أَحبابَنا حاشاكُمُ

أَحبابَنا حاشاكُمُ

مِن غَضَبٍ أَو حَنَقِ

مِن غَضَبٍ أَو حَنَقِ

Our beloved, far be it from you

Our loved ones, far be it from you

to harbor anger or rancor.

Anger or resentment

أَحبابَنا لا عاشَ مَن

أَحبابَنا لا عاشَ مَن

يُغضِبُكُم وَلا بَقي

يُغضِبُكُم وَلا بَقي

Our beloved, may no one live who

Our loved ones, may he who

angers you, nor may he survive.

Angers you not live, nor remain

هَذا دَلالٌ مِنكُمُ

هَذا دَلالٌ مِنكُمُ

دَعوهُ حَتّى نَلتَقي

دَعوهُ حَتّى نَلتَقي

This is coyness on your part;

This is an affection from you

leave it until we meet.

Leave it until we meet

وَاللَهِ ماخَرَجتُ في

وَاللَهِ ماخَرَجتُ في

حُبّي لَكُم عَن خُلُقي

حُبّي لَكُم عَن خُلُقي

By God, I have not departed, in

By Allah, I have not overstepped

my love for you, from my character.

My love for you from my manners

وَما بَرِحتُ بِسُتو

وَما بَرِحتُ بِسُتو

رِ فَضلِكُم تَعَلُّقي

رِ فَضلِكُم تَعَلُّقي

And still, to the curtains

Nor have I ceased to be

of your bounty, I cling.

Attached to your superiority

وَيلاهُ ما يَلقاهُ قَل

وَيلاهُ ما يَلقاهُ قَل

بي مِنكُمُ وَما لَقي

بي مِنكُمُ وَما لَقي

Alas, what my heart endures

Woe to what my heart experiences from you and what it has experienced

from you, and what it has endured!

If you do not grace me with acceptance

إِن لَم تَجودوا بِالرِضا

إِن لَم تَجودوا بِالرِضا

فَبَشِّروا قَلبي الشَقي

فَبَشِّروا قَلبي الشَقي

If you do not generously grant your favor,

Give glad tidings to my wretched heart

then give my wretched heart glad tidings.

And I am shy with you when

واخَجلَتي مِنكُم إِذا

واخَجلَتي مِنكُم إِذا

عَتِبتُمُ واقَلَقي

عَتِبتُمُ واقَلَقي

Oh, my shame before you when

You reproach and I worry

you reproach me! Oh, my anxiety!

I almost drown in

أَكادُ أَن أَغرَقَ في

أَكادُ أَن أَغرَقَ في

دَمعِيَ أَو في عَرَقي

دَمعِيَ أَو في عَرَقي

I almost drown in

My tears or sweat

my tears, or in my sweat.

I have no cunning against

ما حيلَتي في كَذِبٍ

ما حيلَتي في كَذِبٍ

مِن حاسِدٍ مُصَدَّقِ

مِن حاسِدٍ مُصَدَّقِ

What recourse have I against a lie

The lies of an accuser believed

from an envier who is believed?

How can my argument walk

وَكَيفَ تَمشي حُجَّتي

وَكَيفَ تَمشي حُجَّتي

في ذا المَكانِ الضَيِّقِ

في ذا المَكانِ الضَيِّقِ

And how can my argument make its way

In this narrow place

in this narrow place?

Perplexed, I know not what

حَيرانُ لا أَعرِفُ ما

حَيرانُ لا أَعرِفُ ما

أَقصِدُهُ مِن طُرُقي

أَقصِدُهُ مِن طُرُقي

Bewildered, I do not know which

I seek in my ways

of my paths to take.

Is there a returning messenger

فَهَل رَسولٌ عائِدٌ

فَهَل رَسولٌ عائِدٌ

مِنكُم بِوَجهٍ مُشرِقِ

مِنكُم بِوَجهٍ مُشرِقِ

Will a messenger, then, return

From you with a shining face

from you with a radiant face?

