أَجيرَةَ بَيتي ما لَكُم بِكُمُ السَهوُ

أَجيرَةَ بَيتي ما لَكُم بِكُمُ السَهوُ

أَمَرَّ لَكُم شَجوٌ وَطابَ لي الشَجوُ

أَمَرَّ لَكُم شَجوٌ وَطابَ لي الشَجوُ

O neighbors of my house, what ails you? You are heedless.

The wages of my house go to you, though you are heedless

Has sorrow grown bitter for you, while sorrow is sweet to me?

I have given you sorrow, though joy is for me

خَدَعتُكُمُ وَاِستَأثَرَ القَلبُ بِالهَوى

خَدَعتُكُمُ وَاِستَأثَرَ القَلبُ بِالهَوى

لَكُم مُرُّهُ البادي وَفي كَبِدي الحُلوُ

لَكُم مُرُّهُ البادي وَفي كَبِدي الحُلوُ

I deceived you, and the heart kept love to itself.

I have deceived you, and love has kept my heart for itself

Yours is its outward bitterness; in my liver lies the sweetness.

Bitterness is for you, but sweetness in my liver

أَبَت كَبِدُ المُشتاقِ أَن تَسأَمَ الجَوى

أَبَت كَبِدُ المُشتاقِ أَن تَسأَمَ الجَوى

وَلضو سَئِمَت لَم يَسأَمِ الجَسَدُ النَضوُ

وَلضو سَئِمَت لَم يَسأَمِ الجَسَدُ النَضوُ

The yearning lover's liver refuses to weary of burning grief.

The liver of the lover refused to tire of passion

And even if it grew weary, the wasted body would not weary.

And though satiety was exhausted, the body did not tire of freshness

لَقَد سَقَمَت أَهواؤُكُم فَزَلَّلتُم

لَقَد سَقَمَت أَهواؤُكُم فَزَلَّلتُم

وَلَو صَحَّت الأَهواءُ لَاِتَّصَلَ الخَطوُ

وَلَو صَحَّت الأَهواءُ لَاِتَّصَلَ الخَطوُ

Your passions have indeed grown sick, and so you stumbled.

Indeed your passions have been sick, so you slipped

And had those passions been sound, the steps would have continued.

Had passions been well, steps would have continued

وَلي سَيِّدٌ لَم يَعلَم الناسُ كُنهَهُ

وَلي سَيِّدٌ لَم يَعلَم الناسُ كُنهَهُ

قَريبٌ فَإِن هاجَرتُهُ بَعدُ الشَأوُ

قَريبٌ فَإِن هاجَرتُهُ بَعدُ الشَأوُ

And I have a lord whose true nature people have not known.

And I have a lord whom people don't know his reality

He is near; yet if I forsake him, the distance grows vast.

Nearby, though his aloofness is remote

جَوادٌ إِذا فَرَّ المُسيءُ بِذَنبِهِ

جَوادٌ إِذا فَرَّ المُسيءُ بِذَنبِهِ

إِلَيهِ فَأَدنى جودَهُ الصَفحُ وَالعَفوُ

إِلَيهِ فَأَدنى جودَهُ الصَفحُ وَالعَفوُ

Generous—when the wrongdoer flees with his sin

Generous, so if the evildoer escapes through his sin

To him, the least of his bounty is clemency and pardon.

His generosity and pardon bring him closer

تَشاغَلَ أَقوامٌ بِخِدمَةِ عِزِّهِ

تَشاغَلَ أَقوامٌ بِخِدمَةِ عِزِّهِ

فَعُزّوا وَأَعلى عِزَّهُم ذَلِكَ الفَتوُ

فَعُزّوا وَأَعلى عِزَّهُم ذَلِكَ الفَتوُ

Some people busied themselves in the service of his majesty;

Some were busy serving his glory

So they were honored, and that gallantry exalted their honor.

So they became glorious, and that valiance raised their glory

رَدَدتُ بِحُبّيهِ عَلى الناسِ حُبِّهُم

رَدَدتُ بِحُبّيهِ عَلى الناسِ حُبِّهُم

وَهل كُنتُ أَستَسقي وَفي يَدِيَ الدَلوُ

وَهل كُنتُ أَستَسقي وَفي يَدِيَ الدَلوُ

For love of him, I cast people's love back upon them.

I returned people's love with my love of him

Would I ask for water while the bucket is in my hand?

Was I seeking water while the bucket was in my hand?

وَما سَرني أَن أَملِكَ الأَرضَ كُلَّها

وَما سَرني أَن أَملِكَ الأَرضَ كُلَّها

وَأَنَّ فُؤادي مِن مَحَبَّتِهِ خِلوُ

وَأَنَّ فُؤادي مِن مَحَبَّتِهِ خِلوُ

It would not please me to possess the whole earth,

I was not delighted to own all the earth

With my heart empty of love for him.

With my heart empty of love for him

وَلَو أَنَّ قَلبي في يَدَيَّ بِلا هَوى

وَلَو أَنَّ قَلبي في يَدَيَّ بِلا هَوى

لَجُنَّ فَما ظَنّي بِهِ وَهوَ الحَشوُ

لَجُنَّ فَما ظَنّي بِهِ وَهوَ الحَشوُ

And were my heart in my hands, without love,

If my heart were in my hands without passion

It would go mad; what, then, should I expect of it, lodged within me?

I would be mad, for what is my opinion of it while it is raving?

