يشغلني بحبهِ

يشغلني بحبهِ

(أحمدُ) عَنْ كلِّ أحدْ

(أحمدُ) عَنْ كلِّ أحدْ

He keeps me absorbed in love for him—

Ahmad preoccupies me with his love

Ahmad—to the exclusion of everyone else.

From everyone else

إذا تناغينا معاً

إذا تناغينا معاً

لم تدرِ مَنْ منّا الولدْ

لم تدرِ مَنْ منّا الولدْ

When we coo together,

When we coo together

You cannot tell which of us is the child.

You wouldn't know which of us is the child

أَعيدُ ما يقولُه

أَعيدُ ما يقولُه

وَإِنْ أقُلْ شيئاً يُعد

وَإِنْ أقُلْ شيئاً يُعد

I repeat what he says,

I repeat what he says

And if I say something, he repeats it,

Even if I say little

مصغّراً مرخّماً

مصغّراً مرخّماً

وَيكتفي وَيقتصد

وَيكتفي وَيقتصد

In diminutive, shortened form,

In a small, murmured voice

And he makes do and keeps it brief.

And he's satisfied and moderate

وإنْ رآني مقبلاً

وإنْ رآني مقبلاً

رَفْرَفَ زنديه وَمدّ

رَفْرَفَ زنديه وَمدّ

And if he sees me approaching,

And if he sees me approaching

He flutters his forearms and stretches them out;

He flutters his wrists and reaches

وَلم يزلْ مزقزقاً

وَلم يزلْ مزقزقاً

كأنه طيرٌ غرد

كأنه طيرٌ غرد

And keeps on chirping,

Never stopping his chirping

As though he were a singing bird.

Like a singing bird

ضممتُهُ وَضمَّني

ضممتُهُ وَضمَّني

حتى التقى فَمٌ وَخد

حتى التقى فَمٌ وَخد

I hugged him, and he hugged me,

I held him and he held me

Until mouth met cheek.

Until a mouth met a cheek

فباسّني واحدةً

فباسّني واحدةً

فبستُه بلا عدد

فبستُه بلا عدد

Then he kissed me once,

He kissed me once

So I kissed him countless times.

And I kissed him endlessly

يريد ما رأى وما

يريد ما رأى وما

طالتْ يداه أو وَجد

طالتْ يداه أو وَجد

He wants whatever he sees, and whatever

He wants what he saw and what

His hands reach or he finds.

His hands reached for or found

حتى إذا ما ناله اسْ

حتى إذا ما ناله اسْ

تولى عليه واستبدّْ

تولى عليه واستبدّْ

Until, once he gets it,

Until when he gets it he

He takes possession of it and keeps it all to himself.

Turns away and keeps it to himself

نظّارتي أو ساعتي

نظّارتي أو ساعتي

يأْخذها وَلا يرد

يأْخذها وَلا يرد

My glasses or my watch—

My glasses or my watch

He takes it and does not give it back.

He takes them and does not give back

وَربما اعتاظ إذا

وَربما اعتاظ إذا

منعته شيئاً وَصدّ

منعته شيئاً وَصدّ

And sometimes he grows angry when

And if I refuse him something and block

I deny him something, and he turns away.

Him, while you see him a fawn bolted

بينا تراه وادعا

بينا تراه وادعا

إذا به ظبيٌ شرد

إذا به ظبيٌ شرد

One moment you see him calm,

I protected him with the surahs

Suddenly he is a gazelle that bolts.

N and Say, He Allah is One

عوّذتُه بالسورتي

عوّذتُه بالسورتي

نِ وَقلْ هو الله أحد

نِ وَقلْ هو الله أحد

I sought protection for him with the two surahs,

The child you love most is the one

And 'Say: He is God, One.'

For whom you are a doting father

أحبّ أولادِك مَنْ

أحبّ أولادِك مَنْ

أنت له أبٌ وَجد

أنت له أبٌ وَجد

The dearest of your children is the one

His causes are more than relatives

For whom you are both father and grandfather.

And higher and stronger

أسبابُه أكثرُ من القر

أسبابُه أكثرُ من القر

بى وَأعلى وَأشد

بى وَأعلى وَأشد

His bonds go beyond kinship,

The most deeply filial

And are loftier and stronger.

The most caught in the heart's snare

أعرقُهم بنوةً

أعرقُهم بنوةً

أعلقُهم بالقلب يد

أعلقُهم بالقلب يد

He is the most deeply rooted of them in sonship,

There is no one more beloved than the son

His hand clings tightest to the heart.

Of a son to the father

ليس أحبّ من وَلدْ

ليس أحبّ من وَلدْ

للأبِ إلاّ ابن الولد

للأبِ إلاّ ابن الولد

No one is dearer than a child

To a father—except his child's son.