هَبَطَ الوحيُ عليه

هَبَطَ الوحيُ عليه

من سماوات الخيالِ

من سماوات الخيالِ

Revelation descended upon him

Revelation descended upon him

from the heavens of imagination

From the heavens of imagination

في الظلام

في الظلام

وَأَضاءتْ جانبيه

وَأَضاءتْ جانبيه

in the darkness.

In the darkness

And his two sides were illuminated

And its sides were illuminated

ربّةُ السحرِ الحلالِ

ربّةُ السحرِ الحلالِ

في الكلام

في الكلام

by the goddess of lawful enchantment

By the goddess of lawful magic

in speech.

In speech

خرَّ يبكي وله لمّا تجلّت صعقاتْ

خرَّ يبكي وله لمّا تجلّت صعقاتْ

قد وَعى سرّ الوجودِ

قد وَعى سرّ الوجودِ

He fell weeping, and when she revealed herself, shocks seized him.

He fell crying when the ecstasies were revealed to him

He had grasped the secret of existence

He had perceived the secret of existence

وَمعاني العدمِ

وَمعاني العدمِ

في غشيتِهْ

في غشيتِهْ

and the meanings of nothingness

And the meanings of nothingness

in his swoon,

In his swoon

فروى بيتَ قصيدِ

فروى بيتَ قصيدِ

من عيون الحكمِ

من عيون الحكمِ

then recited a line of verse

So he recited a verse of poem

from the choicest maxims

From the springs of wisdom

في صحوتِهْ

في صحوتِهْ

نظمته زفراتٌ قطَّعته شهقات

نظمته زفراتٌ قطَّعته شهقات

on awakening.

In his awakening

Sighs composed it; sobs broke it up.

Its verses were cut by sobs and sighs

هُتكتْ عن ناظريه

هُتكتْ عن ناظريه

مسدلات الحجبِ

مسدلات الحجبِ

Torn away from his eyes were

The curtains and veils

the lowered veils

Were uncovered before his eyes

والستور

والستور

فجرى عن أَصغريه

فجرى عن أَصغريه

and curtains;

And there flowed from his lips

then from his heart and tongue flowed—

What was not in books

غير ما في الكتبِ

غير ما في الكتبِ

من سطورِ

من سطورِ

unlike what books contain

Of lines

in their lines—

Sublime images he represented with words

صورٌ علْويَّةٌ مثّلها بالكلمات

صورٌ علْويَّةٌ مثّلها بالكلمات

ظلّ يرنو للسماءِ

ظلّ يرنو للسماءِ

heavenly images he rendered in words.

He remained aspiring to the sky

He kept gazing at the sky

And the redness of the horizon

واحمرار الشفق

واحمرار الشفق

فيقول:

فيقول:

and the crimson of twilight,

Saying:

and would say:

This is the vigil of the martyrs

ذا نجيعُ الشهداء

ذا نجيعُ الشهداء

شاهدٌ في الأُفقِ

شاهدٌ في الأُفقِ

This is the martyrs' lifeblood,

A witness on the horizon

a witness on the horizon

That does not fade

لا يزول

لا يزول

فعليهم أَعينُ السحب تريق العبرات

فعليهم أَعينُ السحب تريق العبرات

that never fades.

Upon them the eyes of the clouds shed tears

So upon them the clouds' eyes pour out tears.

The breezes of the wind, grieved

نسماتُ الريح ثكلى

نسماتُ الريح ثكلى

لا تني تنتحبُ

لا تني تنتحبُ

The wind's breezes are bereaved,

Do not cease wailing

never ceasing to sob

In anguish

في أساها

في أساها

ووميضُ البرقِ ليلاً

ووميضُ البرقِ ليلاً

in her sorrow.

And the flash of lightning at night

And lightning's flash by night

Is an ember that flares up

جمرةٌ تلتهبُ

جمرةٌ تلتهبُ

في حشاها

في حشاها

is an ember blazing

In its bosom

within her breast,

Or a heart between its sides of violent passions

أَو فؤاد بين جنبيها شديد النزوات

أَو فؤاد بين جنبيها شديد النزوات

هَزَمَ الرعدُ فقالا:

هَزَمَ الرعدُ فقالا:

or a heart between her sides, fiercely throbbing.

