

15. You see a narcissus leaning
Towards her sister, the lily.

16. A rose whose buds
Shed their pearls profusely,

17. When the cheeks parted,
Baring the redness inside.

18. When the wind inclined towards them,
Bringing one closer to the other,

19. We'd think it had made her listen
So it may confide something to her.

20. That which captivates the self,
Even if unable to perform magic,

21. Is a wondrous splendor never before
Seen by the land that left it dazzled.

22. Strange highlights,
Rarer than deserts or settled lands,

23. And you, Abu Bakr, are none other
Even if you surpass all measures.

24. None is sweeter to my heart,
None more glorious or secretly enjoyed.

25. So if you replace my smooth ride
With ruggedness in your ways,

26. And the sweetness of your affection
Turns bitter, as in days gone by,

27. If I now increase my loyalty to you,
You increase your betrayal of me,

28. Not listening to anything I say,
Or accepting any excuse from me,

29. It is as though, when I confide in you,
I am confiding in an empty ruin,

30. And I have many a brother who, if I walked to him,
Would come running to me,

31. And if I asked him a favour but once,
He obliges me tenfold.

32. I have none in you but patience-
Whether time brought joy or sorrow.

33. May God make ease follow hardship
And bring comfort after adversity.

34. Still, I shall never cease to thank
And praise your nature,

35. Propagating your ethics
As vigorously as I can.