من خلفِ مسدَلِ سِتْرِ الغيبِ لاحَ لنا
بدرٌ ويا طالما في برجِهِ انْحَجبَا
Behind the veil of the unseen, a full moon appeared to us
Though often it hid behind its mansion
وقد رفعْنا له الأبصارَ خاشِعَةً
تشُقُّ من سُجُفِ الغيبِ المَنيعِ خِبَا
And we raised to it our humble gazes
Piercing through the impenetrable veil of the unseen
فطَلَّ من شُرُفاتِ المنعِ مُبْتسِماً
لمَّا رأيناهُ مِتْنا كلُّنا طَرَبَا
Then it smiled, peeking from the balconies of denial
When we saw it, we were filled with delight
قال أرْجِعوا الطَّرفَ لي كي يحيى ميِّتُكُمْ
كما أرادَ فعلْنا موْتُنا انقَلَبَا
It said: "Turn your gazes to me, so I may revive your dead"
As it willed, so we did, and our death was transformed
تلك الشُؤُنُ علينا في العَما كُتبتْ
وفي البُروزِ جرتْ سبحانَ من كَتَبَا
These circumstances were written for us in the clouded realm
And when the full moon rose, so they flowed, Glory to the Writer
للهِ دُرُّ عُيونٍ فيه شاخِصَةً
قد شاهدتْ من معاني حسنِهِ العَجَبَا
For God, a pearl of eyes looking up longingly
Which witnessed the wonders of His beauty and were awed
وما أُحَيْلى كُؤوساً أُترِعَتْ وجلَتْ
من خمرِهِ مشرباً فوْزاً لمن شَرِبَا
No sooner were cups of wine sipped and relished
From His wine, bringing success to those who drank
مرَّ الحبيبُ ومذْ وافَى أَمرَّ لنا
ذيْلاً على مُقَلِ الأَحبابِ مُنْسَحِبَا
The beloved passed by, and since he bid us farewell
Withdrawing his train beyond the shortenings of the sleeves of loved ones
هِمْنا فلم ندرِ من صفوِ الغرامِ به
طالَ المُقامُ بنا معنًى أَمِ اقْتَرَبَا
We yearned, but knew not in the sincerity of passion for him
Did the stay with us meaningfully prolong, or draw near a close
هبَّ النسيمُ على الرَّوضِ البسيمِ وقدْ
صَبا فُؤادٌ أَصابَتْهُ رِياحُ صَبَا
The breeze blew upon the aromatic garden, and so
A heart that found itself in the winds of morning blew
رُدَّ العِنانَ رسولَ العِشْقِ إِنَّ لنا
قلباً متيناً عن المحْبوبِ ما انقلَبَا
It held back the messenger of love, for we have
A steadfast heart that will not change despite the beloved
لم يقضِ زيدُ هوانا في الرُّبا وطَراً
ولم ينلْ من أُهَيْلِ المُنْحَنى أَرَبَا
Zayd did not find disgrace in increase or decrease
Nor attained from the bending palm tree any fruit
من أجلِ ذلك جُدْنا بالدُّموعِ لهم
حتَّى أَسلْنا على أَطلالِهِمْ سُحُبَا
For that we strived with tears for them
Until we poured floods upon their ruins
يا حادِيْ العِيسِ والبَيْداءُ مقفلَةٌ
خذ بالضَّليعِ الهُوَيْنا فهو ما ركِبَا
O guide of the caravan, and the desert lies locked
Take to the one we love, for he did not ride
وارفقْ بروحِ سَقيمٍ جسمُ صاحِبُها
غير التَّلهُّفِ والآلامِ ما اصطَحَبَا
And be gentle with the soul of the sick—the body of its companion
Bore no more than anguish and sorrows
قد رقَّ هيكلُهُ من سُقْمِهِ وغَدا
مثل الهباءِ وهل يقوَى العِراكَ هَبَا
His body grew frail from his illness and became
Like vapor—and can vapor hold up in battle?
هباؤهُ صارَ منثوراً لحرقَتِهِ
من نارِ قلبٍ غَدا بالشَّوقِ ملتَهِبَا
His vaporous form disintegrated from the burning
Of a heart aflame with ardent longing
أَبوهُ شيخٌ كبيرٌ قلبُهُ قلِقٌ
عليه صارَ له مذ غابَ مَكْتَئِبَا
His father, elderly, whose heart is anxious
For him since he left, is depressed
أَلقتهُ إخوتُهُ في جُبِّ حسرتِهِ
وجرَّدوهُ قميصَ العزْمِ فاستُلِبَا
His brothers threw him into the pit of sorrow
And stripped him of the shirts of resolve—so he was robbed
ونازَعوهُ قميصاً في غَيابَتِهِ
رشُّوا عليه كما راموا دَمَّ كذِبَا
And in his absence, they took his shirt from him
Sprinkling upon him the blood of their false tales
ما اهتزَّ برقُ الحِما الشَّرقِيِّ مضْطَرِباً
إِلاَّ ومنه الفُؤادُ الوالِهُ اضْطَرَبَا
No sooner did the lightning of the Eastern love flash disturbed
Except that by it, the enamored heart was disturbed
مضى غريباً وتحقيقاً لغربَتِهِ
قالَ الحبيبُ له يا أغرَبَ الغُرَبَا
He left a stranger, and to complete his estrangement
The beloved said to him, "O strangest of strangers!"
ما أَفرطَ الدَّمعُ منه في مُحَرَّمِهِ
إِلاَّ وشوَّالُهُ أبكى الدِما رَجَبَا
No sooner did the tear excessively flow during his ritual retreat
Except that the succeeding months of Shawwal made the blood of Rajab weep
يبيتُ يطوي على الأَشجانِ بردَتَهُ
ويستشِبُّ لها من قلبِهِ وصَبَا
He spends the night folding grief into his cloak
And from his heart draws flames to warm himself
يا ربِّ هيِّئ لنا من أمرِنا رَشَداً
واجعلْ لنا منكَ في آدابِنا سَبَبَا
O Lord, guide us rightly in our affairs
And for our manners, make following them a cause for reaching You
وافتحْ قلوباً لنا بالحُزنِ قد غُلِقَتْ
يا من إذا شاءَ إعْطاءَ المُنى وهَبَا
And open hearts for us that grief has shut
O You who when You will to give success, You grant
ندعوكَ بالرَّحمةِ العُظمى التي سبقَتْ
في عالمِ الأَمرِ شأْوَ السَّادةِ النُّجَبَا
We call upon You by the Greatest Mercy which preceded
In the matter of the honored masters and the noblest clan
أعني به المُصْطَفى المُختارَ من مُضَرٍ
من أنتَ أَنتَجْتَهُ خيرَ الورَى نسَبَا
Meaning the Chosen One from Mudar
You produced him, the best of creation in lineage
فقامَ المِدِّينِ حِصناً لا يبيدُ وقد
أَعزَّ دهراً بعالي عزمِهِ العَرَبَا
So he stood by Medina, an enduring fortress
Honoring an era through his lofty resolved determination of the Arabs
بآلِهِ الأَوصِياءِ الغُرِّ سادتِنا
أهلِ المَعارِجِ في المعَنَى ومن صَحِبَا
Through his family—the guiding trustees, the perfume of our masters
The people of spiritual ascension, in meaning and companionship
يسِّرْ شُؤُناً أردْناها وجدْ كَرَماً
بمحضِ فضلٍ فلم نقضِ الذي وجَبَا
Facilitate matters we want, and find generosity
By pure grace, so we don’t take what we owe
