يا قِبلَتي جُدلي بِقُبلَه

يا قِبلَتي جُدلي بِقُبلَه

تطفي جَوىً وَتَبلُ غُلَّه

تطفي جَوىً وَتَبلُ غُلَّه

O my qibla, grant me a kiss

O my love, grace me with a kiss

that quenches burning longing and slakes thirst.

That would quench my burning thirst and sweeten my bitterness

وَاِمنُن عَلَيَّ بِزَورَةٍ

وَاِمنُن عَلَيَّ بِزَورَةٍ

هِيَ لَو تَشاءُ عَلَيكَ سَهلَه

هِيَ لَو تَشاءُ عَلَيكَ سَهلَه

And favor me with a visit;

And grant me the gift of your acceptance

it would be easy for you, if you wished.

Which you could easily bestow if you so wished

لَولاكَ ما أَصبَحتُ مُت

لَولاكَ ما أَصبَحتُ مُت

تَخِذَ الهَوى ديناً وَمِلَّه

تَخِذَ الهَوى ديناً وَمِلَّه

Were it not for you, I would not have come to

Without you, I would not have woken up

take love as a religion and a creed.

Having taken this passion as my faith and inspiration

وَحَمَلتُ فيكَ مِنَ الأَسى

وَحَمَلتُ فيكَ مِنَ الأَسى

ما لَم يُطِق غيلان حَملَه

ما لَم يُطِق غيلان حَملَه

And because of you I have borne such sorrow

And I would not have borne from you

as Ghaylan could not bear.

That which no one else could withstand

مَن ذا أباحَكَ سَيِّدي

مَن ذا أباحَكَ سَيِّدي

قَتلَ النُفوس وَمَن أَحَلَّه

قَتلَ النُفوس وَمَن أَحَلَّه

Who has permitted you, my master,

Who allowed you, my master

to kill souls, and who has made it lawful?

To take lives, who made it lawful?

بِاللَهِ رقَّ لِما أُكا

بِاللَهِ رقَّ لِما أُكا

بِدُ مِن غَرامٍ فيكَ بِاللَه

بِدُ مِن غَرامٍ فيكَ بِاللَه

By God, have pity on what I

By God, pity me for my agony of love for you, by God

endure of passion for you—by God!

By the honor of the sea captain

بِأَبي أَميرِ مَلاحَةٍ

بِأَبي أَميرِ مَلاحَةٍ

دونَ الأَنامِ حرِمتُ عَدلَه

دونَ الأَنامِ حرِمتُ عَدلَه

May my father be ransom for a prince of beauty;

Above all people, his justness is revered

I alone among mankind have been denied his justice.

A yearning lover who forgot his vows

يُفديكَ مُشتاقٌ نَسي

يُفديكَ مُشتاقٌ نَسي

تَ عُهودَهُ وَصِرَمتَ حَبلَه

تَ عُهودَهُ وَصِرَمتَ حَبلَه

A yearning lover would ransom you; you have

And whose connection was severed

forgotten his pledges and severed his cord.

How could it harm you if you gained

ماذا يَضُرُّكَ لَو مَلَك

ماذا يَضُرُّكَ لَو مَلَك

تَ مِنَ الرِضى وَالعَطف خَصلَه

تَ مِنَ الرِضى وَالعَطف خَصلَه

What harm would it do you if you possessed

Some acceptance and kindness?

one trait of goodwill and tenderness?

Yet my patience in my love for you

وَكَثيرُ صَبري في هَوا

وَكَثيرُ صَبري في هَوا

كَ إِذا بَعُدت فَما أَقَلَّه

كَ إِذا بَعُدت فَما أَقَلَّه

And my great patience in loving

Lessens when you are away

you—when you are far away, how little it is!

And the smitten one remained as such

وَمُتَيَّمٌ ما زالَ حَتّى

وَمُتَيَّمٌ ما زالَ حَتّى

صارَ في العُشّاقِ مِثلَه

صارَ في العُشّاقِ مِثلَه

And one enslaved by love persisted until

Until he became a parable among lovers

he became an example among lovers.

Far be it from you, after such glory

حاشاكَ بَعدَ العِزِّ أَن

حاشاكَ بَعدَ العِزِّ أَن

تَرضى لِعَبدِكَ بِالمَذَلَّه

تَرضى لِعَبدِكَ بِالمَذَلَّه

Far be it from you, after honor, to

To be content with debasing your servant

consent to your servant's humiliation.

