سرى الطيف من ظمياء والطيف مرسل

سرى الطيف من ظمياء والطيف مرسل

فحيى كما ادى التحية معجل

فحيى كما ادى التحية معجل

The phantom came by night from Ẓamyāʾ, a phantom sent as messenger.

The specter glided from the darkness, and the specter sent

It greeted me as one in haste delivers a greeting.

So it greeted as if it hurriedly bade farewell

سرى موهنا والطيب ردع جيوبه

سرى موهنا والطيب ردع جيوبه

يشبُّ به من مجمر الهند مندل

يشبُّ به من مجمر الهند مندل

It came late at night, perfume staining its robe's openings;

The specter sailed softly, and the fragrance held back its robes

fragrant aloeswood burns for it in an Indian censer.

With which it ignites from the glowing embers of India, a firebrand

وكيف اهتدى والليل داجٍ وعينه

وكيف اهتدى والليل داجٍ وعينه

رقيب وعيني بالكرى ليس تكحل

رقيب وعيني بالكرى ليس تكحل

How did it find its way, with the night dark and its eye

And how did it find its way when the night was dark, and its eye

keeping watch, while mine is not kohled with sleep?

Was a guardian while my eyes had no kohl

تعرَّض مشتاقا واعرض مقبلاً

تعرَّض مشتاقا واعرض مقبلاً

وكم معرض عن حاجة وهو مقبل

وكم معرض عن حاجة وهو مقبل

It showed itself in longing, then turned away while approaching.

It approached longing, and turned away forward

And how many turn away from a desire even as they draw near!

And how many turned away from a need while he came forward

خليليَّ هلا وقفة تلصق الحشا

خليليَّ هلا وقفة تلصق الحشا

على رمل يبرين ونضوي يرمل

على رمل يبرين ونضوي يرمل

My two friends, why not pause and press the breast

My friend, if only a stop to stick to the cheek

upon Yabrīn's sand, while my worn-out mount trots?

On sand dunes and we huddled on sand

وهل نهلة يروى بها عاطش الحشا

وهل نهلة يروى بها عاطش الحشا

لمعتلِّ قلب لا يعلُّ وينهل

لمعتلِّ قلب لا يعلُّ وينهل

And is there a draught to quench the thirsting heart,

Is there a spring to quench the thirst of the cheek's yearner

for one sick at heart, taking neither a second draught nor a first?

For the sick heart that does not heal and gushes forth

فلم يبق مني للسرى ومطيتي

فلم يبق مني للسرى ومطيتي

لو عث السرى الا اياطلُ عطل

لو عث السرى الا اياطلُ عطل

So nothing remains of me and my mount for night travel,

Nothing remained in me for the specter and my riding camel

through the night's rough going, except bare flanks.

If the specter missed except the trails of absence hindered

خليليَّ انَّ الطاهريَّ وان نبا

خليليَّ انَّ الطاهريَّ وان نبا

لكالسيف يفري مفرقا ويفلل

لكالسيف يفري مفرقا ويفلل

My two friends, al-Ṭāhirī, even if he glances off,

My friend, though the innocent strayed

is surely like a sword, cleaving a crown though its edge is nicked.

He is like a sword that tears apart and shreds

ولا عيب فيه ان لحظت وعينه

ولا عيب فيه ان لحظت وعينه

سوى اللحظ يحلو لي لنا وهو احول

سوى اللحظ يحلو لي لنا وهو احول

There is no flaw in him, if you look, or in his eye,

There is no flaw in him, if I looked and his eye

save its glance, sweet to me, to us, though he is cross-eyed.

Except the glance is sweet to me for him, and he is cross-eyed

وليس بنقصٍ ذاك فيه وإن يكن

وليس بنقصٍ ذاك فيه وإن يكن

فقد تنقص الاقمار من حيث تكمل

فقد تنقص الاقمار من حيث تكمل

That is no imperfection in him; and even if it were,

Nor is that a defect in him even if it were

for even moons wane where they reach fullness.

For the crescent moons have waned from where they reached their fullness

وكم فيه لي ليلٌ وليل لصاحبي

وكم فيه لي ليلٌ وليل لصاحبي

طويلان الا انَّ ليليَ اطول

طويلان الا انَّ ليليَ اطول

Many a night is mine on his account, and a night my companion's—

And how much is for me a night, and a night for my companion

both long, except that my night is longer.

Both are long, except that my night is longer

وما الصاحب الثاني وان جلّ شانه

وما الصاحب الثاني وان جلّ شانه

يقدّم في حُبّ وحبيَ اوّل

يقدّم في حُبّ وحبيَ اوّل

The second companion, however great his standing,

And the other companion, though great is his status

takes no precedence in love: my love is first.

