أين أمي ؟ فرّ لا يلوي به

أين أمي ؟ فرّ لا يلوي به

مجتلى بدر و لا لألاء شمس

مجتلى بدر و لا لألاء شمس

Where is my mother? He fled, turned back by neither

Where is my mother? A horse galloped away with her

Where is my yesterday? It fled, turning back for neither

the sight of a full moon nor the sun's radiance.

Adorned with the full moon and the radiance of the sun

The spectacle of a full moon, nor the brilliance of a sun.

حازه الدّهر و مرّت فوقه

حازه الدّهر و مرّت فوقه

لجج أخطأها عدّي و حدسي

لجج أخطأها عدّي و حدسي

Time claimed him, and over him swept

Time seized her and she passed over it

Time has claimed it, and over it have passed

deep seas that eluded my counting and my intuition.

My ships missed her, and so did my counting and guessing

Waves that eluded my counting and my guessing.

يالأمسي و هو يجتاز المدى

يالأمسي و هو يجتاز المدى

بين أشباح من الأيّأم خرس

بين أشباح من الأيّأم خرس

Ah, my yesterday, as he crosses the expanse

Oh yesterday, as it was crossing the distance

Oh, my yesterday, as it crosses the expanse

among mute specters of the days!

Among the ghosts of grievous days, muted

Among mute ghosts of days.

مرّ في الآباد فاستوقفه

مرّ في الآباد فاستوقفه

من لييلات شبابي ألف أمس

من لييلات شبابي ألف أمس

He passed through the ages; then he was halted

It passed through settlements, so I stopped it

It passed through eternities, and was halted by

by a thousand yesterdays from the little nights of my youth.

From the nights of my youth, a thousand yesterdays

A thousand yesterdays from the brief nights of my youth.

عرفت فيه أخاها آيبا

عرفت فيه أخاها آيبا

من ربوع عافيات الذكر درس

من ربوع عافيات الذكر درس

They recognized their brother in him, returning

I recognized in it her brother coming

They recognized in it their brother returning

from dwellings forgotten and worn away,

From the meadows of our joyful memories learned

From ruined domains of faded and erased memory.

و انتحت فيه مكانا موحشا

و انتحت فيه مكانا موحشا

هو مع وحشته ذروة رمس

هو مع وحشته ذروة رمس

and withdrew into a desolate place within him,

And I picked in it a lonesome place

And they sought out within it a desolate place,

which, in its desolation, was the crest of a grave.

Which with its loneliness was the peak of carving

Which, despite its desolation, is the peak of a grave.

قال أمس هات عن صاحبنا

قال أمس هات عن صاحبنا

و ابعث الذكرى فطول العهد ينسي

و ابعث الذكرى فطول العهد ينسي

A yesterday said, “Tell us of our friend,

It said yesterday, speak of our friend

A yesterday said: 'Tell us of our companion,

and revive memory, for the long passage of time makes one forget.

And send memories, for long absence makes one forget

And awaken the memory, for the length of time causes forgetting.

قد تملّيت به غضّ الصّبى

قد تملّيت به غضّ الصّبى

زير حسناء و ورقاء و كأس

زير حسناء و ورقاء و كأس

I once delighted in him, fresh in youth:

I have been bored by his youthful folly

I delighted in him during the bloom of youth,

a lover of a fair woman, a gray dove, and a cup.

A leafy, soft and rosy wine cup

A constant companion of fair women, singing doves, and the wine cup.

كمنت للغيد في أشعاره

كمنت للغيد في أشعاره

زينة الشيطان من غيّ و رجس

زينة الشيطان من غيّ و رجس

Lying in wait for lovely women in his poems

I lurked for the gazelle in his poems

There lay hidden for the fair maidens in his poems

was Satan's adornment of waywardness and filth.

An adornment of devilry, sin and sacrilege

The devil's adornment of transgression and impurity.

خالعا بردى عفاف و تقى

خالعا بردى عفاف و تقى

سادرا يصبح في الغيّ و يمسي

سادرا يصبح في الغيّ و يمسي

Casting off the twin cloaks of chastity and piety,

Shedding the garment of chastity and piety

Casting off the cloaks of chastity and piety,

heedless, spending morning and evening in waywardness,

Wandering misguided mornings and evenings

Recklessly spending his mornings and evenings in error.

