ليسَ الكَئيبُ بِغيرِ القُربِ ذا فرجٍ

ليسَ الكَئيبُ بِغيرِ القُربِ ذا فرجٍ

ولا بِغَيرِ الَّذي يَهوى بِمُنتَعِشِ

ولا بِغَيرِ الَّذي يَهوى بِمُنتَعِشِ

The sorrowful one has no relief without nearness,

The sorrowful finds no relief but nearness,

nor is he revived without the one he loves.

Nor the lover any joy but the beloved's closeness.

وَلَيسَ يُذكَرُ غَيرُ الحبِّ في زَمَنٍ

وَلَيسَ يُذكَرُ غَيرُ الحبِّ في زَمَنٍ

إِذ غَيرُهُ لَيسَ في ذِهني بِمُنتَقشِ

إِذ غَيرُهُ لَيسَ في ذِهني بِمُنتَقشِ

And nothing but love is ever mentioned,

In my time, none but love is recalled,

since nothing else is inscribed in my mind.

For nothing else occupies my thoughts.

وَأُذنُه حُسْنَ ذِكرِ الحبِّ تَسمَعُهُ

وَأُذنُه حُسْنَ ذِكرِ الحبِّ تَسمَعُهُ

وَتِلكَ عَن ذِكرِ غَيرِ الحبِّ في طرَشِ

وَتِلكَ عَن ذِكرِ غَيرِ الحبِّ في طرَشِ

And his ear hears the sweet mention of love,

His ear finds sweet the mention of love,

and that ear is deaf to mention of anything but love.

And is deaf to any talk but of passion.

قَد فَتَّحَ البُعْدُ مِنهُ الجِسمَ من حُرَقٍ

قَد فَتَّحَ البُعْدُ مِنهُ الجِسمَ من حُرَقٍ

فصارَ من نارِ هجرِ الحِبِّ ذا برَشِ

فصارَ من نارِ هجرِ الحِبِّ ذا برَشِ

Separation from him has rent the body with burning pains,

Separation has fevered my body with yearning,

so it became mottled from the fire of the beloved's desertion.

And it blazes with the fires of love’s abandonment.

وَعَظمُهُ في الغرامِ الضَّربُ يَطحَنُهُ

وَعَظمُهُ في الغرامِ الضَّربُ يَطحَنُهُ

وَقَبلَهُ لَم يَكُن طَحناً بِمُنجَرِشِ

وَقَبلَهُ لَم يَكُن طَحناً بِمُنجَرِشِ

And pounding grinds his bones in passion,

In infatuation my bones are crushed,

and before that they had never been crushed by grinding.

When once they were unbroken by blows.

وَطَرفُهُ بَعدَ أَن كانَ الحَديدَ غَدا

وَطَرفُهُ بَعدَ أَن كانَ الحَديدَ غَدا

مِنَ البكاءِ لبُعدِ الحِبِّ ذا عَمَشِ

مِنَ البكاءِ لبُعدِ الحِبِّ ذا عَمَشِ

And his eye, once keen, became

My eyes, once harder than iron,

bleary from weeping over the beloved's distance.

Now weep copiously for my absent love.

وَلَيسَ يَشكو سِوى الإِضرارَ من عطَشٍ

وَلَيسَ يَشكو سِوى الإِضرارَ من عطَشٍ

وَلَيسَ غَيرُ لَماهُ مُذهبَ العَطشِ

وَلَيسَ غَيرُ لَماهُ مُذهبَ العَطشِ

And he complains of nothing but the harm of thirst,

I complain of nothing but love’s cruelty,

and only his dusky lips can quench that thirst.

And only the beloved’s presence can slake my thirst.

ما أَوعَدَ الصبُّ في هَجرٍ وفي بُعدٍ

ما أَوعَدَ الصبُّ في هَجرٍ وفي بُعدٍ

إِلّا وَمِن خَوفِهِ قَد صارَ ذا رعشِ

إِلّا وَمِن خَوفِهِ قَد صارَ ذا رعشِ

Never was the lover threatened with desertion and distance

Whatever the lover feared in absence has come to pass,

without becoming tremulous from fear.

