ليسَ العليلُ الذي حمَّاه في الجسَدِ

بلِ العليلُ الذي حمّاه في الكمدِ

The sick is not who fever grips his body

The ailing one is not he whose fever grips the body,

But the sick is who fever grips his soul

But the truly ailing is he whose fever lies in anguish.

أقسَمتُ ما قبَّلَ الحُمّى سوى ملِكٍ

قبلَ الأميرِ ولا اشتاقَت إلى أحَدِ

I swear none but a king has the fever ever kissed

I swore that fever has kissed none but a king,

Before the prince, nor has it yearned for anyone

Before the Prince, nor has it ever longed for another.

فلا تلُمها رأت شيئاً فأعجَبَها

فعاوَدتكَ ولَو ملَّتكَ لَم تَعُدِ

So do not blame it, it saw something it liked

So blame it not; it beheld a sight that pleased it,

And so returned to you, even had it tired of you it would not have left

And so returned to you; had it grown weary, it would not have come back.

أليسَ من محَنِ الدنيا أبا دُلَفٍ

ألّا نزوركَ والروحانِ في بَلَدِ

Is it not of the tribulations of life, O Abaa Dulaf

Is it not one of the world's great trials, O Abu Dulaf,

That we do not visit you while you are in this land

That we do not visit you, while both our souls dwell in one land?