بَرِئْتُ إلى الشَّوْقِ الْمُبَرِّحِ مِنْ قَلْبي

بَرِئْتُ إلى الشَّوْقِ الْمُبَرِّحِ مِنْ قَلْبي

وَسَلَّمْتُ أَمْرِي فِي الْغَرَامِ إِلَى رَبِّي

وَسَلَّمْتُ أَمْرِي فِي الْغَرَامِ إِلَى رَبِّي

I disavowed my heart before agonizing longing,

My heart has been purified by ardent desire,

and entrusted my affairs in love to my Lord.

And I have surrendered my love to the will of my Lord.

وَصَاتَعْتُ الْحَاظَ الظَّبَاءِ بِمُهْجَتِي

وَصَاتَعْتُ الْحَاظَ الظَّبَاءِ بِمُهْجَتِي

فَمَا قَبِلَتْ سِلْمِي وَلاَ تَرَكَتْ حَرْبِي

فَمَا قَبِلَتْ سِلْمِي وَلاَ تَرَكَتْ حَرْبِي

And I sought to appease the gazelles' glances with my lifeblood,

I fought with the willful gazelles using my eyelashes,

but they neither accepted my peace nor abandoned their war on me.

But they would not accept my peace nor leave off warring against me.

إِذَا لاَمَ قَلْبيِ في الْهَوَى عَيْنِىَ التَّي

إِذَا لاَمَ قَلْبيِ في الْهَوَى عَيْنِىَ التَّي

جَنَتْ صَرَفَتْ عَنِّي الْمَلاَمَ إِلَى قَلْبي

جَنَتْ صَرَفَتْ عَنِّي الْمَلاَمَ إِلَى قَلْبي

When my heart, in love, reproaches my eye, which

When my heart blames my love-sick eyes,

has done wrong, it turns the blame away from me onto my heart.

They shift the blame for love back to my heart.

فَلاَ تُنْكِرُوا أَنْ هَزَّتِ الرِّيحُ مَنْكِبي

فَلاَ تُنْكِرُوا أَنْ هَزَّتِ الرِّيحُ مَنْكِبي

وَأَذْهَلَنِي وَجْدِي عَنِ الأَهْلِ وَالصَّحْبِ

وَأَذْهَلَنِي وَجْدِي عَنِ الأَهْلِ وَالصَّحْبِ

So do not marvel that the wind has shaken my shoulder,

So do not wonder that the wind has shaken my shoulders,

and my passion has distracted me from family and companions.

And that my passion has left me bewildered and heedless of family and friends.

فَفي سَكْرَةِ الصَّهْبَاءِ مَا تَعْلَمُونَهُ

فَفي سَكْرَةِ الصَّهْبَاءِ مَا تَعْلَمُونَهُ

فَكَيْفَ إٍذَا انْضَافَتْ إِلَى سَكْرَةِ الْحُبِّ

فَكَيْفَ إٍذَا انْضَافَتْ إِلَى سَكْرَةِ الْحُبِّ

For you know what lies in the intoxication of tawny wine;

In the intoxication of youth you know this,

then what happens when it is added to the intoxication of love?

So how much more when it is combined with the intoxication of love?

وَبِي مِنْ ظبَاءِ الأَنْسِ رَائِقَةُ الْحُلَى

وَبِي مِنْ ظبَاءِ الأَنْسِ رَائِقَةُ الْحُلَى

وَهَبْتُ لَهَا نَفْسِي وَمَلَّكْتُهَا لٌبِّي

وَهَبْتُ لَهَا نَفْسِي وَمَلَّكْتُهَا لٌبِّي

And I am smitten with a human gazelle of exquisite adornment;

I have a gazelle whose company is sweet as honey;

I gave her my soul and made her mistress of my mind.

I have given myself to her and she reigns in my heart.

صَبَوْتُ وَمَا قَلْبِي بِأَوَّلِ مَنْ صَبَا

صَبَوْتُ وَمَا قَلْبِي بِأَوَّلِ مَنْ صَبَا

لِنَاطِقَةِ الْقُرْطَيْنِ صَامِتَةِ الْقَلْبِ

لِنَاطِقَةِ الْقُرْطَيْنِ صَامِتَةِ الْقَلْبِ

I fell in love, and my heart is not the first to fall

I became lovesick, though at first my heart was not thus,

for one whose earrings speak while her heart is silent.

