أحقاً كنت في قربي

أحقاً كنت في قربي

لعلي واهمٌ وهما

لعلي واهمٌ وهما

Were you truly there, close beside me?

Were you truly near me?

Perhaps I am deluded, lost in illusion.

Perhaps I am utterly deluded.

تكلَّم سيدَ القلب

تكلَّم سيدَ القلب

وقل لي لم يكن حُلما

وقل لي لم يكن حُلما

Speak, O master of the heart,

Speak, master of the heart,

and tell me it was not a dream.

And tell me it was not a dream.

دنوت إليَّ مستمعا

دنوت إليَّ مستمعا

فبُحتُ وفرطَ ما بحتُ

فبُحتُ وفرطَ ما بحتُ

You drew near to me, listening,

You drew near to me, listening,

so I confessed—and how much I confessed!—

So I confided—and how much I confided:

بعادك والذي صنعا

بعادك والذي صنعا

وهجرُك والذي ذقتُ

وهجرُك والذي ذقتُ

your distance and what it wrought,

Your distance, and what it wrought,

your desertion and all that I tasted,

And your abandonment, and what I tasted;

وحبِّي ويحه حبِّي

وحبِّي ويحه حبِّي

تَبيعك حيثما كنتَ

تَبيعك حيثما كنتَ

and my love—woe to it, my love!—

And my love—alas for my love—

which followed you wherever you were.

Is your follower wherever you are.

تكلَّم سيدَ القلبِ

تكلَّم سيدَ القلبِ

وقل بالله ما أنتَ

وقل بالله ما أنتَ

Speak, O master of the heart,

Speak, master of the heart,

and tell me, by God: what are you?

And tell me, by God: what are you?

أرى في عمق خاطركَ

أرى في عمق خاطركَ

جلالاً يشبه البحرا

جلالاً يشبه البحرا

I see in the depths of your thoughts

I see in the depths of your mind

a majesty resembling the sea,

A majesty like the sea,

وألمح في نواظرك

وألمح في نواظرك

صفاء الرحمة الكبرى

صفاء الرحمة الكبرى

and glimpse within your eyes

And I glimpse in your eyes

the serenity of supreme mercy.

The purity of supreme mercy.

وأنت رضىً وتقبيلُ

وأنت رضىً وتقبيلُ

وأنت ضنىً وحرمانُ

وأنت ضنىً وحرمانُ

You are my contentment, and you accept it;

And you are contentment and kisses,

you are my consuming ache and my deprivation.

And you are lovesickness and deprivation.

وفي عينيك تقتيلُ

وفي عينيك تقتيلُ

وفي البسمات غفرانُ

وفي البسمات غفرانُ

In your eyes you slay that anguish,

And in your eyes is slaughter,

and in your smiles lies forgiveness.

And in the smiles is forgiveness.

وأنت تَهَلُّلُ الفجرِ

وأنت تَهَلُّلُ الفجرِ

وبسمتُه على الأفقِ

وبسمتُه على الأفقِ

You are the dawn’s radiant smile,

And you are the glad radiance of dawn,

its smile upon the horizon;

And its smile upon the horizon,

وحيناً أنَّةُ النهرِ

وحيناً أنَّةُ النهرِ

وحزن الشمس في الغَسقِ

وحزن الشمس في الغَسقِ

at times, the river’s moan,

And, at times, the river's moan,

the sun’s sorrow at twilight.

And the sun's sorrow in the dusk.

وأنت حرارة الشمس

وأنت حرارة الشمس

وأنت هناءة الظلِّ

وأنت هناءة الظلِّ

You are the warmth of the sun,

And you are the heat of the sun,

and the bliss of the shade;

And you are the comfort of shade.

وأنت تجارب الأمس

وأنت تجارب الأمس

وأنت براءة الطفل

وأنت براءة الطفل

you are the experiences of the past,

And you are yesterday's experiences,

and the innocence of a child.

And you are the innocence of a child.

وأنت الحسن ممتنعا

وأنت الحسن ممتنعا

تحدَّى حصنه النجما

تحدَّى حصنه النجما

You are beauty, aloof and unattainable—

And you are beauty, unassailable,

its fortress defying the star.