يقطف الحسن على أوراقه

يقطف الحسن على أوراقه

من شفاه عذبة الملمس لعس

من شفاه عذبة الملمس لعس

he plucks beauty upon his pages

Plucking beauty in his writings

Plucking beauty upon his pages

from dusky lips, sweet to the touch.”

From sweet lips, smooth to the touch

From lips sweet to the touch, dark and red.'

قال أمس و أنا عهدي به

قال أمس و أنا عهدي به

نضو أوراد و تسبيح و درس

نضو أوراد و تسبيح و درس

A yesterday said, “And I remember him as

It said yesterday, and I knew him

Another yesterday said: 'But my memory of him is

one worn thin by litanies, praise of God, and study.

To be pure litanies, praises and lessons

Worn thin by litanies, glorifications of God, and study.

يعبد الله ففي محرابه

يعبد الله ففي محرابه

كعبة زهراء من نور و قدس

كعبة زهراء من نور و قدس

He worships God; within his prayer niche

Worshipping God, so his pulpit

Worshipping God, for in his sanctuary

stands a radiant Kaaba of light and holiness.

Is a radiant shrine of light and purity

Is a radiant Kaaba of light and holiness.

رضي الصوف فما يعرفه ...

رضي الصوف فما يعرفه ...

ناعم الخزّ و لا غالي الدمقس

ناعم الخزّ و لا غالي الدمقس

He was content with wool; he is known neither to

Content in Sufism, not knowing him

Content with wool, so he is unacquainted with

soft silk-and-wool cloth nor costly white silk.”

Of fine silk, nor of costly fabrics

Soft silk or expensive damask.'

ضحك الأمس فرنّت في الدّجى

ضحك الأمس فرنّت في الدّجى

ضحكة الثاكل في ليلة عرس

ضحكة الثاكل في ليلة عرس

Yesterday laughed, and through the darkness rang

Yesterday laughed, ringing in the darkness

Yesterday laughed, and there rang out in the darkness

a bereaved parent's laughter on a wedding night.

The laugh of one bereaved on her wedding night

The laugh of a bereaved mother on a wedding night.

و انثنى يخطب فيهم خطبة

و انثنى يخطب فيهم خطبة

أبلغ المنطق في أعذب جرس

أبلغ المنطق في أعذب جرس

And he turned to address them with a speech:

And it leaned to preach to them a sermon

And he turned to deliver a sermon among them,

the most eloquent speech, in the sweetest cadence.

Most eloquent speech in the sweetest melody

With the most eloquent of logic in the sweetest of tones:

أين ما تروون عن صاحبنا

أين ما تروون عن صاحبنا

عري الحقّ فلا عذر للبس

عري الحقّ فلا عذر للبس

“Where is what you recount of our friend?

Where is what you relate about our friend

'Where is all that you narrate about our companion?

Truth is bare: there is no excuse for confusion.

Bare truth, no excuse for confusion

The truth is stripped bare, so there is no excuse for confusion.

أتقيّ و هو ينفي كلّ ما

أتقيّ و هو ينفي كلّ ما

لم يؤيّد بيقين أو بحسّ

لم يؤيّد بيقين أو بحسّ

Is he pious, when he denies everything

Godfearing, denying all that

Is he pious, when he denies all that

not confirmed by certainty or sense perception?

Is not proven by certainty or senses

Is not supported by certainty or by the senses?

أخليع و الضنى يسلمه

أخليع و الضنى يسلمه

في ربيع العمر من برء لنكس

في ربيع العمر من برء لنكس

Is he a libertine, while wasting illness hands him over,

Shedding all when destitution surrenders him

Is he a libertine, when illness hands him over

in life's springtime, from recovery to relapse?

In the springtime of life from innocence to guilt

In the spring of his life from recovery to relapse?

هو _ يعفو الله عن آثامه

هو _ يعفو الله عن آثامه

ساخر صوّر من سقم و يأس

ساخر صوّر من سقم و يأس

He—may God forgive his sins—

He is - may God forgive his sins -

He—may God forgive his sins—

is a scoffer, fashioned from sickness and despair.”

Mocking, depicting sickness and despair

Is a cynic, fashioned from sickness and despair.

مزّق الحقّ حجابا للدّجى

مزّق الحقّ حجابا للدّجى

و انجلت نفسي في النّور لنفسي

و انجلت نفسي في النّور لنفسي

Truth tore a veil of darkness,

He tore the veil of darkness

The truth has torn the veil of darkness,

and my soul was revealed to itself in the light.

And my soul shone forth in the light for itself

And my soul has been revealed in the light to myself.'