ظهرٌ بأَعباءِ الغَرامِ قد انْحَنى

ظهرٌ بأَعباءِ الغَرامِ قد انْحَنى

ومُهَيْجَةٌ ذابتْ لأَهلِ المُنْحَنى

ومُهَيْجَةٌ ذابتْ لأَهلِ المُنْحَنى

A back has bent beneath the burdens of love,

A back bent with the burdens of passion,

And a tender heart has melted for the people of al-Munhana;

And a heart melted for the people of yearning,

ووَلوهُ لُبٍّ لا يُبارِحُ ذِكْرَهُمْ

ووَلوهُ لُبٍّ لا يُبارِحُ ذِكْرَهُمْ

أَبداً وقد أخَذَ التَّلهُّفَ دَيْدَنا

أَبداً وقد أخَذَ التَّلهُّفَ دَيْدَنا

And a mind's yearning never forsakes their remembrance,

And a mind obsessed with the memory of them,

Ever, having made longing its constant habit.

Forever, and longing has become a habit,

يا عُرْبَ وادي المُنْحَنى بحَياتِكُمْ

يا عُرْبَ وادي المُنْحَنى بحَياتِكُمْ

حُنُّوا عليَّ فقدْ تَناهَبَني الضَّنى

حُنُّوا عليَّ فقدْ تَناهَبَني الضَّنى

O Arabs of the valley of al-Munhana, by your lives,

O Arabs of the valley of longing, with your lives,

Have pity on me, for wasting sickness has ravaged me.

Have mercy on me, for grief has assaulted me,

أنتُمْ كما أنتُمْ وإنِّي في الهَوَى

أنتُمْ كما أنتُمْ وإنِّي في الهَوَى

لَهَفاً فَنيتُ بكُمْ وقُمْتُ بلا أَنا

لَهَفاً فَنيتُ بكُمْ وقُمْتُ بلا أَنا

You remain as you are, while I, in love,

You remain as you are, while I, in passion,

Was annihilated in longing through you and arose without an 'I'.

Am consumed by you and stand without an ego,

جذَبَتْ شُؤُني من فُنونِ جَمالِكُمْ

جذَبَتْ شُؤُني من فُنونِ جَمالِكُمْ

آياتُ أَحكامِ البَقاءِ من الفَنَا

آياتُ أَحكامِ البَقاءِ من الفَنَا

Through the manifold forms of your beauty, my affairs were drawn

The affairs of your beauty have attracted my being,

By signs of the decrees of abiding existence, out of annihilation.

Signs of the judgements of eternity over transience,

وتحكَّمَ الوَجْدُ المَلِحُّ بجُمْلَتي

وتحكَّمَ الوَجْدُ المَلِحُّ بجُمْلَتي

ورأَى فُؤاداً خَالِياً فتمَكَّنا

ورأَى فُؤاداً خَالِياً فتمَكَّنا

And relentless rapture ruled my entire being,

And ardent love has taken control of my entirety,

And saw an empty heart, then took firm hold.

And saw an empty heart, so it took possession,

وغَدَوْتُ مَعْروفاً به ومُنَكَّراً

وغَدَوْتُ مَعْروفاً به ومُنَكَّراً

هل شِمْتَ قطُّ مُعَرَّفاً ومُنَوَّنَا

هل شِمْتَ قطُّ مُعَرَّفاً ومُنَوَّنَا

And I became known through it, yet unrecognized:

And I became known through it and denied,

Have you ever seen one both definite and marked with nunation?

Have you ever sensed a known yet denied one?

قَسَماً بزَمْجَرَةِ الغَرامِ وسِرِّ ما

قَسَماً بزَمْجَرَةِ الغَرامِ وسِرِّ ما

قاساهُ أَربابُ الغَرامِ من العَنَا

قاساهُ أَربابُ الغَرامِ من العَنَا

I swear by the roaring of love, and the secret of what

I swear by the growling of passion and the secret of what

The masters of love have endured in suffering:

The people of passion have endured of hardship,

إنِّي على العَهْدِ القَديمِ ولو عَلَتْ

إنِّي على العَهْدِ القَديمِ ولو عَلَتْ

نارُ المَنِيَّةِ تحتَ أَذْيالِ المُنى

نارُ المَنِيَّةِ تحتَ أَذْيالِ المُنى

I hold to the old covenant, even if it rises—

I remain on the old pledge even if

The fire of death beneath the hems of hope.