إِذا هاجَ لي شَوقٌ تَيَمَّمتُ نَحوَهُ

إِذا هاجَ لي شَوقٌ تَيَمَّمتُ نَحوَهُ

عَلىأَنَّ مَن أَحبَبتُ لَيسَ لَهُ نَحوُ

عَلىأَنَّ مَن أَحبَبتُ لَيسَ لَهُ نَحوُ

When longing stirs in me, I turn toward him,

When longing stirred in me, I headed towards it

Though the one I love has no direction.

Though the one I loved has no counterpart

وَلَيسَ لَهُ أَينَ وَلَيسَ لَهُ لَدنُ

وَلَيسَ لَهُ أَينَ وَلَيسَ لَهُ لَدنُ

وَلَيسَ لَهُ مِثلٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُ صِنوُ

وَلَيسَ لَهُ مِثلٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُ صِنوُ

He has no 'where,' nor any 'near';

He has neither where, nor presence

He has no likeness, and he has no twin.

Neither likeness, nor match

أَمَثَّلُهُ في خاطِري فَيَفوتُني

أَمَثَّلُهُ في خاطِري فَيَفوتُني

وَبِالقَلبِ مِن عَرفانِهِ التيهُ وَالزَهوُ

وَبِالقَلبِ مِن عَرفانِهِ التيهُ وَالزَهوُ

I picture him in my mind, and he eludes me;

I imagined him in my mind, so he eluded me

And knowing him fills the heart with pride and exultation.

And my heart was lost and confused in knowing him

وَقَد طارَ حَتّى قَرَّ في مَطلَعِ الهُدى

وَقَد طارَ حَتّى قَرَّ في مَطلَعِ الهُدى

فَسَوداءَهُ حَضرٌ وَأَضلاعُهُ بَدوُ

فَسَوداءَهُ حَضرٌ وَأَضلاعُهُ بَدوُ

And it flew until it settled where guidance dawns.

He flew until he landed at the horizon of guidance

So its dark core is town, and its ribs are desert.

His darkness present, and his ribs Bedouin

أُواصِلُهُ في كُلِّ خَطرَةِ خاطِرِ

أُواصِلُهُ في كُلِّ خَطرَةِ خاطِرِ

وَلا لَعِبٌ عِندَ الوِصالِ وَلا لَهوُ

وَلا لَعِبٌ عِندَ الوِصالِ وَلا لَهوُ

I commune with him in every stirring of thought,

I seek him in every thought of my mind

At union there is neither play nor diversion.

No playfulness in union, nor jest

وُقوفاً عَلى سَفلِ البِساطِ تَجَلَّةٌ

وُقوفاً عَلى سَفلِ البِساطِ تَجَلَّةٌ

وَلَولا اِنبِساطي كانَ مَوقِفِيَ العُلوُ

وَلَولا اِنبِساطي كانَ مَوقِفِيَ العُلوُ

Standing at the carpet's lower edge is reverence;

Standing at the bottom of the carpet, bowing down

Were it not for my expansiveness, my station would be on high.

And if not for my outstretching, my stance would be lofty

فَوا حَسرَتي إِن خابَ مَسعايَ عَنكُمُ

فَوا حَسرَتي إِن خابَ مَسعايَ عَنكُمُ

وَلَو خابَ أَيضاً ما اِعتَرى حُبِّيَ السَهوُ

وَلَو خابَ أَيضاً ما اِعتَرى حُبِّيَ السَهوُ

Alas for me if my striving falls short of you!

Oh my sorrow if my quest misses you

And even if it failed, heedlessness would still not touch my love.

And if it misses, my love would not be heedless

وَلا كَهَذا فَليَهوَ مَن كانَ ذا هَوى

وَلا كَهَذا فَليَهوَ مَن كانَ ذا هَوى

وَإِلّا فَحُبُّ الناسِ أَكثَرهُ لَهوُ

وَإِلّا فَحُبُّ الناسِ أَكثَرهُ لَهوُ

Whoever has love should love like this [opening unclear];

Not so, then whoever has passion, let him rave

Otherwise, people's love is mostly diversion.

Else, most people's love is jest

سُقيتُ الهَوى صِرفاً فَعَربَدتُ صاحِياً

سُقيتُ الهَوى صِرفاً فَعَربَدتُ صاحِياً

وَلَكِنَّ صَحوي دونَ أَيسَرِهِ النَشوُ

وَلَكِنَّ صَحوي دونَ أَيسَرِهِ النَشوُ

I was given love to drink unmixed, so I raved while sober;

I was made to drink passion while sober, so I was sleep talking

But intoxication falls short of even the least of my sobriety.

But my sobriety was less than ease

حَنانيكَ إِنَّ الحُبَّ كَأسٌ شَرِبتُها

حَنانيكَ إِنَّ الحُبَّ كَأسٌ شَرِبتُها

عَلى ظَمَأٍ صَفواً فَكَدَّرَني الصَفوُ

عَلى ظَمَأٍ صَفواً فَكَدَّرَني الصَفوُ

Have mercy! Love is a cup I drank,

Your affection, love is a cup I have drunk

In thirst, pure and clear—yet its clarity clouded me.

Quenching thirst, though the pure made me turbid

فَدونَكُمُ يا أَيُّها الشَربُ فَاِنعَموا

فَدونَكُمُ يا أَيُّها الشَربُ فَاِنعَموا

دُموعي لَكُم خَمرٌ وَنمَوحي لَكُم شَدوُ

دُموعي لَكُم خَمرٌ وَنمَوحي لَكُم شَدوُ

Take this, O drinkers, and delight in it:

Apart from you, O the drink, so enjoy yourselves

My tears are wine for you, and my lament is song for you.

My tears are wine for you, and my poetry is chanting for you