أعَلِمْتِ ما بالقلبِ من نارِ الجَوَى

أعَلِمْتِ ما بالقلبِ من نارِ الجَوَى

يا ظَبْيةً بينَ المُحجَّرِ واللِوَى

يا ظَبْيةً بينَ المُحجَّرِ واللِوَى

Do you know what fire of love's anguish burns in my heart,

I know the fire of passion burning in my heart,

O gazelle between al-Muhajjar and al-Liwa?

O gazelle, between al-Muhajjar and al-Liwa!

وَرَدَ الهَوَى منكم عليَّ وهكذا

وَرَدَ الهَوَى منكم عليَّ وهكذا

كانَ اشتِعالُ النَّارِ من ذاكَ الهَوَى

كانَ اشتِعالُ النَّارِ من ذاكَ الهَوَى

Love came to me from you, and thus

Passion came to me from you, and thus

The fire was kindled by that love.

Was the kindling of that fire of passion.

قالت تَميِلُ إلى السِّوى فأجَبتُها

قالت تَميِلُ إلى السِّوى فأجَبتُها

أينَ السِّوَى ولَعلَّ في الدُّنيا سِوَى

أينَ السِّوَى ولَعلَّ في الدُّنيا سِوَى

She said, 'You incline toward another'; I answered her:

She inclined towards moderation, and I said to her,

'Where is another—and could there be another in the world?'

“Where is moderation? Is there really moderation in life?”

لو كُنتُ أعلمُ عِندَ غَيركِ بُلْغةً

لو كُنتُ أعلمُ عِندَ غَيركِ بُلْغةً

لكَرِهتُ أن أطوي حَشايَ على الطَوَى

لكَرِهتُ أن أطوي حَشايَ على الطَوَى

Had I known of sustenance with anyone but you,

If I had known that eloquence lay with other than you,

I would have hated to fold my belly over hunger.

I would have disliked to wander aimlessly.

وبمُهجتي شَوقٌ أقامَ كأنَّهُ

وبمُهجتي شَوقٌ أقامَ كأنَّهُ

مَلِكٌ على عَرشِ الفُؤادِ قدِ استَوَى

مَلِكٌ على عَرشِ الفُؤادِ قدِ استَوَى

And in my soul a longing dwells, as though it were

In my love is a yearning that stays as though

A king seated upon the throne of my heart.

It were a king seated on the throne of my heart.

أطعَمتُهُ قلبي الكليمَ فما اكتَفَى

أطعَمتُهُ قلبي الكليمَ فما اكتَفَى

وسقَيتُهُ دمعي السَّجيمَ فما ارتَوَى

وسقَيتُهُ دمعي السَّجيمَ فما ارتَوَى

I fed him my wounded heart, but he was not satisfied;

I fed it my ardent heart, but it was not sated,

And gave him my streaming tears to drink, but his thirst was not quenched.

And I gave it my copious tears, but it was not quenched.

قد كُنتُ أحسَبُهُ كضَيفٍ نازلٍ

قد كُنتُ أحسَبُهُ كضَيفٍ نازلٍ

فإذا أنا ضَيفٌ إليهِ قد أوى

فإذا أنا ضَيفٌ إليهِ قد أوى

I had thought him a guest come to lodge,

I used to think it was a guest come to lodge,

But behold, I was a guest who had sought shelter with him.

But lo! I am the guest having come to him for shelter.

ولَقَد سَمَحتُ لهُ بأنْ يكوِي الحَشا

ولَقَد سَمَحتُ لهُ بأنْ يكوِي الحَشا

فكَوَى ولكنْ ما رَضِي حتى شَوَى

فكَوَى ولكنْ ما رَضِي حتى شَوَى

And I had indeed allowed him to sear my vitals;

And indeed I allowed it to brand my innermost being,

So he seared them, but was not content until he roasted them.

So it branded, but was not pleased until it roasted me.

