لَم أشكُ صَدَّا وَلَم أذعَر بِهُجرَان

وَلاَ شَعُرتُ مَدَى دَهري بِسُلوَانِ

I did not doubt his friendship, nor was I alarmed by his estrangement,

I never complained of rejection, nor was I panicked by abandonment,

Nor did I feel the length of my life with Sulwan.

Nor did I feel, throughout my lifetime, any solace or consolation.

أسمَاءُ لَم أدر مَعنَاهَا وَلا خَطَرَت

يَوماً عَلَيَّ وَلاَ جَالَت بِمَيدانِي

I did not know the meaning of the name Asma,

Names whose meanings I never knew, nor did they ever cross

It never occurred to me, nor did it cross my mind.

My mind for a day, nor did they ever roam in my realm.

لَكِنَّمَا دَائِيَ الأدوَى الذي غَضبَت

عَلَىَّ أروَاحُهُ قِدماً فَأعيَانِي

Rather my chronic disease, which made

Yet my most incurable malady is one whose winds blew angrily

Its spirits angry with me from early on and weakened my body,

Against me long ago, exhausting and wearing me down:

تَفَرَّقَ لَم تَزَل تَسري طَوَارقُهُ

إلَيَّ بِجَامِع أحبَابِي وَخِلاَّنِي

Spread continuously, its relapses still reach me

A parting of ways whose nocturnal sorrows never cease drifting

In the gathering of my loved ones, leaving me alone.

Toward me, assailing the company of my loved ones and friends.

كَأنَّمَا البَينُ بِي يَأتَمُّ حَيثُ رَأى

لِي مَذهَباً فَهوَ يَبلُونِي وَيَغشَانِي

It was as if separation intentionally sought me out

It is as if Separation seeks me out, following wherever it sees

Wherever it saw I had gone, to try me and make me lonely.

A path I take, testing me and constantly engulfing me.

قَد كُنتُ أحسِبُ عِندَيَ النَّوَى جَلِداً

إذَا عَنَى فِي بَوَادي شَجوهَا العَانِي

I used to think I had firm endurance

I used to consider myself enduring in the face of distance,

When traversing the valleys of its painful complaints.

When the suffering captive groans in the desolate plains of sorrow;

فَقَابَلَتنِي بِألوَانٍ غَدَوتُ بِهَا

مُقَابَلاً مِن صَبَابَاتِي بِألوَانِ

But it met me with flavors that I tasted,

Yet it confronted me with manifold agonies, leaving me

Matching, from my early manhood, its own flavors.

Confronted in return by diverse varieties of burning passion.

بِالله أنسَى أخاً لِي قَد لَهِجتُ بِه

نَفسِي تُحَدّثُنِي أن لَيسَ يَنسَانِي

By God! Can one forget a brother whose friendship

By God, how could I forget a brother of mine whom I continually praise,

My soul assures me will not forget me?

While my soul assures me that he will never forget me?

فَإن يَكُن فِيه ظَنِّي صَادقاً فَلَقَد

عَهِدتُّ ظَنِّي قَديماً غَيرَ خَوَّانِ

If my suspicion of him is true, then indeed

And if my good faith in him proves true, then indeed

I have long known my suspicion does not betray.

I have long known my intuition never to be treacherous.

هَذَا عَلَى قِسمَة الأيَّام لَيسَ عَلَى

أنِّي أخَافُ عَلَيه طَبعَ نِسيَانِ

This is the fate of days, it is not because

This is merely according to the allotted division of days, not

I fear the nature of forgetfulness in him.

That I fear forgetfulness could ever be his nature.

قَد كُنتُ ألقَى زَمَانِي مِنهُ مُدَرّعاً

عَلَى تَغَوُّل أيَّامِي وَأزمَانِي

I used to face my time shielded against

Through him, I used to face my fate clad in armor,

The inconstancy of my days and years,

Against the treacherous assaults of my days and times—

درعاً يَقُولُ الرَّدَى مِن أجلِهَا حَذَراً

ما شأنُكَ اليَومَ يا هَذَا وَمَا شَانِي

A shield that misfortune would say warily

An armor against which Death itself would say in dread:

“What is your business today, O you, and what is my business?”

'What concern have I with you today, and what concern have you with me?'

فَالآنَ أظلَمَت الدُّنيَا لِغَيبَتِه

فَأللَّيلُ عِندي وَغَيرُ اللَّيل سِيَانِ

Now the world has darkened with his absence

Yet now, the world has grown dark in his absence,

So night to me is the same as other than night.

So that night and day have become all the same to me.

وَحُقَّ لِي ذَاكَ إذ فِي كُلّ شَارقَةٍ

كَانَت تَلُوحُ لِعَينِي مِنهُ شَمسَانِ

And that is my right, for in every sunrise

And rightly so, for with every bright sunrise,

Two suns would shine before my eyes because of him.

Two suns would shine from him before my eyes.

فَالآنَ أعدَمَنِي أضوَاهُمَا قَدَرٌ

تَجرِي بِأحكَامِهِ فِينَا الجَدِيدَانِ

But now fate which runs its new courses among us

Now, a decree of fate has stripped me of both their lights,

Has deprived me of both their lights.

Carried out upon us by the passing of night and day.

لَكِنَّني قَائِلٌ قَولاً يُحَقِّقُهُ

كُلُّ البَرِيَّةِ عَن نُورٍ وَبُرهَانِ

Yet I say words that all creation

Yet I utter a truth affirmed and verified

Will acknowledge for their light and proof:

By all creation through clear light and proof:

عَجِبتُ مِنِّي إذَا أشكُو تَوَحُّشَهُ

وَأَسفَحَ الدَّمعُ سَحَّا غَيرَ ضِنَانِ

I wonder at myself complaining of his aloofness

I marvel at myself when I lament feeling lonely without him,

As tears freely pour forth with no restraint,

And let my tears pour forth profusely without restraint,

وَوَجَهُهُ نُصبَ عَينِي مَا يُفَارِقُنِي

وَطَيفُهُ مُؤنِسِي فِي نِصفِهِ الثَّانِي

While his face is ever before my eyes, never leaving me,

While his face remains set before my eyes, never leaving me,

And his phantom is my companion in the other half.

