قُلتُ يوماً لها وكُنتِ حَياتِي

قُلتُ يوماً لها وكُنتِ حَياتِي

غائمَ النَّفسِ ذا فُؤادٍ حَزينِ

غائمَ النَّفسِ ذا فُؤادٍ حَزينِ

One day I said to her—and you were my life—

One day I said to her, though I was

Clouded in spirit, with a sorrowful heart:

Gloomy, with a sorrowful heart,

إن تَكوني أنتِ الإرادةُ حَقّاً

إن تَكوني أنتِ الإرادةُ حَقّاً

وقِوَى الكَونِ مِنكِ مِلكُ يَمِينِ

وقِوَى الكَونِ مِنكِ مِلكُ يَمِينِ

“If you truly are Will,

“If you are truly the will,

And the powers of the universe are your right hand’s possession,

And the universe's powers are under your command,

إنَّ لي في الورَى عَدُواًّ مُبيناً

إنَّ لي في الورَى عَدُواًّ مُبيناً

انصُرِيني على عَدُوِّي المُبينِ

انصُرِيني على عَدُوِّي المُبينِ

Indeed, among humankind I have a manifest enemy;

Then I have a clear enemy in this world,

Grant me victory over my manifest enemy.

Help me against my obvious foe.

غاصبٌ قُوَّتي وَوَقتي ومالي

غاصبٌ قُوَّتي وَوَقتي ومالي

غاصبٌ مِنِّي كُلَّ شَيءٍ ثَمينِ

غاصبٌ مِنِّي كُلَّ شَيءٍ ثَمينِ

He robs me of my strength, my time, and my wealth,

He has seized my strength, my time and money,

He robs me of everything precious.

Robbing me of all that is precious.

كُلَّمَا قلتُ رحمةً بي يُجِبني

كُلَّمَا قلتُ رحمةً بي يُجِبني

ارتَقب ما تَراهُ مِن بَعدِ حِينِ

ارتَقب ما تَراهُ مِن بَعدِ حِينِ

Whenever I say, ‘Have mercy on me,’ he answers:

Whenever I show him mercy, he answers me:

‘Await what you will see after a while.’

‘Wait for what you will see after a while.’

كَأسُ راحٍ إذا تَبَدَّت أَمامي

كَأسُ راحٍ إذا تَبَدَّت أَمامي

طالَ شَوقي لها وطالَ حَنينِي

طالَ شَوقي لها وطالَ حَنينِي

Whenever a cup of wine appears before me,

When a cup of rest appears before me,

Long is my longing for it, and long my yearning.

My longing for it grows, as does my yearning.

كُلُّ هذا وأنتِ خاذِلةٌ لي

كُلُّ هذا وأنتِ خاذِلةٌ لي

إِن ظُنوني أَردَفتُهَا بِيقينِ

إِن ظُنوني أَردَفتُهَا بِيقينِ

All this, while you forsake me—

All this while you fail me,

Indeed, I have followed my suspicions with certainty.”

Though I buttressed my suspicions with certainty.”

نَظرت لي واستَضحَكَت ثم قالت

نَظرت لي واستَضحَكَت ثم قالت

خابَ ما بي ظَننتَهُ مِن ظنُونِ

خابَ ما بي ظَننتَهُ مِن ظنُونِ

She looked at me and laughed, then said:

She looked at me and laughed, then said:

“The suspicions you held about me have proved false.”

“What you suspected of me has proven false.”

ثُمَّ شَدَّت بساعِدي واستَحالت

ثُمَّ شَدَّت بساعِدي واستَحالت

صارماً عَضباً مُصلَتاً في يَميني

صارماً عَضباً مُصلَتاً في يَميني

Then she lent strength to my forearm and became

Then she grasped my arm and transformed

A keen-edged sword, unsheathed in my right hand.

Into a sword, wrathful and unsheathed, in my right hand.

وتَبَدَّى العَدُوُّ تِلقاءَ وَجهي

وتَبَدَّى العَدُوُّ تِلقاءَ وَجهي

مُطرِقاً فِي استِماتَةٍ وسُكونِ

مُطرِقاً فِي استِماتَةٍ وسُكونِ

And the enemy appeared before my face,

The enemy appeared before my face,

Head bowed, in desperate resolve and stillness.

Head bowed in desperation and stillness.

فاخترَقتُ الأحشاءَ مِنهُ وأسقَي

فاخترَقتُ الأحشاءَ مِنهُ وأسقَي

تُه مِن صارِمي كُؤوسَ المَنونِ

تُه مِن صارِمي كُؤوسَ المَنونِ

Then I pierced his entrails and made

So I pierced his entrails and let him drink

Him drink cups of death from my sword.

From my sword the cups of demise.

لَعنةَ اللهِ جاوِري شَرَّ قَبرٍ

لَعنةَ اللهِ جاوِري شَرَّ قَبرٍ

بِحَشاهُ قَد ضَمَّ شَرَّ دَفِينِ

بِحَشاهُ قَد ضَمَّ شَرَّ دَفِينِ

O curse of God, dwell beside the vilest grave,

“May the curse of Allah be with my wretched neighbor.

That has enfolded in its belly the vilest of the buried.

His belly has embraced the most wretched corpse.”