هَنيئاً لِعَبدٍ طَيَّبَ الحُبُّ قَلْبَهُ

وقامَ لهُ من سِرِّ ذلكَ حالُ

Blessed is the servant whose heart is purified by love,

And who stands upright through the secret of that state.

لَعَمْرُكَ ما كلُّ النِّساءِ وإن مشَتْ

نساءٌ ولا كلُّ الرِّجالِ رجَالُ

By your life - not all women, though they be women,

Are actually women; nor all men, though they appear to be men.

همُ القومُ أَدْناهُمْ إليه حَبيبُهُمْ

لمعناه فيهِمْ رَوْنَقٌ وظِلالُ

The people closest to him are those who love him;

Among them he has charm and shade.

إذا جِئتَ للوادي رأَيتَ خِيامَهُمْ

ولاحَ لأُسْلوبِ الجَمالِ مِثَالُ

When you come to the valley you see their tents pitched,

And the ideal of beauty shines clearly.

يَئِنُّونَ ليلاً من صَميمِ قُلوبهِمْ

وللشَّوقِ في طيِّ القُلُوبِ نِصَالُ

At night they moan from the depths of their hearts,

And for yearning, in the folds of hearts, there are spears.

تَراهُمْ على الأَعتابِ باللَّهْفِ خُضَّعاً

تُحَطُّ لهُمْ حولَ الرِّحابِ رِحَالُ

You see them humbled at the threshold, fervently,

While tents are pitched around dwellings for them.

خِفافٌ إذا يَدْعوهُمُ الحِبُّ للهوَى

ولكنْ لأَقوالِ السِّوى فثِقَالُ

They are weightless when love calls them to passion,

But heavy-going for those who would censure.

فهُمْ ضمنَ أَبراجِ النُّجومِ نُجومُها

وهُمْ للجِبالِ الرَّاسِياتِ جِبَالُ

Among the mansions of stars they are its stars,

And they are mountains for steady mountains.

كم فُرِّجتْ فيهِمْ عن النَّاسِ كُربَةً

وحلَّ بهِمْ للعاشِقينَ عِقَالُ

Through them how many worries have been dispelled from people

And passionate love has chained them.

يَذوبونَ إنْ طلَّتْ خِيامُ حَبيبِهِمْ

وإنْ لاحَ من تلك الخِيَامُ خَيَالُ

They melt when the tent of their beloved appears,

And a phantom casts shades from that tent.

ومن عَجَبٍ إنْ نَهْنَهَ الشَّوقُ سلَّموا

خُشوعاً وإنْ سامَ المُعارِضُ صَالوا

Small wonder if longing sighs and they surrender,

Humbly; and if censured, they just carry on.

لهُمْ شيَمٌ قدسِيَّةٌ جلَّ شأنُها

وحالٌ ومن طَوْرِ الرَّسولِ خِصَالُ

They have a sanctity and loftiness of manner,

And a state modeled on that of the Messenger.

دَعاهُمْ مُلِحُّ العِشقِ من مُلكِ ذاتِهِمْ

فمالوا لداعيهِ الكَريمِ وقالوا

The urging of passionate love called them from their soul’s realm,

So they inclined to its generous caller and said:

ولمَّا سَرَيْنا والدَّياجي طَموسَةٌ

وللطَّيرِ ما بينَ الغُصونِ زِجَالُ

"And we walked while the darkness was thickening

And birds were twittering in the branches.

ورفَّ من اللَّيلِ المُغَلْغَلِ سَجْفُهُ

وشوهِدَ ما بينَ السُّجوفِ هِلالُ

The mantle of the gloaming night fluttered open

And the crescent could be seen between its folds.

جَثَوْنا انكِساراً خاشِعينَ لعِزِّهِ

بذُلٍّ وللحُبِّ العَزيزِ دَلالُ

We fell bowed down in humility before His glory,

Selflessly – and passionate love has its tokens.

وخاطَبَني من أَيمنِ الحَيِّ قائلٌ

يُقالُ بكُمْ مُضنًى فقلتُ يُقَالُ

And someone addressed me from my right, saying:

“It is said you bear the pain.” I said: “It is said.”

فقالَ على المُضْنى يُصَالُ تهَجُّماً

بشرعِ الهَوَى مَعنًى فقلتُ يُصَالُ

He said: “For pain one shows endurance again and again

According to love’s law – a significance,” I said.

