سَلامٌ إِذا ما اِفترّ أنشقكم عِطرا

سَلامٌ إِذا ما اِفترّ أنشقكم عِطرا

وَإِن كانَ ممّن ضاقَ من بعدكم صدرا

وَإِن كانَ ممّن ضاقَ من بعدكم صدرا

A greeting that, whenever it smiles, lets you inhale perfume,

Greetings when your fragrance permeates as dawn breaks,

though it comes from one whose breast is tight with separation from you.

Even if after you one's heart feels constricted,

يُوافيكُم لم يرجُ إلّا زيارةً

يُوافيكُم لم يرجُ إلّا زيارةً

فَتُرخي النوى مِن دونِ مقصدِه سترا

فَتُرخي النوى مِن دونِ مقصدِه سترا

He comes to you hoping only for a visit,

Who comes to visit you hopes for nothing

but distance lowers a veil before his goal.

But to relax his soul without revealing his purpose.

لَقد أمّ في ذا اليومِ أعتابَ مجدكم

لَقد أمّ في ذا اليومِ أعتابَ مجدكم

وَمِن قبله قَد جاءَ في جُمعةٍ أخرى

وَمِن قبله قَد جاءَ في جُمعةٍ أخرى

Indeed, today he sought the thresholds of your glory,

On this day I came to your glorious threshold,

and before this he came on another Friday.

And before it, I came on another Friday,

وفي كلّها قد ردّ أما فؤادهُ

وفي كلّها قد ردّ أما فؤادهُ

فَملآن لكن قَد غَدت كفّه صفرا

فَملآن لكن قَد غَدت كفّه صفرا

Each time he was turned away; as for his heart,

And on each my heart returned filled,

it is full, but his hand has come away empty.

Yet my palm turned empty.

يُلاقي طواشيّاً يخبّرُ أنّكم

يُلاقي طواشيّاً يخبّرُ أنّكم

دَخَلتم إِلى الحمّام إِن وافقَ الخبرا

دَخَلتم إِلى الحمّام إِن وافقَ الخبرا

He meets a eunuch who tells him that you

I meet a messenger who tells that you

have entered the bathhouse—if he got the report right.

Have gone to the baths, if his news proves true.

وَما أَنا ممّن يحجبُ الباب دونهُ

وَما أَنا ممّن يحجبُ الباب دونهُ

ولا يَرتجي من غيرِ خالقِه أَجرا

ولا يَرتجي من غيرِ خالقِه أَجرا

And I am not one before whom the door is barred,

I'm not one to shut the door in his face

nor do I seek reward from anyone but my Creator.

Or hope for reward from other than my Creator.

وَلكنّ أتباعَ الأميرِ ترى الورى

وَلكنّ أتباعَ الأميرِ ترى الورى

سَواسيةً لم تدر زيداً ولا عمرا

سَواسيةً لم تدر زيداً ولا عمرا

But the Emir's followers see all people

But the followers of the prince, you see,

alike, recognizing neither Zayd nor Amr.

Are impetuous - they know not Zayd or Omar.

فَأنهي إِليكم أيّها العَلَمُ الّذي

فَأنهي إِليكم أيّها العَلَمُ الّذي

مَناقبه في كلّ مكرمةٍ تترى

مَناقبه في كلّ مكرمةٍ تترى

So I report to you, O eminent one, whose

So I convey to you, O paragon whose

virtues follow one another in every noble deed,

Virtues in every honored deed are seen,

بأنّ الّذي مولى الجميع أراده

بأنّ الّذي مولى الجميع أراده

مِنَ الدرسِ أضحى سهله عندنا وعرا

مِنَ الدرسِ أضحى سهله عندنا وعرا

that what the master of all desired

That He who is Master of all intended

in teaching—its easy part has become hard for us.

What was hard teaching to become easy for us.

غَدا خبرُ العنقاءِ شبهاً لبغلتي

غَدا خبرُ العنقاءِ شبهاً لبغلتي

فَليس لنا منها سِوى الذكر والذكرى

فَليس لنا منها سِوى الذكر والذكرى

The tale of the Anqa has become a likeness of my mule,

News of the she-camel is now like my mare -

for we have nothing of her but mention and memory.

Of it we have only mention and memory.

فَيا طالَما غِبنا وَكان مجيؤنا

فَيا طالَما غِبنا وَكان مجيؤنا

عَلى عجَلاتٍ لِلنّصارى غَدت تُكرى

عَلى عجَلاتٍ لِلنّصارى غَدت تُكرى

Ah, how often we were absent! And our coming was

Oh how long we've been absent, our coming

on Christians' carriages that were hired out.

Was in hired carriages of Christians.

عَجبتُ لإحجامِ الأمينِ كأنّما

عَجبتُ لإحجامِ الأمينِ كأنّما

نُكلّفه أَن يحملَ الطودَ والبحرا

نُكلّفه أَن يحملَ الطودَ والبحرا

I marveled at the steward's reluctance, as though

I'm amazed at the Ameen's reticence, as though

we were asking him to carry the mountain and the sea.

We task him to carry a mountain or sea!

وَما هِيَ إلّا ساحةُ العلمِ أَصبَحت

وَما هِيَ إلّا ساحةُ العلمِ أَصبَحت

وَقد نَبَذَتها الجاهلون بِها ظَهرا

وَقد نَبَذَتها الجاهلون بِها ظَهرا

Yet it is only the field of learning, which has now been

It's just the field of knowledge made barren,

cast behind their backs by those ignorant of it.

Abandoned by the ignorant, shunned and deserted.

كَتبتُ إِليكُم ما ترونَ بديهةً

كَتبتُ إِليكُم ما ترونَ بديهةً

بِعفوٍ إِذا ما زلّ في السبق من أجرى

بِعفوٍ إِذا ما زلّ في السبق من أجرى

I wrote to you what you see, on the spur of the moment,

I've written you what you see as obvious,

asking pardon if one who races should stumble in the contest.

Pardoning, if the untrained make a misstep.

وَحُيّيتم عنّي بِأزكى تحيّةٍ

وَحُيّيتم عنّي بِأزكى تحيّةٍ

سَلامٌ إذا ما اِفترّ أنشقكم عطرا

سَلامٌ إذا ما اِفترّ أنشقكم عطرا

And may you receive from me the purest greeting:

And I bid you the most virtuous greeting -

A greeting that, whenever it smiles, lets you inhale perfume.

Greetings when your fragrance permeates as dawn breaks.