لعمرك يا أخا الأشواق أنّا

لعمرك يا أخا الأشواق أنّا

فؤادي من اليم البيت أنّا

فؤادي من اليم البيت أنّا

By your life, O brother of longings, a groan arose—

My life, O brother of yearning, we are

my heart's groan from painful parting.

My heart from the pain of separation, we are

وسهم الحادثات أصاب قلبي

وسهم الحادثات أصاب قلبي

فاثر بالحشاشة حين رنا

فاثر بالحشاشة حين رنا

And the arrow of calamities struck my heart,

And the arrows of events have struck my heart

and scarred my life's last spark as it fixed its gaze.

So it fluttered like a wounded bird when it sang

لحى اللَه الزمان لقد تعدى

لحى اللَه الزمان لقد تعدى

علينا بالفراق وقد تجنّى

علينا بالفراق وقد تجنّى

May God curse Time: it has indeed wronged

May God curse time, for it has transgressed

us through separation, and dealt unjustly.

Upon us with separation, and it has picked fruits greedily

وصيرني بعيد الدار عمن

وصيرني بعيد الدار عمن

بحبهم أخو الأشواق جنا

بحبهم أخو الأشواق جنا

And it made me dwell far away from those

And made me far from the home of those

for love of whom the brother of longings went mad.

Whom I love, O brother of yearning I moaned

أبيت مسامراً قمر الدياجي

أبيت مسامراً قمر الدياجي

بذكراهم إذا ما الليل جنا

بذكراهم إذا ما الليل جنا

I spend the night keeping company with the moon of dark nights,

I stay up conversing with the moon of the nights

remembering them when night falls.

Remembering them when the night pulls its garment

وانثر أدمعي سحراً إذا ما

وانثر أدمعي سحراً إذا ما

سمعت سويجع الأثلات غنّى

سمعت سويجع الأثلات غنّى

And I scatter my tears before dawn whenever

And I shed my tears at dawn whenever

I hear the little cooing bird of the tamarisks sing.

I hear the warbling of the bold nightingale

ولي كبدٌ مضرمةٌ بوجدٍ

ولي كبدٌ مضرمةٌ بوجدٍ

قبيل البعد كيف إذا افترقنا

قبيل البعد كيف إذا افترقنا

And my liver is aflame with longing

And I have a liver burning with passion

even before separation—how, then, when we part?

Before the separation, so how will it be when we part

وكان لقا الحبيب يزيد شوقاً

وكان لقا الحبيب يزيد شوقاً

لرؤياه فكيف وغاب عنا

لرؤياه فكيف وغاب عنا

And meeting the beloved used to increase my longing

And meeting the beloved only increases longing

to see him—how, then, now that he is absent from us?

For seeing him, so how will it be when he is absent from us

تذكرت الديار وساكنيها

تذكرت الديار وساكنيها

فأنت مهجتي والقلب حنا

فأنت مهجتي والقلب حنا

I remembered the dwellings and their inhabitants,

I remembered the homes and their dwellers

so my soul moaned and my heart yearned.

So you are my soul and my heart sighed

وهيجني مغردةً صدوحٌ

وهيجني مغردةً صدوحٌ

على غصن تثنّى ان تثنّى

على غصن تثنّى ان تثنّى

And a loud-voiced bird, singing, stirred my longing

And a lone nightingale in a vale stirs me

upon a branch that swayed whenever she swayed.

On a bending branch, bending as it bent

تنمح ولم يفارقها حبيبٌ

تنمح ولم يفارقها حبيبٌ

ولم يك قلبها صباً معنّى

ولم يك قلبها صباً معنّى

She laments, though no beloved has left her,

Sobbing and no beloved has left it

nor has her heart been lovesick and tormented.

And its heart was not filled with meaning

وحقك يا أمين الحب قلبي

وحقك يا أمين الحب قلبي

من اللذات بعدك ماتها

من اللذات بعدك ماتها

By your sacred right, O love's faithful keeper, my heart

And you have the right, O the trustee of my heart

has found no enjoyment in pleasures since your departure.

Of the pleasures after you I have denied them

وإن يكُ بين جسمينا بعاد

وإن يكُ بين جسمينا بعاد

فإن القرب بالأرواح منا

فإن القرب بالأرواح منا

And if distance lies between our two bodies,

And if there is distance between our bodies

then closeness through our souls is ours.

Then nearness is in our souls

عسى من بالفراق قضى علينا

عسى من بالفراق قضى علينا

بطيب لقا الأحبة إن يمنا

بطيب لقا الأحبة إن يمنا

May He who decreed separation for us

Perhaps He who has destined separation for us

favor us with the sweetness of meeting our loved ones.

Will bless us with meeting the loved ones, if He favors us

أتاني منك نظمٌ عقد درّ

أتاني منك نظمٌ عقد درّ

ثمين راق ألفاظاً ومعنى

ثمين راق ألفاظاً ومعنى

From you came verse, a necklace of pearls,

There has come to me from you prose, a necklace

precious and pleasing in wording and meaning.

Of precious pearls, eloquent in words and meaning

فأحياني بذكرى خير مولى

فأحياني بذكرى خير مولى

بذكر صفاته الغراء همنا

بذكر صفاته الغراء همنا

And it revived me by recalling the best of patrons;

So it gave me life with the memory of the Best Master

at the mention of his resplendent qualities, we were enraptured.

With the memory of His excellent attributes, it preoccupied us

فوا شوقي للثم يدي أميرٍ

فوا شوقي للثم يدي أميرٍ

كريمٍ فاق بالشرفين معنا

كريمٍ فاق بالشرفين معنا

So, how I long to kiss the two hands of a prince,

So my longing for kissing the hand of the generous prince

generous, who surpassed Maʿn in both honors,

Who has surpassed in the two honors, meanings

ونجليه الخليل أبي المعالي

ونجليه الخليل أبي المعالي

يحاكي البدر إشراقاً وحسنا

يحاكي البدر إشراقاً وحسنا

and his two sons—Khalil, father of lofty honors,

And his son Khalil, my Master full of bounty

who rivals the full moon in radiance and beauty,

Resembling the full moon in brilliance and beauty

ومولانا الأمين دعاه أمنٌ

ومولانا الأمين دعاه أمنٌ

وجاد له الإله بما تمنى

وجاد له الإله بما تمنى

and our lord Amin—may safety summon him,

And our Master the Trustee, whom he called Faithful

and may God lavish upon him what he desired.

And God granted him what he wished

أدام اللَه سؤددهم بعزٍّ

أدام اللَه سؤددهم بعزٍّ

وزاد علاهمُ مجداً وأمنا

وزاد علاهمُ مجداً وأمنا

May God perpetuate their eminence in might,

May God make their sway last with might

and increase their exalted rank in glory and safety,

And increase their elevation with glory and safety

ومدهم بإقبالٍ وسعدٍ

ومدهم بإقبالٍ وسعدٍ

مدى الأيام ما طيرٌ تغنى

مدى الأيام ما طيرٌ تغنى

and sustain them with prosperity and good fortune,

And extend them with favor and happiness

throughout the days, as long as a bird sings.

As long as the birds sing