أَيُّهَا الشِّعْرُ يَا رَفِيقَ شُجُونِي
لَكَ بَوْحِي بِخَافِقِي الْمَجْنُونِ
O poetry, O companion of my sorrows,
O poetry, O companion of my sorrows,
yours is the outpouring of my crazed, throbbing heart,
to you belongs the confession of my maddened heart,
وَشُرُودِي وَلَيْلَكَاتُ فُؤَادِي
وَسَخِينُ الدُّمُوعِ مِلْءَ جُفُونِي
my wanderings, and the lilacs of my heart,
my straying, and the lilacs of my heart,
and hot tears brimming beneath my lids.
and the scald of tears that brims my eyelids.
أَيُّهَا الشِّعْرُ فِيكَ وَحْيُ شُرُودٍ
يَتَجَلَّى كَأَنْجُمٍ وَمُزُونِ
O poetry, within you, wandering inspiration
O poetry, in you is a revelation of reverie,
reveals itself as stars and rain-filled clouds.
shining forth like stars and rainclouds.
أَنْتَ سِحْرٌ وَلَذَّةٌ وَارْتِحَالٌ
فِي غَيَابَاتِ أَحْرُفٍ وَفُنُونِ
You are magic, delight, and a journey
You are enchantment, delight, a setting-forth
through the hidden depths of letters and arts.
into the hidden depths of letters and of arts.
يَا نَدِيمٌ بِكَ النَّدِيمُ يُنَاجِي
سَكْرَةَ الأُنْسِ وَالسَّلاَمِ الْهَتُونِ
O boon companion, through you the companion communes with
O boon companion — through you the reveler whispers
the rapture of fellowship and cascading peace.
the rapture of intimacy, of peace that falls like soft rain.
كَمْ تَجَلَّيْتَ فِي مَسَارِبِ رُوحِي
..
..
وَشَرِبْتَ الرَّحِيقَ.. رُوحَ فُتُونِي
How often you have shone through the channels of my spirit
How often you have shone in the passages of my soul,
and drunk the nectar—the essence of my enchantment;
and drunk the nectar — the very soul of my bewitchment,
وَتَسَلَّلْتَ فِي عُرُوقِ بَهَائِي
مِثْلَ نُورٍ مُخَلَّطٍ بِظُنُونِ
and slipped into the veins of my radiance
and slipped through the veins of my splendor,
like light commingled with doubts.
like a light mingled with doubts.
أَيُّهَا الشِّعْرُ أَنْتَ رُوحُ بَقَاءٍ
وَسُطُوعٌ وَهَيْنَمَاتُ حُزُونِ
O poetry, you are the spirit of what endures,
O poetry, you are the spirit of endurance,
a radiance, and murmurs of sorrow.
a blaze of light, the murmurings of griefs.
أَنْتَ بِي غُنْوَةٌ وَبَوْحٌ تَلاَشَى
.. !
.. !
فِي ضُلُوعِ الْمُنَى.. ضُلُوعِ الْمَنُونِ!
Within me, you are a song, and an outpouring that faded
In me you are a song, a confession dissolved
within the ribs of longing—the ribs of death!
in the ribs of longing.. the ribs of death!
Sol 5.6