The fires of demise rise beneath the robes of wishes,

يا أيُّها الحِبُّ الَّذي رُوحي لهُ

يا أيُّها الحِبُّ الَّذي رُوحي لهُ

عَرَجَتْ وأَرْغَمَتِ الزَّمانَ وما جَنَى

عَرَجَتْ وأَرْغَمَتِ الزَّمانَ وما جَنَى

O beloved, for whom my soul

O you, love, to whom my soul ascended,

Ascended, humbling time and the harm it wrought,

And compelled time and what it reaped,

بلَطيفِ شخصٍ من جَمالِكَ قامَ من

بلَطيفِ شخصٍ من جَمالِكَ قامَ من

بُحْبوحَةِ النُّورِ الصَّميمِ مُكَوَّنَا

بُحْبوحَةِ النُّورِ الصَّميمِ مُكَوَّنَا

By a subtle form that arose from your beauty, from

With the subtle being of your beauty standing

The spacious heart of pure light, brought into being;

From the essence of radiant light composed,

برَقيقِ رمزٍ للقُلوبِ نَسَجْتَهُ

برَقيقِ رمزٍ للقُلوبِ نَسَجْتَهُ

فطَوى بها سِرَّ الغُيوبِ مُهَيْمِنَا

فطَوى بها سِرَّ الغُيوبِ مُهَيْمِنَا

By a delicate symbol you wove for hearts,

With the gentle symbol for hearts you have woven,

Which then enfolded within them the secret of the unseen, holding sway;

Through which you folded the secret of mysteries, sovereign,

وبِطولِ عزْمِكَ مذْ تدلَّى صاعِداً

وبِطولِ عزْمِكَ مذْ تدلَّى صاعِداً

بمَعارِجِ الإِقْبالِ حتَّى أَنْ دَنَا

بمَعارِجِ الإِقْبالِ حتَّى أَنْ دَنَا

And by the reach of your resolve, since it descended while ascending

And with your strong determination, descending,

Up the stairways of favor, until it drew near;

On the steps of devotion until nearing,

بلَطائِفِ المعْنى الَّذي أَودَعْتَهُ

بلَطائِفِ المعْنى الَّذي أَودَعْتَهُ

ضمنَ الوُجودِ فصارَ مَعْمورَ البِنا

ضمنَ الوُجودِ فصارَ مَعْمورَ البِنا

By the subtleties of the meaning you deposited

With the subtleties of meaning you have deposited

Within existence, so its edifice became inhabited;

Within existence, so it became inhabited by structure,

ببَوارِقِ العِزِّ الَّذي هو كِسْوَةٌ

ببَوارِقِ العِزِّ الَّذي هو كِسْوَةٌ

لكَ نِيطَ في مَجلى حَواشيها السَّنَا

لكَ نِيطَ في مَجلى حَواشيها السَّنَا

By the lightning flashes of glory, which is a robe

With the flashes of might which are your garment,

For you, with radiance fastened where its fringes appear;

Edged in the assembly of its margins glory,

وبِباهِرِ الحُسْنِ الَّذي منكَ انْجَلى

وبِباهِرِ الحُسْنِ الَّذي منكَ انْجَلى

جَهْراً فكانَ من الكَواكِبِ أَحْسَنَا

جَهْراً فكانَ من الكَواكِبِ أَحْسَنَا

And by the dazzling beauty that shone forth from you

And with the evident beauty that from you shone

Openly, and so was fairer than the stars;

Openly, so it became among the stars most excellent,

وبكُلِّ روحٍ في غَرامِكَ هُيِّمَتْ

وبكُلِّ روحٍ في غَرامِكَ هُيِّمَتْ

وبكُلِّ قلبٍ في هَواكَ تَفَنَّنا

وبكُلِّ قلبٍ في هَواكَ تَفَنَّنا

And by every soul driven mad with love for you,

And with every soul enamored with you frenzied,

And by every heart that practiced many arts in loving you;

And every heart in your passion spent,

وبكُلِّ عينٍ من هُيامِكَ لم تَذُقْ

وبكُلِّ عينٍ من هُيامِكَ لم تَذُقْ

وَسَناً وأَجرَتْ من صُدودِكَ أَعْيُنا

وَسَناً وأَجرَتْ من صُدودِكَ أَعْيُنا

And by every eye that, from yearning for you, never tasted

And with every eye from your infatuation that has not tasted

Slumber, and made springs flow at your turning away;

Sleep, and directed from your rejection eyes,

بالذَّاهِلينَ الخاشِعينَ تَلَهُّفاً

بالذَّاهِلينَ الخاشِعينَ تَلَهُّفاً

بالحائِرينَ الذَّائِبينَ تَمَكُّنا

بالحائِرينَ الذَّائِبينَ تَمَكُّنا

By the distraught, bowed humbly in longing;

For the heedless ones, humble in yearning,

By the bewildered, those melting in steadfastness;

For the perplexed ones, roaming in possession,

بسَحابِ دمعٍ في الظَّلامِ صَبَبْتُهُ

بسَحابِ دمعٍ في الظَّلامِ صَبَبْتُهُ

فوقَ الخُدودِ من الدِّماءِ مُلَوَّنَا

فوقَ الخُدودِ من الدِّماءِ مُلَوَّنَا

By a cloud of tears I poured out in the darkness,

With a cloud of tears in the darkness I poured,

Over the cheeks, tinted with blood:

Over the cheeks, from blood varied,

داوِ العَليلَ تَفَضُّلاً وتَكَرُّماً

داوِ العَليلَ تَفَضُّلاً وتَكَرُّماً

واشْفِ الغَليلَ تَرَحُّماً وتَحَنُّنا

واشْفِ الغَليلَ تَرَحُّماً وتَحَنُّنا

Heal the ailing one, in kindness and generosity,

Treat the ailing one graciously and generously,

And quench the burning thirst, in mercy and tenderness.

And heal the anguished one mercifully and affectionately.