ولرُبَّ طَيفٍ زارَني فوَجَدتُهُ

ولرُبَّ طَيفٍ زارَني فوَجَدتُهُ

داءً عليَّ وكُنتُ أحسَبُهُ دَوا

داءً عليَّ وكُنتُ أحسَبُهُ دَوا

And many a dream-vision visited me, and I found it

And how often a specter visited me, and I found it

An affliction upon me, though I had thought it a cure.

An affliction upon me, while I thought it a remedy,

وافى فحيَّا مُؤنِساً يُرِوي الظَّما

وافى فحيَّا مُؤنِساً يُرِوي الظَّما

ومَضَى فوَدَّعَ جارحاً يُوهِي القُوَى

ومَضَى فوَدَّعَ جارحاً يُوهِي القُوَى

It came and greeted me, bringing comfort and quenching thirst;

And how often one came to me as a consoling friend relating tales,

And left and bade farewell, wounding me and sapping my strength.

Then left to bid farewell, wounding my powers.

صارت تخافُ النَّومَ عيني بَعدَهُ

صارت تخافُ النَّومَ عيني بَعدَهُ

لا تَجزَعي ذَاكَ الكِتابُ قدِ انطَوَى

لا تَجزَعي ذَاكَ الكِتابُ قدِ انطَوَى

Since then, my eye has come to fear sleep.

Since his departure my eyes fear sleep,

Do not be distressed; that book has been closed.

“Do not worry, the writ has closed.”

شَغَلَت فُؤادي عن مُغازَلةِ المَهَى

شَغَلَت فُؤادي عن مُغازَلةِ المَهَى

شِيمٌ لَوَت قلبي إليها فالتَوَى

شِيمٌ لَوَت قلبي إليها فالتَوَى

My heart has been diverted from courting the oryx

It has preoccupied my heart from wooing pleasures -

By virtues that bent my heart toward them, and it bent.

A disposition which if my heart inclines towards, it twists.

للخِضْرِ أخلاقٌ يكادُ ثناؤُها

للخِضْرِ أخلاقٌ يكادُ ثناؤُها

يَخَضرُّ منهُ كلُّ عُودٍ قدْ ذَوَى

يَخَضرُّ منهُ كلُّ عُودٍ قدْ ذَوَى

Khidr has virtues whose praise almost

To the verdant one are manners whose praise

Makes every withered branch grow green.

Can almost make every withered wood grow green from it,

طابت موارِدُها فَتُبِهجُ مَن رأى

طابت موارِدُها فَتُبِهجُ مَن رأى

وتَسُرُّ مَن سَمِعَ الحديثَ ومن رَوَى

وتَسُرُّ مَن سَمِعَ الحديثَ ومن رَوَى

Their wellsprings are sweet, delighting all who see,

Its watering places are wholesome, delighting whoever sees,

And gladdening all who hear the tale and all who tell it.

And making happy whoever hears tell of it and relates it.

قُلْ للّذي يزهو بمَكرْمُةٍ لهُ

قُلْ للّذي يزهو بمَكرْمُةٍ لهُ

هذا الذي كُلَّ المَكارمِ قد حَوَى

هذا الذي كُلَّ المَكارمِ قد حَوَى

Tell him who prides himself on a virtue of his:

Say to him who boasts of an honor he has:

'This is the man who possesses all noble virtues.'

“This one to whom all nobility flocks and in whom it lodges...”

يَقضِي حُقوقَ الدِّينِ والدُّنيا معاً

يَقضِي حُقوقَ الدِّينِ والدُّنيا معاً

في الجَهْرِ والنَجْوَى على حَدٍّ سَوا

في الجَهْرِ والنَجْوَى على حَدٍّ سَوا

He fulfills the duties of faith and worldly life alike,

“...fulfilling the rights of religion and world together,

In public and in private, in equal measure.

In public and in secret, equally.”

هُوَ رُكنُ بيتِ الرَّعدِ وَهْوَ عَمُودُهُ

هُوَ رُكنُ بيتِ الرَّعدِ وَهْوَ عَمُودُهُ

فيهِ الجَلالُ بجانبِ التَّقوَى ثَوَى

فيهِ الجَلالُ بجانبِ التَّقوَى ثَوَى

He is the cornerstone of the house of Ra'd, and its pillar;

He is a pillar of the house of glory and its column around whom

In him, majesty has settled beside piety.