Does not precede in love, and my love was first

اذا حمَّ للتقبيل ثغرٌ مفلج

اذا حمَّ للتقبيل ثغرٌ مفلج

حمى موضع التقبيل منه المقبَّل

حمى موضع التقبيل منه المقبَّل

When a mouth with spaced teeth is destined for kissing,

When a kiss craved, a feverous lip

the one to be kissed guards its place for kisses.

The kissing spot was struck with fever by the kisser

او ارتجل الليل البهيم بحوَّةٍ

او ارتجل الليل البهيم بحوَّةٍ

مدلاًّ بها اغناه وحف مرجل

مدلاًّ بها اغناه وحف مرجل

Or if pitch-black night improvises a dusky hue,

Or the brutish night stumbled with madness

boasting of it, thick, combed locks make it needless.

Swaying with it, richness, protecting the kindled

يضلُّ بليل الجعد والصبح واضح

يضلُّ بليل الجعد والصبح واضح

ويهدي بصبح الخد والليل أليل

ويهدي بصبح الخد والليل أليل

He leads astray with his curls' night, though dawn is clear,

It goes astray in the darkness of curled hair, and the dawn is clear

and guides with his cheek's dawn, though night is darkest.

And it loses its way in the dawn of a cheek, and the night is dark

غزال هلال الافق زورق خده

غزال هلال الافق زورق خده

ولكن له ماءُ الملاحة جدولُ

ولكن له ماءُ الملاحة جدولُ

A gazelle: the horizon's crescent is his cheek's skiff,

A gazelle, crescent of the horizon, his cheek a boat

yet for him the water of beauty is a stream.

But it has the water of salinity as its stream

يشير الينا منه إِن عنّ بالحمى

يشير الينا منه إِن عنّ بالحمى

يراقب مسروق من الظبي اكحل

يراقب مسروق من الظبي اكحل

If he appears in the precincts, there beckons to us from him

From it he signals to us, if he was shy with fever

a kohl-dark eye, keeping watch, stolen from a gazelle.

He watches the stolen from the deer, blue

شككنا لماه الخمر ام خمره اللمى

شككنا لماه الخمر ام خمره اللمى

وسلسله ريقٌ أم الريق سلسل

وسلسله ريقٌ أم الريق سلسل

We wondered: is his lips' dark hue wine, or is his wine that dark hue?

We doubted, was it the water of wine or the wine of his saliva

And is his sweet, clear water saliva, or is the saliva sweet, clear water?

And his chain of saliva, or is the saliva a chain

اعد نظر القالي خليلي نحونا

اعد نظر القالي خليلي نحونا

كما نظرت صياد وجرة مطفل

كما نظرت صياد وجرة مطفل

Renew the spurner's gaze toward us, my friend,

Return the look of the one wearing kohl, my friend, toward us

as a doe with a fawn gazed at Wajrah's hunter.

As the look of the hunter, and the jug taken unawares

ولي نظر ينحو السماوة نحوكم

ولي نظر ينحو السماوة نحوكم

يجدُّ كما اوفى على الطير اجدل

يجدُّ كما اوفى على الطير اجدل

And I have a gaze that heads toward al-Samāwah, toward you,

And I have a look that inclines toward you

striving, like a falcon towering over the birds.

That insists like the most loyal bird of prey

فيا نازلي ارض السماوة حبكم

فيا نازلي ارض السماوة حبكم

وان بنتم في القلب ربع ومنزلُ

وان بنتم في القلب ربع ومنزلُ

O dwellers in al-Samāwah's land, love for you,

So O you who descended to the land of loftiness, your love

though you have departed, is a dwelling and a home in my heart.

And if you built in the heart a quarter and lodging

أحباي إِن شطَّ المزار فأنتم

أحباي إِن شطَّ المزار فأنتم

على النأي في عيني وقلبيَ مثَّلُ

على النأي في عيني وقلبيَ مثَّلُ

My loved ones, though the place of visiting lies far away, you

My loved ones, if the pilgrimage place was too far, you are

despite the distance, are present in my eyes and heart.

To remoteness in my eye and heart, likened

احبُّكم حبَّ الضنين لماله

احبُّكم حبَّ الضنين لماله

مقيماً على حب يجود ويبخلُ

مقيماً على حب يجود ويبخلُ

I love you as a miser loves his wealth,

I love you with the longing of the complaining for his money

abiding in a love that gives freely and withholds.