Reconcile with the companion of the smitten eyelid

صِل صاحِبَ الجَفنِ القَري

صِل صاحِبَ الجَفنِ القَري

حِ عَلَيكِ وَالقَلبُ الموَلَّه

حِ عَلَيكِ وَالقَلبُ الموَلَّه

Grant your company to the one whose eyelid is wounded

And dedicated heart

for you, and whose heart is distraught with love.

You took some of my heart desiring it

أَعطَيت حُبَّكَ بَعضَ قَل

أَعطَيت حُبَّكَ بَعضَ قَل

بي رَغبَةً فَأَخذتَ كُلَّه

بي رَغبَةً فَأَخذتَ كُلَّه

I gave my love for you a part of my

Yet you took all of it

heart, willingly, and you took it all.

By God, how difficult is your cruelty

لِلَهِ خَطبُ جَفائِكَ الصَع

لِلَهِ خَطبُ جَفائِكَ الصَع

ب الشَدائِد فما أَجَلَّه

ب الشَدائِد فما أَجَلَّه

God! The ordeal of your estrangement, harsh

And the severe tribulations, but how sweet it is

in its afflictions—how tremendous it is!

I contended with those who blamed you

جادَلتُ فيكَ عَواذِلي

جادَلتُ فيكَ عَواذِلي

إِذ قامَ ذَلِكَ بِالأَدِلَّه

إِذ قامَ ذَلِكَ بِالأَدِلَّه

I argued with my reproachers over you,

When the evidence was clear

since that was established by proofs.

And I knew the fault was in

وَعَلِمتُ أَنَّ اللَومَ في

وَعَلِمتُ أَنَّ اللَومَ في

ذاكَ اللَمى المَعسول ضلَّه

ذاكَ اللَمى المَعسول ضلَّه

And I knew that reproach over

That sweet-tongued blamer - he was misguided

that honeyed darkness of the lips was folly.

You have a mouth that if likened

لَكَ مُقلَةٌ لَو شُبِّهَت

لَكَ مُقلَةٌ لَو شُبِّهَت

كانَت كَصاد يَدِ اِبن مُقلَه

كانَت كَصاد يَدِ اِبن مُقلَه

You have an eye which, if compared,

Would be like the hand of Ibn Muqlah

would be like a ṣād drawn by Ibn Muqlah's hand.

And the posture of a slender palm tree that would

وَقَوامُ قَدٍّ ما لَوَت

وَقَوامُ قَدٍّ ما لَوَت

ريحُ الصَبا في الدَوحِ عَقلَه

ريحُ الصَبا في الدَوحِ عَقلَه

And a graceful stature—never has

Lose its mind if the morning breeze blew in the orchard

the east wind bent such a shoot among the great trees.

It scattered the collected pearls

شَتَّتَ شَملَ سُلُوِّهِ

شَتَّتَ شَملَ سُلُوِّهِ

وَجَمَعتَ بِالأَشجانِ شَملَه

وَجَمَعتَ بِالأَشجانِ شَملَه

It shattered the unity of his solace,

And you gathered them with branches

and you gathered him together with sorrows.

I consulted the sultan of passion about my story

طالَعت سُلطانَ الغَرا

طالَعت سُلطانَ الغَرا

مِ بِقِصَّتي فَحُرِمتُ عَدلَه

مِ بِقِصَّتي فَحُرِمتُ عَدلَه

I told the Sultan of

Yet I was denied his justice

Love my story, then was denied his justice.

A king whose stirrups are kissed

مَلِكٌ إِذا عُدَّ الفَخا

مَلِكٌ إِذا عُدَّ الفَخا

رُ تُقبّل الجَوزاءُ نَعلَه

رُ تُقبّل الجَوزاءُ نَعلَه

A king—when glory is reckoned,

By the thoroughbred when honored

al-Jawza kisses his sandal.

Became Solomon of the time

أَضحى سُلَيمانَ الزَما

أَضحى سُلَيمانَ الزَما

نِ وَسائِرُ الثَقَلَينِ نَملَه

نِ وَسائِرُ الثَقَلَينِ نَملَه

He has become the Solomon of the

And the rest of creation his ants

age, and the rest of humankind and jinn are his ants.