And dread makes him tremble.

وَما تَبَدَّى وَخالي القَلبِ أَبصَرَهُ

وَما تَبَدَّى وَخالي القَلبِ أَبصَرَهُ

إِلّا وَأَوقَعَهُ لِلعِشقِ في هَيَشِ

إِلّا وَأَوقَعَهُ لِلعِشقِ في هَيَشِ

And never did he appear and one untouched by love see him

Whenever the tender-hearted saw him,

without his casting that person into love's turmoil.

He cast them into love’s confusion.

وَما رَآهُ لَدى الإِشراقِ بَدرَ دُجى

وَما رَآهُ لَدى الإِشراقِ بَدرَ دُجى

إِلّا لَدى صِغَرٍ مِنهُ عَلَيهِ غُشي

إِلّا لَدى صِغَرٍ مِنهُ عَلَيهِ غُشي

And never did night's full moon behold him shining

He shone like the full moon in the dark,

without swooning, diminished beside him.

Overpowering them with his beauty.

وَخالُهُ يَنتَمي مِن حَيثُ حَدَّثَنا

وَخالُهُ يَنتَمي مِن حَيثُ حَدَّثَنا

عَن عَنبَرٍ لِبلالٍ سَيّدِ الحَبشِ

عَن عَنبَرٍ لِبلالٍ سَيّدِ الحَبشِ

And his mole, as it told us, traces its lineage

My cheek reveals its ambergris origin

through ʿAnbar to Bilal, master of the Abyssinians.

Like that of Bilal, the Abyssinian lord.

ما فَتَّحَ الوردُ في جَنّاتِ وجْنَتهِ

ما فَتَّحَ الوردُ في جَنّاتِ وجْنَتهِ

إِلّا عَلى الحُسنِ أَضحى خَيرَ مُعتَرِشِ

إِلّا عَلى الحُسنِ أَضحى خَيرَ مُعتَرِشِ

Never did the rose unfold in the gardens of his cheek

The blossoms opened in his garden’s bowers

without becoming the finest bloom climbing over beauty.

To reveal the best place for lovers to sit.

أَسررتُ وَجدِيَ عَن لاحٍ يُراقِبُني

أَسررتُ وَجدِيَ عَن لاحٍ يُراقِبُني

إِذ لَدغةُ العَذْلِ فاقَت لَدغَةَ الحَنشِ

إِذ لَدغةُ العَذْلِ فاقَت لَدغَةَ الحَنشِ

I hid my passion from a faultfinder watching me,

I was glad when a spy spotted me

for the sting of reproach surpassed the serpent's bite.

For the sting of reproach is less than the scorpion’s.

أَبيتُ سَهرانَ طولَ اللّيلِ أَجمَعُهُ

أَبيتُ سَهرانَ طولَ اللّيلِ أَجمَعُهُ

أُراقِبُ الشَّمسَ تَمحو دَولَةَ الغَبشِ

أُراقِبُ الشَّمسَ تَمحو دَولَةَ الغَبشِ

I stay awake through the whole long night,

All night I stayed awake

watching for the sun to erase the reign of predawn gloom.

To watch the sun erase the shadows.

وَاللَّيلُ تَرقُصُ إِذ لا بَدرَ أُنجُمُهُ

وَاللَّيلُ تَرقُصُ إِذ لا بَدرَ أُنجُمُهُ

فلم يكن من يَراها غيرَ ذي دهَشِ

فلم يكن من يَراها غيرَ ذي دهَشِ

And the night's stars dance when there is no full moon,

With no full moon, the night danced,

so none who saw them was anything but amazed.

And none watched but the awestruck witness.

فَإِنّها وَهيَ تَزهو في تَراقُصِها

فَإِنّها وَهيَ تَزهو في تَراقُصِها

مِثلُ الدّنانيرِ في كَفٍّ لِمُرتَعِشِ

مِثلُ الدّنانيرِ في كَفٍّ لِمُرتَعِشِ

For, as they glitter in their dancing,

Dancing, it was like dinars

they are like dinars in a trembling person's palm.