For her, whose heart is silent though her eyes are eloquent.

إِذَا مَا رَنَتْ غَارَتْ بِأَلْحَاظِهَا الظّبَا

إِذَا مَا رَنَتْ غَارَتْ بِأَلْحَاظِهَا الظّبَا

وَمَهْمَا انْثَنَتْ غَصَّتْ مُنَعَّمَةُ الْقُضْبِ

وَمَهْمَا انْثَنَتْ غَصَّتْ مُنَعَّمَةُ الْقُضْبِ

Whenever she gazes, the gazelles envy her glances,

When she sings the gazelles are put to shame,

and whenever she sways, the tender boughs choke with envy.

And when she bends, the delicate branches bend with her.

شَكَوْتُ لَهَا دَاءَ الْهَوَى فَاشْتَكَتْ بِهِ

شَكَوْتُ لَهَا دَاءَ الْهَوَى فَاشْتَكَتْ بِهِ

فَأَبْكي لَهَا مِنْ حُبِّهَا وَهْيَ مِنْ حُبِّي

فَأَبْكي لَهَا مِنْ حُبِّهَا وَهْيَ مِنْ حُبِّي

I complained to her of love's sickness, and she complained of it too;

I complained to her of the malady of love, and she complained of the same,

so I weep for her out of love for her, and she out of love for me.

So I weep for her love, while she weeps for mine.

خَلِيلَيَّ جَرَّبْتُ الْهَوَى وَخَبَرْتُهُ

خَلِيلَيَّ جَرَّبْتُ الْهَوَى وَخَبَرْتُهُ

فَمُلِّيتُ عِلْماً مِنْهُ بِالسَّهْلِ وَالصَّعْبِ

فَمُلِّيتُ عِلْماً مِنْهُ بِالسَّهْلِ وَالصَّعْبِ

My two friends, I have experienced love and known it well;

My friend, I have experienced love and come to know it,

thus I was granted, through it, knowledge of ease and hardship.

And learned from it what is easy and what is hard.

وَمَا عَرَفَتْ نَفْسِي آَلَذَّ مِنَ اللِّقَا

وَمَا عَرَفَتْ نَفْسِي آَلَذَّ مِنَ اللِّقَا

وَأنْدَى عَلَى الأَكْبَادِ مِنْ سَاعَةِ الْقُرْبِ

وَأنْدَى عَلَى الأَكْبَادِ مِنْ سَاعَةِ الْقُرْبِ

And my soul has known nothing more delightful than reunion,

Never did my soul know aught sweeter than meeting,

or more refreshing to the livers than an hour of nearness,

Or more tender to the heart than the moment of nearness.

وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعُتْبَى وَأَشْهَى مِنَ الرِّضَى

وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعُتْبَى وَأَشْهَى مِنَ الرِّضَى

إِذَا جَاءَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْقَطِيِعَةِ وَالْعَتْبِ

إِذَا جَاءَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْقَطِيِعَةِ وَالْعَتْبِ

or sweeter than reconciliation, or more desirable than contentment,

It is sweeter than forgiveness, more delicious than consent

when it comes after estrangement and reproach.

When it comes after estrangement and reproach.

سَأَذْهَبُ فِي اللَّذَّاتِ مِلْءَ أَعِنَّتِي

سَأَذْهَبُ فِي اللَّذَّاتِ مِلْءَ أَعِنَّتِي

وَأَرْكِضُ خَيْلَ اللَّهْو فِي طَلَقِ رَحْبِ

وَأَرْكِضُ خَيْلَ اللَّهْو فِي طَلَقِ رَحْبِ

I shall plunge into pleasures with my reins at full stretch,

I will indulge myself in the pleasures as far as I can reach,

and spur the steeds of revelry across a spacious course.

And set the steeds of frivolity to galloping in an open plain.

