كَيْفَ المَفَرُّ وَقَدْ وَافَى تَقَاصِينَا
وَخَصْمُنَا في دَعَاوِي الحب قَاضِينَا
How can there be escape when our disputant
In love's pleadings has overtaken us, become our judge?
يَقْضِي عَلَيْنَا فَنَقْضِي بِالجَوَى أسَفاً
شَتَّانَ مَا بَيْنَ قَاضِيكُمْ وَقَاضِينَا
He judges against us so we lose ourselves in passion,
Far different he from judges amongst you and our judge.
إنَّا إلَى اللَّهِ كَمْ نُفْضِي النُّفُوسَ إلَى
أشْرَاكِ تَهْلُكَةٍ طَوْعًا بِأيْدِينَا
To God, how we submit our souls
To the traps of perishing, destruction by our own hands;
وَكَمْ تشبّ بِنِيرَانٍ جَوَانِحُنَا
كَمَا تَفِيضُ بِطوفَانٍ مآقِينَا
How our very souls catch fire
As our tribulations overflow;
وَكَمْ يُعَنِّفُنَا في الحبّ حَاسِدُنَا
كَمَا يُهَدِّدُنَا بِالْبَيْنِ واشِينَا
How in love our envier threatens us,
As our intimate enemy menaces us with separation.
فِي كَعْبَةِ الحُبَ أوْ فِي شَوْقِ معلمة
نَحْنُ المُصَلُّونَ أمْ نَحْنُ المزكُّونَا
In the Kaaba of love or in yearning's school
Are we the praying ones or the pure?
وَفِي لُيَيّلاَهُ أوْ فِي رَبْعِ مَعْهَدِهِ
نَحْنُ المُحِبُّونَ أمْ نَحْنُ المَجَانينَا
In its nights of communion or in its sanctum of revelation
Are we the loving ones or the crazed?
لاَ يُعْلَمُ الصبرُ الاَ مِنْ تَثَبُّتِنَا
وَيَثْبُتُ الوجدُ الاّ من مَعَانِينَا
Patience is known only through our perseverance,
Constancy proves itself only through our tribulations.
وَلاَ يُضِي الصبحُ الاَ من تَوَاصُلِنَا
وَيُظْلِمُ اللَّيْلُ إلاَّ مِنْ تَجَافِينَا
Dawn breaks only through our wakefulness,
Night falls only when we turn away.
وَلَيْسَ يُطْمَعُ الاّ فِي صَبَابَتِنَا
وَيُقْطَعُ الْيَأسُ الاّ من تَسَلِّينَا
There is hope only in our youth,
Despair is cut off only by our consoling each other,
صُفْرٌ جَوَارِحُنَا حُمْرٌ مَدَامِعُنَا
سُودٌ جَوَانِحُنَا بِيضٌ مَوَاضِينَا
Pale are our souls, red our tears,
Black our souls, white our resting places.
يَكَادُ قَارِئُنا آيَ الصَّبَابَةِ أن
يَلْقَى إلَى الصَّلْدِ آيَ الوجد تُلْقِينا
Our reader of verses of youthfulness is about to
Cast down verses of passion, cast us down.
وَيَقْتَضِي الوَجدُ أن يَغْتالَ انفُسَنَا
آيُ الجَوَى وَالأسَى لَولاَ تَأسِّينَا
Passion demands that it take our souls stealthily
Verses of communion and sorrow, had we not communed.