Majesty alongside piety has lodged.

طُوِيَت على الإخلاصِ نيَّةُ قلبِهِ

طُوِيَت على الإخلاصِ نيَّةُ قلبِهِ

ولِكُلِّ عبدٍ عندَ رَبِّكَ ما نَوَى

ولِكُلِّ عبدٍ عندَ رَبِّكَ ما نَوَى

His heart's intention is folded around sincerity;

The intention of his heart was wrapped in sincerity,

And with your Lord, each servant has what he intended.

And for every slave there is that which he intended with his Lord.

سادَ البلادَ فكان رَبَّ عَشيرةٍ

سادَ البلادَ فكان رَبَّ عَشيرةٍ

بينَ العَشائِرِ باتَ مرفوعَ اللِوا

بينَ العَشائِرِ باتَ مرفوعَ اللِوا

He held sway over the lands, becoming lord of a clan;

He prevailed over the lands and became the lord of a clan

Among the clans, he remained with his banner held high.

Raised over the clans.

أعيا المظَالمَ أنْ تَجُوزَ بِلادَهُ

أعيا المظَالمَ أنْ تَجُوزَ بِلادَهُ

يوماً ولو طَارَتْ إليها في الهوا

يوماً ولو طَارَتْ إليها في الهوا

He made it impossible for injustices to cross into his lands,

Iniquities cannot pass through his land,

On any day, even were they to fly there through the air.

Though they fly to it through the air.

يا أيُّها الرَّعدُ الذي في الحربِ لو

يا أيُّها الرَّعدُ الذي في الحربِ لو

وقَعَتْ صَواعِقُهُ على جَبَلٍ هَوَى

وقَعَتْ صَواعِقُهُ على جَبَلٍ هَوَى

O Ra'd, if in battle

O thunder in war! If its lightning bolts

Your thunderbolts struck a mountain, it would fall!

Struck a mountain, it would topple.

مَلأَ المَسامِعَ منكَ صِيتٌ قارعٌ

مَلأَ المَسامِعَ منكَ صِيتٌ قارعٌ

والرَّعدُ يَقرَعُ كلَّ سَمْعٍ إذ دَوَى

والرَّعدُ يَقرَعُ كلَّ سَمْعٍ إذ دَوَى

Your resounding fame has filled all ears,

From you a resounding repute has filled the hearing

And thunder strikes every ear when it booms.

And thunder pounds every hearing when it echoes.

لا يستطيعُ البُعدُ حَجْبَ جَمالِهِ

لا يستطيعُ البُعدُ حَجْبَ جَمالِهِ

كالصُّبحِ ليسَ يَصُّدُ شُهرَتَهُ النَّوَى

كالصُّبحِ ليسَ يَصُّدُ شُهرَتَهُ النَّوَى

Distance cannot veil his beauty;

Distance cannot veil his beauty

Like dawn, his fame cannot be checked by distance.

Like the dawn - no clouds can conceal its light.

يا مَعشَرَ الشُّعرَاءِ تلكَ صِفاتُهُ

يا مَعشَرَ الشُّعرَاءِ تلكَ صِفاتُهُ

ما ضَلَّ صاحبكُم بِهِنَّ وما غَوَى

ما ضَلَّ صاحبكُم بِهِنَّ وما غَوَى

O company of poets, those are his qualities;

O assembly of poets! Those are his traits

Your companion has neither strayed in describing them nor erred.

By which your friend does not go astray or wander confused.

إنّي نَطَقتُ بما رأيتُ وبعضُهُ

إنّي نَطَقتُ بما رأيتُ وبعضُهُ

مِمَّا سَمِعتُ فما نَطَقتُ عَنِ الهَوَى

مِمَّا سَمِعتُ فما نَطَقتُ عَنِ الهَوَى

Indeed, I spoke of what I saw, and some of it

I have spoken what I have seen and some

Is from what I heard; I did not speak from whim.

Of what I have heard - I have not spoken out of passion’s fancy.