رفَّ قلبُ المشوقِ لا للملاحِ

رفَّ قلبُ المشوقِ لا للملاحِ

بل لشوقٍ إليكم وارتياحِ

بل لشوقٍ إليكم وارتياحِ

The yearning lover's heart fluttered, not for beauties,

The heart of the longing one fluttered, not for the sailor,

But from longing for you and gladness.

But for longing to you and comfort.

لو مَلكتُ الهوى لطرتُ إليكم

لو مَلكتُ الهوى لطرتُ إليكم

يا جناحي وأينَ مني جَناحي

يا جناحي وأينَ مني جَناحي

Had I mastery over passion, I would fly to you,

If I possessed passion I would have flown to you,

O my wing—yet how far my wing is from me!

Oh my wings, where are my wings?

في نواحي الفؤادِ أنتُم وقلبي

في نواحي الفؤادِ أنتُم وقلبي

معكم ساكنٌ بتلك النواحي

معكم ساكنٌ بتلك النواحي

You are in the recesses of my heart, and my heart

You reside in the corners of my heart and my heart,

Dwells with you in those recesses.

Dwells with you in those corners.

وإليكم مهما شَدَت ذاتُ طوقٍ

وإليكم مهما شَدَت ذاتُ طوقٍ

طَرِبَ الصبُّ لا لذاتِ الوشاح

طَرِبَ الصبُّ لا لذاتِ الوشاح

And for you, whenever a ring-necked dove sings,

And to you, no matter how tight the neck-ring is,

The lovesick lover thrills—not for a woman with a sash.

Agitation of passion is not for sake of the breast-wrap.

يا رُقوداً ببابلٍ لا عَلمتُم

يا رُقوداً ببابلٍ لا عَلمتُم

كيف يُمسي أخو الحشا المُرتاح

كيف يُمسي أخو الحشا المُرتاح

O sleepers in Babylon, may you never know

Oh you who slumber in Babylon, if only you knew,

How one with a yearning heart passes the evening.

How my brother of grief spends the night comforted.

كم أرقنا إلى الصباحِ ولا والله

كم أرقنا إلى الصباحِ ولا والله

لم أعنِ غيرَكم من صباح

لم أعنِ غيرَكم من صباح

How often we lay sleepless until dawn—and no, by God,

How we stayed up for the dawn, by God,

By 'dawn' I meant none but you.

I did not care for any dawn but yours.

وانتشقنا الرياحَ نطلبُ ذرواً

وانتشقنا الرياحَ نطلبُ ذرواً

من شذا ذِكرةٍ بجيبِ الرياح

من شذا ذِكرةٍ بجيبِ الرياح

And we breathed in the winds, seeking a windblown trace

And we inhaled the winds seeking particles,

Of a memory's fragrance in the winds' bosom.

Of a sweet scent in the pocket of the winds.

مَن لعيني بطلعةٍ هي منكم

مَن لعيني بطلعةٍ هي منكم

طلعةُ البِشرِ طلعةُ الأفراح

طلعةُ البِشرِ طلعةُ الأفراح

Who will grant my eyes a glimpse of you—

Who can provide my eyes with an appearance of yours,

A glimpse of gladness, a glimpse of joy?

An appearance of good news, an appearance of joy.

من سناكم حرمتُ حتَّى بقلبي

من سناكم حرمتُ حتَّى بقلبي

سقطَ شوق رُزقتُ فيه اقتداحي

سقطَ شوق رُزقتُ فيه اقتداحي

I was denied your radiance, until my heart held

I have deprived even my heart since your absence,

A spark of longing, through which I was granted the power to strike fire.

Ardor has fallen in it which I was granted to ignite.

فعلى الوجدِ ما أرقَّ فؤادي

فعلى الوجدِ ما أرقَّ فؤادي

وعلى البعدِ ما أشقَّ اطّراحي

وعلى البعدِ ما أشقَّ اطّراحي

So amid longing, how tender is my heart!

So over ecstasy, how restless my heart became,

And amid separation, how grievous my being cast aside!

And over distance, how difficult dispersal became.