Resident upon a love that is generous at times, and stingy at others

واشتاقكم شوق المصاب جناحه

واشتاقكم شوق المصاب جناحه

يسفُّ فلا يهوي ولا يتوصَّلُ

يسفُّ فلا يهوي ولا يتوصَّلُ

And I long for you as one whose wing is wounded,

And I yearn for you with the yearning of one with a broken wing

skimming low, neither falling nor reaching his goal.

Who flails unable to plunge or join

وما وصلكم الا الثمال لهالك

وما وصلكم الا الثمال لهالك

ولا هجركم الا السمام المثمَّلُ

ولا هجركم الا السمام المثمَّلُ

Union with you is nothing but succor for one perishing,

I reached you only with shoulders for your destruction

and your estrangement nothing but potent, steeped poison.

And left you only with a shredded, torn robe

وكيف الذي لم يعدُ ملة حبكم

وكيف الذي لم يعدُ ملة حبكم

على عدواء الداء لا يتململُ

على عدواء الداء لا يتململُ

How can one who never strayed beyond the faith of loving you

And how can one who did not make your love a faith

not writhe beneath the illness's ravages?

Upon the enmity of an illness, ever toss and turn

اذا كنتم لا ترفقون ترَّفقوا

اذا كنتم لا ترفقون ترَّفقوا

وإِن كنتم لا تجملون تجمَّلوا

وإِن كنتم لا تجملون تجمَّلوا

If you are not kind, show kindness;

If you were not gentle, then be gentle

and if you are not gracious, assume graciousness.

And if you were not beautiful, then be beautiful

وكم قائل انَّ السمؤل شاعرٌ

وكم قائل انَّ السمؤل شاعرٌ

واين من الشعر البديع السمؤل

واين من الشعر البديع السمؤل

And how many say that al-Samawʾal is a poet,

And how many said this dark-skinned one is a poet

yet how far al-Samawʾal is from exquisite poetry!

And where is there exquisite poetry from the dark-skinned one

وما جرول الا كمن جاء بعده

وما جرول الا كمن جاء بعده

عيالا على من قبله وهوجرول

عيالا على من قبله وهوجرول

And Jarwal is only like those who came after him,

And he is not but like one who came after him

dependent on those before him—and he is Jarwal!

Depending on those before him while he is dark-skinned too

لعمر ابي إِن سدَّ للشعر خلة

لعمر ابي إِن سدَّ للشعر خلة

فتى فزياد أو انا لا المنخل

فتى فزياد أو انا لا المنخل

By my father's life, if a gap in poetry is filled

By my father's life, if a void was closed in poetry

by a youth, it is Ziyād or I, not al-Munakhkhal.

It is by a lad, Fuzayl or I, not the sifter

وزار ابن حجر فيه معنىً مفخَّما

وزار ابن حجر فيه معنىً مفخَّما

وقد هلهل اللفظ الرشيق مهلهل

وقد هلهل اللفظ الرشيق مهلهل

And Ibn Ḥujr visited a grand meaning within it,

And Ibn Hajar visited in it a lofty meaning

and Muhalhil has indeed loosely woven the graceful wording.

As the eloquent wording roared and rumbled

فقل قول من يرضي الرضيَّ فيعتلي

فقل قول من يرضي الرضيَّ فيعتلي

ودع قول من يصفي الصفيَّ فيسفل

ودع قول من يصفي الصفيَّ فيسفل

So speak as one who pleases al-Raḍī and thus rises high,

So speak words that please the pleased, and rise high

and leave the speech of one who favors al-Ṣafī and sinks low.

And leave words that clarify for the clarified and descend low

وأن الفتى من يتبع القول فعله

وأن الفتى من يتبع القول فعله

وليس الفتى من قال انيَ افعلُ

وليس الفتى من قال انيَ افعلُ

And a true man is one whose deed follows his word,

That the young man is one who makes his words his deeds

not one who says, 'I will do it.'

And the young man is not one who says "I do" while he does not

اردُّ عنان النفس دونك آيساً

اردُّ عنان النفس دونك آيساً

ويرجع بي حسن الرجاء فاقبلُ

ويرجع بي حسن الرجاء فاقبلُ

In despair, I pull back my soul's reins short of you,

I restrain the soul's rein short of you in despair

but good hope brings me back, and I draw near.

Then the beauty of hope returns me so I come forward

اذا لم يكن للمرء يوماً معوّل

اذا لم يكن للمرء يوماً معوّل

فليس سوى حسن الرجاء المعوّل

فليس سوى حسن الرجاء المعوّل

If a person should ever have no support,

If the person never has a relied upon day

then there is nothing to rely on but good hope.

Then there is nothing left but the beauty of hope relied upon