زُرْنيْ خيالًا أزُرْكَ مُهجةً ودمًا

زُرْنيْ خيالًا أزُرْكَ مُهجةً ودمًا

عُدْنيْ خصيمًا أعُدْكَ طاعةً وَوَفا

عُدْنيْ خصيمًا أعُدْكَ طاعةً وَوَفا

Visit me as a vision; I shall visit you as soul and blood.

Visit me as an illusion, I will visit you with passion and blood

Visit me as an adversary; I shall visit you with obedience and fidelity.

Consider me an enemy, I will consider you obedience and loyalty

أكتبْ إليّ رسائلًا يفِضْن جفا

أكتبْ إليّ رسائلًا يفِضْن جفا

أكتُبْ إليْكَ قصائدًا يفِضنَ صَفا

أكتُبْ إليْكَ قصائدًا يفِضنَ صَفا

Write me letters overflowing with coldness;

Write to me letters that overflow with estrangement

I shall write you poems overflowing with purity.

I will write to you poems that overflow with sincerity

رُدَّ حنِينيْ إليكَ خائبًا فكَفا

رُدَّ حنِينيْ إليكَ خائبًا فكَفا

هُ عزَّةً أنْ يسوَد قلبيَ اللّهِفا

هُ عزَّةً أنْ يسوَد قلبيَ اللّهِفا

Send my longing for you back disappointed; for it is enough

Return my yearning to you disappointed, so it suffices

honor for it to reign over my yearning heart.

It is pride that the passion for God prevails in my heart

أهِجْ بهِ النّارَ وافتِنْهُ وما ملكَا

أهِجْ بهِ النّارَ وافتِنْهُ وما ملكَا

نُقِمْ بأجفانِك سِلْمًا ولا أسَفا

نُقِمْ بأجفانِك سِلْمًا ولا أسَفا

Stir the fire with it, and test it and all it owns.

Inflame it with fire, fascinate it, though we did not own it

We shall establish peace in your eyelids, not sorrow.

Reproach with your eyelids, peacefully and without sorrow

ألا أردُّ منَ الدّينِ اليسيرَ وقدْ

ألا أردُّ منَ الدّينِ اليسيرَ وقدْ

أهديتَنيْ سرَّ أسرارِ البَقا سَلَفا

أهديتَنيْ سرَّ أسرارِ البَقا سَلَفا

Shall I not repay a little of the debt, when

Shall I not repay the small debt, while you

you gave me the secret of survival’s secrets in advance:

Gifted me the secret of the secrets of eternity before

هوىً بهِ القلبُ يحْتمِيْ إذا ارْتجَفا

هوىً بهِ القلبُ يحْتمِيْ إذا ارْتجَفا

ولمْ يزلْ نورَ دربِهِ فمَا انْعطَفا

ولمْ يزلْ نورَ دربِهِ فمَا انْعطَفا

A love in which the heart takes refuge when it trembles.

The heart fell in love, taking refuge, though it shuddered

And it has remained the light of the heart’s path, so the heart never strayed.

And its light never swerved from its path, never turned

علَّمتَهُ ما بهِ بينَ الورَىْ عُرِفا

علَّمتَهُ ما بهِ بينَ الورَىْ عُرِفا

والموْتُ خيرٌ لمَنْ عَنْ عِلْمِهِ انصَرفا

والموْتُ خيرٌ لمَنْ عَنْ عِلْمِهِ انصَرفا

You taught it what made it known among humankind.

You taught it what through it is known amongst mankind

And death is better for one who turns away from what he knows.

And death is better for he who turned away from its knowledge

وكنْتَ إذْ ذاكَ لُطفَ اللهِ إذْ لطَفا

وكنْتَ إذْ ذاكَ لُطفَ اللهِ إذْ لطَفا

ويومَ غِبتَ كأنّ الكوْنَ بيْ رجَفا

ويومَ غِبتَ كأنّ الكوْنَ بيْ رجَفا

And then you were God’s grace, when He was gracious.

And you were then God's kindness when you were kind

And the day you were gone, it was as though the universe trembled with me.

And the day you were absent was as if existence shuddered

أيقنتُ حيْنَ نجوْتُ مِن حرائقِكا

أيقنتُ حيْنَ نجوْتُ مِن حرائقِكا

بأنَّ قلبَكَ والهَوىْ قدِ اخْتلَفا

بأنَّ قلبَكَ والهَوىْ قدِ اخْتلَفا

I knew for certain, when I escaped your fires,

I was certain when I escaped from your fires

that your heart and love had diverged.

That your heart and passion had differed

إذ أخلف القلبُ بالهجران ما وعَدا

إذ أخلف القلبُ بالهجران ما وعَدا

في حينِ مدَّ الهوىْ يدًا وما ضعُفا

في حينِ مدَّ الهوىْ يدًا وما ضعُفا

For the heart broke its promise through abandonment,

When the heart broke its promise with estrangement

while love held out a hand and did not falter.

While passion extended a hand and did not weaken

فخالَفَ العلمُ منْ للغيْرِ علَّمَهُ

فخالَفَ العلمُ منْ للغيْرِ علَّمَهُ

حالُ العُلومِ إذا المُعَلِّمُ انْحرَفا

حالُ العُلومِ إذا المُعَلِّمُ انْحرَفا

So knowledge opposed the one who taught it to others—

So knowledge opposed what it taught another

such is the state of knowledge when the teacher goes astray.

The state of knowledge when the teacher deviates

صدِّقْ كلامًا بهِ هواكَ قدْ وُصِفا

صدِّقْ كلامًا بهِ هواكَ قدْ وُصِفا

واتْرُكْ كلامًا بغيرِ وصفِهِ اتّصفا

واتْرُكْ كلامًا بغيرِ وصفِهِ اتّصفا

Believe words in which your love has been described,

Believe words that describe your passion

and leave aside words marked by something other than its description.

And leave words that falsely portray it