Thunder triumphed and said:

Thunder rumbled, and he said:

This is the screaming of the wretched

ذا صراخ البائسينا

ذا صراخ البائسينا

فاعطفوا

فاعطفوا

This is the cry of the wretched,

So show mercy

so show compassion.

And night deepened and lengthened

ودَجى الليلُ وَطالا

ودَجى الليلُ وَطالا

وهْوَ عسفُ الظالمينا

وهْوَ عسفُ الظالمينا

And night darkened and grew long,

It is the injustice of the oppressors

and it is the oppressors' tyranny;

So have pity

فارأفوا

فارأفوا

وَانكشفْ يا ليلُ: إِنَّ الرعدَ أمسى صرخات

وَانكشفْ يا ليلُ: إِنَّ الرعدَ أمسى صرخات

so have mercy.

And it was unveiled, O night: the thunder has become screams at nightfall

And lift, O night: thunder has become screams.

He turned his eyes to a meadow

صوَّبَ الطرف بروضٍ

صوَّبَ الطرف بروضٍ

باسمٍ زاهٍ وَسيمْ

باسمٍ زاهٍ وَسيمْ

He lowered his gaze to a meadow,

With a radiant and handsome name

smiling, radiant, and fair,

And wept

فبكى

فبكى

قائلاً والجفنُ مغضٍ

قائلاً والجفنُ مغضٍ

then wept,

Saying, and the eyelid was frowning

saying, with his eyelid lowered:

Destruction and ruin came upon us

هبنا صَبٌّ وَريمْ

هبنا صَبٌّ وَريمْ

هلكا

هلكا

Imagine us, a lovesick lover and a gazelle,

to perish

both dead.

Its height and the heart from it is a branch with flowers

قدُّها وَالقلب منه غصنٌ ذو زهرات

قدُّها وَالقلب منه غصنٌ ذو زهرات

عَلقتْ كفٌ بكفّْ

عَلقتْ كفٌ بكفّْ

Her figure and his heart—a branch bearing blossoms.

A palm held a palm

A hand clung to a hand,

And cheek met cheek

والتقى خدٌّ وَخدّْ

والتقى خدٌّ وَخدّْ

في التراب

في التراب

and cheek met cheek

In the dust

in the dust.

Oh what an embrace

يا له قبلاً يرفّْ

يا له قبلاً يرفّْ

وضلوعاً تتقدْ

وضلوعاً تتقدْ

Oh, how it flutters with kisses,

And flaming ribs

and ribs aflame

In turmoil

باضطراب

باضطراب

وَنفوساً قد زكتْ في الزهر منها عبقات

وَنفوساً قد زكتْ في الزهر منها عبقات

with trembling,

And souls that have flourished, from which fragrances emanate

and souls grown pure, their fragrances within the flowers!

He took the flute and approached

أَخَذَ النايَ وأَدنى

أَخَذَ النايَ وأَدنى

فَمَهُ ثم نَفَخْ

فَمَهُ ثم نَفَخْ

He took the reed flute and brought close

Then put his mouth to it and

his mouth, then breathed

Blew into it his spirit

فيه روحَهْ

فيه روحَهْ

فأَذابَ النفسَ لحناً

فأَذابَ النفسَ لحناً

his spirit into it.

Melting the soul into a melody

Then he melted his soul into melody

And slipping from the body

ومن الجسمِ انسلخْ

ومن الجسمِ انسلخْ

كي يريحَهْ

كي يريحَهْ

and slipped out of his body

To comfort it

to give it rest.

Thus the breaths of meaning depart as regrets

هكذا تذهبُ أَنفاسُ المعنّى حسراتْ

هكذا تذهبُ أَنفاسُ المعنّى حسراتْ

Thus the tormented one's breaths depart as sighs of grief.