وَإِنَّ وِدَادِي فِي الْخَلِيفَةِ يُوسُفٍ

وَإِنَّ وِدَادِي فِي الْخَلِيفَةِ يُوسُفٍ

يُكَفِّرُ عِنْدَ اللهِ مَا كَانَ مِنْ ذَنْبِي

يُكَفِّرُ عِنْدَ اللهِ مَا كَانَ مِنْ ذَنْبِي

And surely my love for the caliph Yusuf

For indeed my love of the successor to Joseph

atones before God for whatever sin I have committed.

Will atone before God for whatever sin I have committed.

سُلاَلَةُ أَنْصَارِ الْهُدَى وَحُمَاتُهُ

سُلاَلَةُ أَنْصَارِ الْهُدَى وَحُمَاتُهُ

وَوَارِثُ حِزْبِ اللهِ نَاهِيكَ مِنْ حِزْبِ

وَوَارِثُ حِزْبِ اللهِ نَاهِيكَ مِنْ حِزْبِ

A scion of the champions of guidance and its defenders,

The descendants of the Prophet’s helpers, his successors,

and heir to God's party—what a party indeed!

The heirs of the party of God—need I mention the party of Satan?

مُحَيَّا كَمِثْلِ الشَّمْسِ فِي رَوْنَقِ الضُّحَى

مُحَيَّا كَمِثْلِ الشَّمْسِ فِي رَوْنَقِ الضُّحَى

وَكَفُّ كَمَا حُدِّثْتَ عَنْ وَاكِفِ السُّحْبِ

وَكَفُّ كَمَا حُدِّثْتَ عَنْ وَاكِفِ السُّحْبِ

A face like the sun in the radiance of midmorning,

Greeted am I, as the sun is greeted in the beauty of morning,

and a hand like the clouds' pouring rain you have been told of.

And palms spread forth, as you described the clouds' palms spreading.

يُصَاحِبُهُ التَّوْفِيقُ في كُلِّ وِجْهَةٍ

يُصَاحِبُهُ التَّوْفِيقُ في كُلِّ وِجْهَةٍ

وَيَقْدُمُ مِنْهُ الْجَيْشَ جَيْشٌ مِنَ الرُّعْبِ

وَيَقْدُمُ مِنْهُ الْجَيْشَ جَيْشٌ مِنَ الرُّعْبِ

Success accompanies him in every direction,

Victory attends him in every situation,

and an army of terror precedes his army.

And his armies advance preceded by ranks of terror.

بِهِ نَظَمَ اللهُ الشَّتَاتَ فَأَصْبَحَتْ

بِهِ نَظَمَ اللهُ الشَّتَاتَ فَأَصْبَحَتْ

نُفُوسُ الْبَرَايَا وَهْيَ آمِنَةُ السِّرْبِ

نُفُوسُ الْبَرَايَا وَهْيَ آمِنَةُ السِّرْبِ

Through him God united the scattered, and now

Through him God has brought unity after fragmentation;

the souls of humankind are safe and secure.

By his hand the far-flung souls of humanity are at rest.

فَدَامَ قَرِيرَ الْعَيِنِ فِي ظِلِّ عِيشَةٍ

فَدَامَ قَرِيرَ الْعَيِنِ فِي ظِلِّ عِيشَةٍ

تُنِيفُ مَعَالِيهِ عَلَى رُتَبِ الشُّهْبِ

تُنِيفُ مَعَالِيهِ عَلَى رُتَبِ الشُّهْبِ

May he live on, glad of eye, in the shade of a life

May he of the tranquil eyes continue in a life of ease

in which his glories soar above the ranks of the bright stars.

Whose sublime qualities scale the degrees of renown!

وَلاَ بَرِحَتْ أَيَّامُهُ وَزَمَانُهُ

وَلاَ بَرِحَتْ أَيَّامُهُ وَزَمَانُهُ

مَآثِرُهَا تُحْيَ بِهَا دَوْلَةُ الْعُرْبِ

مَآثِرُهَا تُحْيَ بِهَا دَوْلَةُ الْعُرْبِ

And may his days and his era endure forever,

May his days and his times remain

their glorious deeds reviving the state of the Arabs.

As wonders reviving the empire of the Arabs!