فقالَ يُهَالُ القلبُ منهُ إذا رأَى

علامَةَ هِجرانٍ فقلتُ يُهَالُ

He said: “The heart wastes from it when it sees

A sign of estrangement.” I said: “It wastes.”

فقالَ يُخَالُ الموتُ في وَجَناتِهِ

غَراماً لمن يهْوى فقلتُ يُخَالُ

He said: “Death ravishes his cheeks out of love

For the one he adores.” I said: “It ravishes.”

فقالَ يُسَالُ الدَّمعُ من بحرِ جَفنِهِ

إذا ما رأَى الوادي فقلتُ يُسَالُ

He said: “Tears flow from the sea of his eyelids

When he sees the valley.” I said: “They flow.”

فقالَ يُغَالُ الجسمُ منه تلهُّفاً

لآرامِ وادينا فقلتُ يَغَالُ

He said: “The body pines from ardently yearning

For the peace of our valley.” I said: “It pines.”

فقالَ يُحَالُ الدَّمعُ منه كما الدِّما

ويحفُرُ أُخْدوداً فقلتُ يُحَالُ

He said: “The tears change course from him like blood

And burrow channels.” I said: “They change course.”

فقالَ يُنَالُ الوصلُ إنْ كانَ هكذا

فبَشِّرْهُ يا هذا فقلتُ يُنَالُ

He said: “Reunion is attained if thus.

So give him the glad tidings!” I said: “Attained.”

مُسَيْكِينُ قلبي ذابَ من لوعَةِ النَّوى

ووالاهُ جمرٌ لاهِبٌ وزُلالُ

My poor heart melted from the pain of passion

And burning embers enveloped it.

وبيني وبينَ البَيْنِ حربٌ سِجالُها

مُلِحٌّ وفيه ضجَّةٌ وقِتَالُ

Between me and the one absent there is a war

Whose clashes are sharp – tumult and fighting!

وعَيني عَداها النَّومُ لم تأْلَفِ الكَرى

وعَزمي مَحاهُ يا هُذَيْمُ زَوَالُ

Sleep shunned my eye; it spurned settling down;

And my resolve, O Hudhaym, is declining!

تعلَّمَ منِّي رقَّةَ الشِّعرِ في الهَوَى

مُحِبٌّ ليَدري الشعرَ كيفَ يُقَالُ

A lover learned the delicacy of poetry in passion from me

So he could know how poetry should be expressed.

جَمالُ غَرامي للأَحِبَّةِ أَزْمَعَتْ

فأَدْهَشَها بينَ الطُّلولِ جَمالُ

The beauty of my passion astonished the loved ones,

And a beauty shone between the hills.

تِجارَةُ شوْقي كلُّها الدِّينُ والهُدى

وفي طيِّ زعْمِ العاذِلينَ ضَلالُ

All my trade is religion and guidance

While according to the claims of censors it is error.

لهُمْ مثلُما عندي من الوجدِ والضَّنى

كَلالٌ وعزمٌ فاتِرٌ ومَلالُ

Their ardour and longing are the same as mine;

Decline, weak resolve, and weariness.

وإنِّي شَهيدُ الحُبِّ في معْرَكِ النَّوى

قَتيلٌ على ضُعفي الأَحِبَّةُ صَالوا

And I am a martyr of love in the battle of passion,

My weakness made me a victim - the loved ones attacked!

إذا قلتُ يا قومي حَرامٌ تأَوَّدوا

بقتْلي يَقولونَ اتَّئِدْ فحَلالُ

If I say “It is forbidden!” they retort “Persevere -

It's permitted!” when they try to kill me.

وما كنتُ أَدري قَتْلَ من دِينُهُ الهَوَى

حَلالٌ ولكنْ قيلَ ذاكَ يُقَالُ

I did not know that killing someone whose religion is love

Was permitted - but they said: “That's what is said!”

صَبَرْنا رَضينا ما حَيينا بحُكمِهِمْ

لهم كيف شاءوا عزَّةٌ وجَلالُ

We are patient, content with their judgement;

However they wish, theirs are glory and majesty!

فإنْ قَتَلوا مِتْنا وطِبْنا بأَمرِهِمْ

وإنْ هُمْ يُقيلونا هُناكَ نُقَالُ

If they kill us, we'll happily die by their command;

And if they dismiss us, there we will be sent!

وما دينُنا إِلاَّ رِضاهِمْ وحبُّهُمْ

وللحُبِّ ما بينَ الصُّفوفِ رِجَالُ

Our religion is only their good pleasure and their love;

And for love between the ranks there are men!