لما منعت القرب من سيدي

لما منعت القرب من سيدي

ولج في هجري ولم ينصف

ولج في هجري ولم ينصف

When I was denied nearness to my lord,

When my beloved denied intimacy,

When I was barred from nearness to my master,

and he persisted in shunning me and showed no fairness,

And plunged into estrangement unfairly,

And he persisted in forsaking me, showing no fairness,

صرت بابصاري أثوابه

صرت بابصاري أثوابه

أو بعض ما قد مسه أكتفي

أو بعض ما قد مسه أكتفي

I came to find the sight of his garments,

I gazed upon his garments,

I came to find solace merely in gazing at his robes,

or of something he had touched, enough for me.

Or anything he had touched, I was content.

Content with anything his hand had touched.

كذلك يعقوب نبي الهدى

كذلك يعقوب نبي الهدى

إذ شفه الحزن على يوسف

إذ شفه الحزن على يوسف

Likewise Jacob, the prophet of guidance,

So too was Jacob, Prophet of Guidance,

Just so was Jacob, the prophet of guidance,

when grief over Joseph had wasted him,

When grief for Joseph brought him low,

When sorrow over Joseph had consumed him:

شم قميصاً جاء من عنده

شم قميصاً جاء من عنده

وكان مكفوفاً فمنه شفي

وكان مكفوفاً فمنه شفي

smelled a shirt that had come from him;

He smelled a shirt that came from him,

He breathed the scent of a shirt brought from his presence,

and though he was blind, through it he was healed.

And though blind before, by it he could see.

And though he had been blind, through it he was healed.