O my masters in their generosity

يامالِكي بِجودِهِ

يامالِكي بِجودِهِ

غَلِطتُ بَل يامُعتِقي

غَلِطتُ بَل يامُعتِقي

O you who own me through your generosity—

I was mistaken, oh my liberator

I misspoke: rather, O you who set me free!

The like of you to me and

مِثلُكَ لي وَهَذِهِ

مِثلُكَ لي وَهَذِهِ

حالي وَهَذا خُلُقي

حالي وَهَذا خُلُقي

I have one like you, yet this is

This state of mine and my manners

my state, and this my character!

By Allah, if I had seen this

وَاللَهِ لَو أَبصَرتُ ذا

وَاللَهِ لَو أَبصَرتُ ذا

في النَومِ لَم أُصَدِّقِ

في النَومِ لَم أُصَدِّقِ

By God, if I saw this

In sleep, I would not have believed

in a dream, I would not believe it.

I wrote it in haste

كَتَبتُها مِن عَجَلٍ

كَتَبتُها مِن عَجَلٍ

بِدَهشَتي وَقَلَقي

بِدَهشَتي وَقَلَقي

I wrote it in haste,

In my confusion and worry

in my bewilderment and anxiety.

So it is wondrously composed

فَاِعجَب لَها مَنظومَةً

فَاِعجَب لَها مَنظومَةً

مِن خاطِرٍ مُفَرَّقِ

مِن خاطِرٍ مُفَرَّقِ

So marvel at it, composed in verse

From a scattered thought

from a scattered mind.

As if I wrote it

كَأَنَّني كَتَبتُها

كَأَنَّني كَتَبتُها

مُرتَعِشاً مِن زَلَقِ

مُرتَعِشاً مِن زَلَقِ

It is as though I wrote it

Trembling from a slip

trembling for fear of slipping.

So its parts were disturbed

فَاِضطَرَبَت أَجزاؤُها

فَاِضطَرَبَت أَجزاؤُها

جَميعُها في نَسَقِ

جَميعُها في نَسَقِ

So its parts shook,

All together in order

all of them, in one sequence.

Three things resembled each other

ثَلاثَةٌ تَشابَهَت

ثَلاثَةٌ تَشابَهَت

خَطّي مِدادي وَرَقي

خَطّي مِدادي وَرَقي

Three things resembled one another:

My handwriting, my ink, my paper

my handwriting, my ink, my paper.

So its script is as if

فَخَطُّها كَأَنَّهُ

فَخَطُّها كَأَنَّهُ

مَشِيُ ضِعافِ العَلَقِ

مَشِيُ ضِعافِ العَلَقِ

For its handwriting is like

It were the gait of weak insects

the crawling of feeble leeches.

Its ink like the blackness

مِدادُها كَحَمأَةٍ

مِدادُها كَحَمأَةٍ

مَسنونَةٍ في الطُرُقِ

مَسنونَةٍ في الطُرُقِ

Its ink is like black mud

Spread on the roads

grown foul in the roads.

And its paper white but

وَرَقُها أَبيَضُ لَ

وَرَقُها أَبيَضُ لَ

كِن كَبَياضِ البَهَقِ

كِن كَبَياضِ البَهَقِ

Its paper is white, but

Like the whiteness of gypsum

like the whiteness of skin blotches.

But it bears witness

لَكِنَّها شاهِدَةٌ

لَكِنَّها شاهِدَةٌ

بِعَدَمِ التَمَلُّقِ

بِعَدَمِ التَمَلُّقِ

Yet it bears witness

To no adulation

to the absence of flattery.

And I did not deceive you

وَلَم أَكُن أَخدَعُكُم

وَلَم أَكُن أَخدَعُكُم

بِباطِلٍ مُنَمَّقِ

بِباطِلٍ مُنَمَّقِ

And I was not deceiving you

With ornamented falsehood

with an embellished falsehood,

With an outward adornment

بِظاهِرٍ مُزَوَّقِ

بِظاهِرٍ مُزَوَّقِ

وَباطِنٍ مُمَزَّقِ

وَباطِنٍ مُمَزَّقِ

with an ornamented exterior

And inward tatters

and a torn interior.