Whose fortress defied the star.

وأنت الخيرُ مجتمعا

وأنت الخيرُ مجتمعا

وعندك عرشُه الأسمى

وعندك عرشُه الأسمى

You are goodness gathered whole,

And you are goodness gathered together,

and with you stands its loftiest throne.

And with you is its highest throne.

وعندك كل ما أظمأ

وعندك كل ما أظمأ

وردّ القلب لهفانا

وردّ القلب لهفانا

With you is all that awakened thirst;

And with you is all that caused thirst,

the heart came to drink, ardently yearning.

And left the heart yearning;

وعندك كل ما أدمى

وعندك كل ما أدمى

وزاد الجرح إثخانا

وزاد الجرح إثخانا

With you is all that made the heart bleed

And with you is all that drew blood,

and made the wound more grievous;

And made the wound more grievous;

وعندك كل ما أحيا

وعندك كل ما أحيا

وشدَّد عزمه الواهي

وشدَّد عزمه الواهي

with you is all that gave the heart life

And with you is all that gave life,

and strengthened its frail resolve.

And strengthened its feeble resolve.

حنانُكَ نضرة الدنيا

حنانُكَ نضرة الدنيا

وقربُكَ نعمةُ اللهِ

وقربُكَ نعمةُ اللهِ

Your tenderness is the bloom of the world,

Your tenderness is the world's bloom,

and your nearness a blessing from God.

And your nearness is God's blessing.

وفيم هواجس القلب

وفيم هواجس القلب

وفيم أطيل تسآلي

وفيم أطيل تسآلي

Within it are the heart’s inward stirrings,

And why the heart's misgivings?

and within it, the phantoms of my questioning.

And why do I prolong my questioning?

أحبك أقدسَ الحبِّ

أحبك أقدسَ الحبِّ

وحبك كنزيَ الغالي

وحبك كنزيَ الغالي

I love you with the holiest love;

I love you with the most sacred love,

your love is my precious treasure.

And your love is my precious treasure.

سناكَ صلاة أحلامي

سناكَ صلاة أحلامي

وهذا الركن محرابي

وهذا الركن محرابي

Your radiance is the prayer of my dreams,

Your radiance is the prayer of my dreams,

and this corner is my prayer niche.

And this corner is my prayer niche.

بهِ ألقيت آلامي

بهِ ألقيت آلامي

وفيه طرحت أوصابي

وفيه طرحت أوصابي

Within it I laid down my pains,

There I cast away my pains,

and there cast off my afflictions.

And there I laid aside my afflictions.

هوىً كالسحر صيّرني

هوىً كالسحر صيّرني

أرى بقريحة الشهبِ

أرى بقريحة الشهبِ

My passion, like magic, transformed me:

A love like magic made me

I see with the shooting stars’ inspired vision.

See with the intuition of the shooting stars,

وطهَّرني وبصَّرني

وطهَّرني وبصَّرني

ومزَّق مغلقَ الحجبِ

ومزَّق مغلقَ الحجبِ

It purified me and granted me insight,

And purified me and gave me sight,

and tore through the veils’ locked barrier.

And tore apart the closed veils.

سموت كأنما أمضي

سموت كأنما أمضي

إلى ربٍّ يناديني

إلى ربٍّ يناديني

I soared, as though journeying onward

I soared as though I were going

toward a Lord who calls to me.

To a Lord who calls me.

فلا قلبي من الأرض

فلا قلبي من الأرض

ولا جسدي من الطين

ولا جسدي من الطين

Now my heart is no longer of the earth,

So my heart is not of the earth,

nor is my body made of clay.

Nor is my body of clay.

سموت ودق إحساسي

سموت ودق إحساسي

وجُزتُ عوالم البشرِ

وجُزتُ عوالم البشرِ

I soared, and my perception grew subtle;

I soared, and my perception grew finer,

I passed beyond the worlds of humankind.

And passed beyond the realms of humankind.

نسيت صغائر الناسِ

نسيت صغائر الناسِ

غفرت إساءَة القدرِ

غفرت إساءَة القدرِ

I forgot the petty faults of people;

I forgot people's pettiness,

I forgave the injury dealt by fate.

I forgave fate's wrongs.