نَضَحتَ جوَّكم ولكن بطلٍّ

نَضَحتَ جوَّكم ولكن بطلٍّ

من جفوني نَديّةُ الأرواح

من جفوني نَديّةُ الأرواح

Your air was sprinkled, but with dew

Your atmosphere drizzled, but with a brave one,

From my eyelids, by the dew-laden breezes.

The dew of spirits from my eyelids.

لي بفيحائكم علاقةُ وُدٍّ

لي بفيحائكم علاقةُ وُدٍّ

ما محا خطَّها من القلبِ ماحي

ما محا خطَّها من القلبِ ماحي

In your spacious city I have a bond of affection,

I have a connection of love to your good fragrance,

Whose inscription no eraser has effaced from my heart.

Its mark is not erased from the heart by erasers.

فاخَرَت أرضُها السماءَ وقالت

فاخَرَت أرضُها السماءَ وقالت

يا سما واجبٌ عليكِ امتداحي

يا سما واجبٌ عليكِ امتداحي

Its land vied in glory with heaven and said:

So its land has triumphed over the sky and said,

'O heaven, you are bound to praise me.

Oh sky, praising me is an obligation upon you.

أتُباهين بالضُراحِ وعندي

أتُباهين بالضُراحِ وعندي

بيتُ مَن كانَ فيه فخرُ الضراح

بيتُ مَن كانَ فيه فخرُ الضراح

Do you boast of al-Durah, while I possess

Do you boast with abodes while I have,

The house of one in whom al-Durah took pride?'

The home of those who were the pride of homes?

سادةٌ جودُهم تبطَّح من قبلُ

سادةٌ جودُهم تبطَّح من قبلُ

فسادوا به قريشَ البِطاح

فسادوا به قريشَ البِطاح

Lords whose bounty spread wide in days of old,

Chiefs whose generosity sprawls,

And through it they ruled Quraysh of the valleys.

So they led Quraysh with it to superiority.

وكفاهُم بجعفر الجودِ فخراً

وكفاهُم بجعفر الجودِ فخراً

في عَلاً شامخٍ ومجدٍ صُراح

في عَلاً شامخٍ ومجدٍ صُراح

And Ja'far the Generous is pride enough for them,

And Jafar’s generosity sufficed them with pride,

In towering eminence and unalloyed glory.

In a towering honor and obvious glory.

يا زعيمَ العُلى ونعمَ زعيمٌ

يا زعيمَ العُلى ونعمَ زعيمٌ

منه تأوي لسيِّدٍ جِحجاح

منه تأوي لسيِّدٍ جِحجاح

O leader of the heights—and what a fine leader,

Oh chief of the eminent, and what a good chief,

In whom one finds the shelter of a magnanimous lord!

From whom the highest masters sought refuge.

ملء عينِ الدُنيا مَثُلت ولكن

ملء عينِ الدُنيا مَثُلت ولكن

بين بُردَي تكرُّمٍ وسماح

بين بُردَي تكرُّمٍ وسماح

You stood forth, filling the world's eye, yet

You filled the eye of the world, but between,

Clad in the twin cloaks of nobility and generosity.

The two coolnesses of generosity and lenience.

وطببتَ الزمانَ حتَّى لَنادى

وطببتَ الزمانَ حتَّى لَنادى

بك حسبي سبرَت غورَ جِراحي

بك حسبي سبرَت غورَ جِراحي

And you healed Time, until it cried out:

And you remedied time until it proclaimed about you,

'You suffice me; you have probed the depths of my wounds.'

My pride, you probed the depths of my wounds.

إن يكن في لقاك قصَّر خُطوي

إن يكن في لقاك قصَّر خُطوي

فلقد طالَ في عُلاك امتداحي

فلقد طالَ في عُلاك امتداحي

If my stride fell short of meeting you,

If reaching you has shortened my steps,

Long indeed has been my praise of your eminence.

Then praising you has prolonged in your sublimity.

لك منِّي كما اقترحتَ ولاءٌ

لك منِّي كما اقترحتَ ولاءٌ

موجبٌ لي عليك نيلَ اقتراحي

موجبٌ لي عليك نيلَ اقتراحي

You have my loyalty, just as you requested—

For you from me, whatever you proposed, and loyalty,

A loyalty that obliges you to grant me my request.

That obligates me to attain my hopes from you.