Trembling in the hand of one made nervous.

وَكُلَّما طَلَعَت شَمسٌ تُذَكِّرُني

وَكُلَّما طَلَعَت شَمسٌ تُذَكِّرُني

بِفَضلِها فَضلَ مُحيي مَذهَبِ القرشي

بِفَضلِها فَضلَ مُحيي مَذهَبِ القرشي

And whenever a sun rises, it reminds me

The rising sun reminds me each day

by its excellence, of the excellence of the reviver of the Qurashi's school.

Of the excellence of the Prophet’s way.

مُحقّقُ الوقتِ أَضحى سهمُ فِطْنَتهِ

مُحقّقُ الوقتِ أَضحى سهمُ فِطْنَتهِ

لا شكّ عن غَرضِ التحقيقِ لم يطِشِ

لا شكّ عن غَرضِ التحقيقِ لم يطِشِ

The age's master scholar—his arrow of discernment has

The wise executor fulfilled his time,

undoubtedly never missed the target of exact inquiry.

His reasoning missing no intended goal.

ماءُ الحَياةِ بِهِ العلياءُ قد حَييَت

ماءُ الحَياةِ بِهِ العلياءُ قد حَييَت

وَمَجدُها عاشَ إِذ لَولاهُ لَم يَعِشِ

وَمَجدُها عاشَ إِذ لَولاهُ لَم يَعِشِ

The water of life—through him, eminence has revived,

The water of life was revived by him,

and its glory has lived, for without him it would not have lived.

And its glory lives, else it would not have endured.

كَريمُ نَفسٍ كَأَصلٍ كانَ مَسكنُهُ

كَريمُ نَفسٍ كَأَصلٍ كانَ مَسكنُهُ

مِن ذَروةِ العِزِّ في عالٍ مِنَ العُرشِ

مِن ذَروةِ العِزِّ في عالٍ مِنَ العُرشِ

Noble in soul as in lineage, his dwelling stood

Noble soul, he was like a tree,

at glory's summit, upon a lofty throne.

His home at the peak of glory, under the Divine Throne.

تَوَسَّد المَجدَ في فَخرٍ وفي شَرَفٍ

تَوَسَّد المَجدَ في فَخرٍ وفي شَرَفٍ

إِذِ المَعالي لَهُ مِن أَحسَنِ الفُرشِ

إِذِ المَعالي لَهُ مِن أَحسَنِ الفُرشِ

He made glory his pillow, in pride and honor,

He rested on glory and nobility,

for lofty honors are among his finest beds.

For the heights were his best carpet.

الزّاهدُ العابدُ الرّحمنُ في أدَبٍ

الزّاهدُ العابدُ الرّحمنُ في أدَبٍ

كَأَنَّهُ قَد يَراه حَيثُ منه خُشي

كَأَنَّهُ قَد يَراه حَيثُ منه خُشي

The ascetic worships the All-Merciful with reverence,

That ascetic worshipper of the Merciful showed such reverence,

as though he truly sees Him, in his fear of Him.

It was as if he could see his Lord before him.

وَاللَّهُ يُبقيهِ في عِزٍّ وَيكلؤُهُ

وَاللَّهُ يُبقيهِ في عِزٍّ وَيكلؤُهُ

مِن كُلِّ ذي حَسَدٍ لِلبُغض فيه يشي

مِن كُلِّ ذي حَسَدٍ لِلبُغض فيه يشي

And may God preserve him in honor and guard him

May God preserve him in might and protect him

from every envious one who slanders him out of hatred,

From every envious hater.

ما طرزَ الرَّوضُ في قطر السّحابِ وما

ما طرزَ الرَّوضُ في قطر السّحابِ وما

مِنَ المَحاسِنِ في درِّ الزّهورِ وشي

مِنَ المَحاسِنِ في درِّ الزّهورِ وشي

as long as the garden is embroidered with cloud-drops, and as long as

The garden has brought forth no finer embroidery,

loveliness is embroidered in the pearls of blossoms.

Nor the buds more beautiful adornment.