لَئِنif indeed بُحتُI confided بِالشَكوىwith the complaint إِلَيكَto you مَحَبَّةًout of love
لَئِن بُحتُ بِالشَكوى إِلَيكَ مَحَبَّةً
فَلَستُso I am not لِمَخلوقٍto any creature سِواكَother than you أَبوحُI confide
فَلَستُ لِمَخلوقٍ سِواكَ أَبوحُ
If indeed I have confided my complaint to you out of love,
If I complain to you out of love,
then I confide in no creature but you.
I have no other creature to confide in but you.
وَإِنَّand indeed سُكوتيmy silence إِنif عَرَتنيbefell me ضَرُورَةٌa dire need
وَإِنَّ سُكوتي إِن عَرَتني ضَرُورَةٌ
وَكِتمانَهاand concealing it مِمَّنfrom one whom أُحِبُّI love قَبيحُshameful
وَكِتمانَها مِمَّن أُحِبُّ قَبيحُ
And indeed, my silence, if dire need befalls me,
If silence overtakes me out of necessity,
and hiding it from one I love, are shameful.
Concealing it from one I love is ugly.
وَماand what لِيَfor me أُخفيI hide عَنfrom حَبيبيmy beloved ضَرورَتيmy dire need
وَما لِيَ أُخفي عَن حَبيبي ضَرورَتي
وَماand not هُوَhe إِلاّexcept مُشفِقٌcompassionate وَنَصيحُand a sincere adviser
وَما هُوَ إِلاّ مُشفِقٌ وَنَصيحُ
And why should I hide my need from my beloved,
Why would I hide my troubles from my beloved?
when he is nothing but compassionate and a sincere adviser?
He is only sympathetic and benevolent.
بِروحِيَwith my soul as ransom مَنthe one whom أَشكوI complain إِلَيهِto him وَأَنثَنيand I return
بِروحِيَ مَن أَشكو إِلَيهِ وَأَنثَني
وَقَدand already صارَhas become ليfor me مِنfrom لُطفِهِhis kindness لِيَfor me روحُa soul
وَقَد صارَ لي مِن لُطفِهِ لِيَ روحُ
I would give my soul for the one to whom I complain; I then return,
To whom shall I complain but the one who gave me life,
with my soul restored to me through his kindness.
And whose kindness has become my spirit.
وَلَوand even if لَمnot يَكُنthere were إِلاّexcept الحَديثُconversation فَإِنَّهُthen indeed it
وَلَو لَم يَكُن إِلاّ الحَديثُ فَإِنَّهُ
يُخَفِّفُlightens أَشجانَthe sorrows of الفَتىthe young man وَيُريحُand brings relief
يُخَفِّفُ أَشجانَ الفَتى وَيُريحُ
And even if there were only conversation, it
Even just talking relieves the worries of a young man,
lightens a young man's sorrows and brings relief.
And gives him comfort.
وَكَمand how often رُمتُI wished أَنّيthat I لاnot أَقولُI speak فَخِفتُthen I feared أَنthat
وَكَم رُمتُ أَنّي لا أَقولُ فَخِفتُ أَن
يَقولَwould speak لِسانُthe tongue الحالِof circumstance وَهوَand it is فَصيحُeloquent
يَقولَ لِسانُ الحالِ وَهوَ فَصيحُ
And how often I wished not to speak, then feared that
How often I wished to speak but held back,
the tongue of circumstance would speak, eloquent as it is.
Fearing the eloquent tongue of fortune.
وَكِدتُand I nearly بِكِتمانيthrough my concealment أَصيرُI become مُفرِّطاًnegligent
وَكِدتُ بِكِتماني أَصيرُ مُفرِّطاً
فَأَبكيso I weep عَلىover ماwhat فاتَنيescaped me وَأَنوحُand I lament
فَأَبكي عَلى ما فاتَني وَأَنوحُ
And through my concealment I nearly became negligent,
By my silence I almost failed in my duty,
and would weep over what I had missed, and lament,
Weeping over missed chances and sighing.
وَأَندَمُand I regret بَعدَafter الفَوتِthe missed opportunity أَوفىthe fullest نَدامَةٍregret
وَأَندَمُ بَعدَ الفَوتِ أَوفى نَدامَةٍ
وَأَغدوand I pass the morning كَماas لاnot أَشتَهيI desire وَأَروحُand I pass the evening
وَأَغدو كَما لا أَشتَهي وَأَروحُ
and feel the deepest regret once the chance was gone,
After the loss I regretted intensely,
and pass my mornings and evenings in a state I do not desire.
Becoming as I did not want, restless.
تَكَهَّنتُI divined فيabout الأَمرِthe matter الَّذيwhich قَدalready لَقيتُهُI encountered it
تَكَهَّنتُ في الأَمرِ الَّذي قَد لَقيتُهُ
وَليand I have خَطَراتٌflashes of thought كُلُّهُنَّall of them فُتوحُrevelations
وَلي خَطَراتٌ كُلُّهُنَّ فُتوحُ
I made predictions about the matter I have encountered,
I guessed at what had happened,
and I have flashes of thought, all of them revelations.
Many thoughts occurred, all revealed.
فَراسَةُthe discernment of عَبدٍa servant مُؤمِنٍbelieving لاnot كَهانَةٌdivination
فَراسَةُ عَبدٍ مُؤمِنٍ لا كَهانَةٌ
وَمَنand who هُوَhe شِقٌّShiqq عِندَهاbeside it وَسَطيحُand Satih
وَمَن هُوَ شِقٌّ عِندَها وَسَطيحُ
The discernment of a believing servant, not divination;
A faithful servant’s insight, not divination,
and who are Shiqq and Satih beside it?
To him ambiguities are clear.
فَماso did not حَرَّفَتdistort مِنof ذاكَthat حَرفاًa letter كَهانَتيmy divination
فَما حَرَّفَت مِن ذاكَ حَرفاً كَهانَتي
فَلِلَّهِso to God ظَنّيmy intuition إِنَّهُindeed it لَصَحيحُsurely correct
فَلِلَّهِ ظَنّي إِنَّهُ لَصَحيحُ
So my divination did not distort a single letter of that;
My insight did not distort anything,
so praise be to God for my intuition—it is surely correct.
By God, my assumption is correct.
Sol 6.1