And his spectral apparition comforts me through the dead of night.

وَمُهجَتِي عِندَهُ وَالقَلبُ مَسكَنُهُ

هَذَا وَجَدّكَ عَينُ الحَاضِر الدَّانِي

My mind is with him and my heart is his dwelling—

My soul is with him, and my heart is his dwelling place—

This is how the aware present beholds you!

This, by your fortune, is the very essence of presence and nearness!

وَشَخصُهُ مَاثِلٌ فِي نَاظِرِي أبَداً

وَفِي ضَمِيرِي إذَا مَا نِمنَ أجفَانِي

And his person is visibly before my gaze forever,

His figure stands ever-present before my sight,

And in my conscience when sleep closes my eyelids.

And alive in my innermost conscience whenever my eyelids sleep.

أدعُوهُ دَعوَةَ مُرتَاحٍ لِرُؤيَتِهِ

حَسبَ ارتِيَاحِي لَهُ إذ كَانَ يَلقَانِي

I call him longingly as one content with seeing him,

I call to him with the longing of one delighted to see him,

My contentment in him suffices me, as he would meet me.

Equal to the deep joy I felt whenever he used to meet me.

يَا عُذرَ دَهرِيَ مِن مَاضِي إسَاءَتِهِ

وَمِن تَسَاوِي وَلِيِّي فِيهِ وَالشَّانِي

O my excuse for the wrongs of fate in the past!

O he is Time's excuse for all its past misdeeds,

Both it and my loyal friend wronged me equally.

And for the equal stance of my friend and my foe therein.

كِلاَهُمَا حَاسِدٌ لِي مِن أخُوَّتِهِ

عَلَى غَلاَ الدَّهرِ مَوصُولاً بِرُضوَانِ

Each envied me in his love

Both of them envy me for possessing his brotherhood,

For fate’s injustice, inseparably linked with God’s satisfaction.

A treasure most precious through the ages, bound with pure goodwill.

قَد كَانَ مِنكَ فُؤَادِي حَاسِداً بَصَرِي

وَالآنَ يَحسُدُ فِيكَ القَلبَ عَينَانِ

My heart used to envy you, and now

Because of you, my heart once envied my eyes,

Two eyes envy the heart within you.

And now, my two eyes envy my heart over you.

حَتَّى لَقَد صَارَ دَهرِي فِيكَ يَحسُدُنِي

فَبَانَ عَنِّيَ مَغلُوباً وَأنآنِيِ

To the extent that fate became envious of me in you

Until Time itself began to envy me for having you,

And appeared defeated, moaning over me.

So it parted us, defeated in jealousy, and caused me deep sorrow.

عَذِرتُ فِيكَ لَعَمرِي كُلَّ ذِي حَسَدٍ

مَن لَيسَ يُحسَدُ فِي دُنيَا سُلَيمانِ

I have excused in you, by my life, everyone possessed by envy

By my life, I have excused every envious soul regarding you;

Who in the world is not envied like Solomon?

For who would not be envied in the kingdom of Solomon?

وَحُقَّ لي عُذرُهُم إذ صِرتُ أعرِفُ مِق

دَارَ الذِي مِنكَ كَانَ اللهُ أولاَنِي

And I do have the right to excuse them, for I have come to know

And right was I to excuse them, once I recognized the true measure

The abode of Him who enriched me with you from the first.

Of that great grace which God bestowed upon me through you.

لَقَد حَبَانِيَ حَظَّا مِن إخَائِكَ لاَ

يُجزَى بِسِترٍ وَلاَ يُلقَى بِكُفرَانِ

Indeed, your companionship has granted me a share

He granted me a share of your brotherhood that cannot

That cannot be requited with veiling it or meeting it with ingratitude.

Be repaid by concealment, nor met with ingratitude.

لَو كانت الأرضُ لِي حاشَاهُ مَا غَنِيَت

رُوحِي وَإنِّي بِهِ عَن غَيرِهِ غانِي

If the earth belonged to me—God forbid—it would not enrich

Were the entire earth mine without him, my soul

My soul, for through you from all else I am rich.

Would never be enriched, for in him I am rich above all else.

شَخصٌ نَفِيسٌ خَطِيرٌ لَو بَدَلتُ بِهِ

نَفسِي أخَذتُ الذِي يَبقَى علَى الفَانِي

A noble, precious, dangerous person—if I could ransom

A soul so precious and exalted that if I traded my own life for him,

Myself with him, I would take what remains over the transient.

I would have chosen that which endures over that which perishes.

ذَاكَ الذِي لَستُ أدرِي مَا أقَابِلُهُ

بِهِ مِنَ الشَكّ فِي سِرّي وَإعلاَنِي

That one whom I do not know how to requite

Such is he whom I know not how adequately to repay

With what I hold secret and what is open of me.

With gratitude, whether in my secret thoughts or in the open.

وَاسلَم وَدُم لِيَ فِي عِزّ وَفِي دَعَةٍ

مَالاَحَ فِي اللُّجَّةِ الخَضرَاءِ نَجمَانِ

In prosperity and in hardship, he submitted his soul to me.

May you remain safe and endure for me in honor and tranquility,

Two bright stars in the verdant darkness.

As long as two stars shine upon the emerald deep.