سَلُوا الرَكبَ عَن صَبٍّ بِأَعتابِكم مُلقَى
وَعَن مَدمَعٍ فيكُم مَدى الدَهر لا يَرقا
Ask the caravan about a lovesick man cast down at your thresholds,
And about a flow of tears for you that never ceases throughout all time.
وَلا تَسأَلوا غَيرَ المَطايا فَإِنَّها
تُخَبِّرُكم عَن شَرحِ حالي وَما أَلقى
And ask none but the mounts, for they
Tell you the full account of my condition and what I endure.
أَلا فَاسأَلوا عَن مُغرَمٍ كَيفَ حالُهُ
حليقُ ضَنىً يَشكو الصَبابة وَالعِشقا
Ah, then ask about a love-stricken man—how does he fare?
Shorn by wasting illness, he laments yearning and passionate love.
يَحِنُّ إِلَيكُم كُلَّما هَبَّتِ الصَبا
سُحَيراً وَيَصبُو كُلَّما صَدَحت وُرقا
He longs for you whenever the east wind blows
Just before dawn, and yearns whenever gray doves sing.
وَيُطرِبُ مِن ذكرى حَبيبٍ وَمَنزِلٍ
وَعَيشٍ تَقضّى مَعكُم يانِعاً طَلقا
And he stirs delight with the memory of a beloved and a dwelling,
And a life that passed with you, flourishing and carefree.
مُغَنّىً بِكُم لَو رامَ إِظهار بَعض ما
يُجِنُّ مِنَ الأَشواقِ لَم يَستَطِع نُطقا
Serenaded with songs of you, were he to reveal some of what
He conceals of longing, he could not utter a word.
إِذا ما جَرى وَالريحَ في حَلبَةِ الضَنى
لِفَرط نُحولٍ مَسَّهُ أَحرَزَ السَبقا
Whenever he races the wind on the racecourse of wasting illness,
Because of the extreme emaciation afflicting him, he takes the lead.
يَذوبُ جَوىً حَتّى إِذا عَنَّ ذِكرُكُم
جَرى دَمعُهُ في خَدِّهِ يُخجِلُ الوُرقا
He melts with burning grief, until, when the memory of you arises,
His tears flow over his cheek, putting the gray doves to shame.
أَيا نازِلي سَفح المُحَصَّب مِن مِنىً
وَيا زائِري البيت الحَرام أَلا رِفقا
O dwellers at the foot of al-Muhassab in Mina,
And O visitors to the Sacred House—pray, be gentle!
فَبي مِنكُم داءٌ بِقَلبي أجنُّهُ
وَسورةُ أَشجانٍ مَعي أَبَداً تَبقى
For, because of you, I have an illness I conceal in my heart,
And a surge of sorrows that stays with me forever.
أَأحبابُنا إِن شَتَّتَتنا يَدُ النَوى
وَأَبدَت صُروفُ الدَهر فُرقَتنا حَقّا
O our beloveds, if the hand of separation has scattered us,
And time's vicissitudes have truly laid bare our separation,
فَإِنّي عَلى ما تَعهدونَ وَحَقِّكُم
وَلَم أَبغِ يَوماً مِن وَلائِكُم عِتقا
Then, by your honor, I remain as you have known me,
And never have I sought release from allegiance to you.
سَقى اللَهُ أَكنافَ الحِجاز وَأَهلَهُ
وَحَيّا الحَيا عَنّي سُويقةَ وَالفَلقا
May God water the reaches of the Hijaz and its people,
And may the rain greet Suwayqa and al-Falq on my behalf,
وَخَصَّ كِرام الناس في كُلِّ بَلدةٍ
لَقد صرتُ في حُكم الغَرام لَهُم رِقّا
And especially favor the noble people in every town.
Indeed, under love's rule, I have become their slave.
إِلهَ الوَرى إِنّي دَعوتُكَ ضارِعاً
بِخَيرِ الوَرى المُختارِ أفصَحُهُم نُطقا
God of all creation, I have called upon You, humbly pleading,
By the best of creation, the Chosen One, the most eloquent of them in speech:
تُجَمِّعُنا عَمّا قَريبٍ فَإِنَّنا
أَضَرَّ بِنا طولُ البعادِ وَما نَلقى
Reunite us before long, for we
Have been harmed by long separation and what we endure.
عَلَيكُم سَلامُ اللَهِ ما هامَ عاشِقٌ
وَشام مُعنّى الخَوف مِن نَحوِكُم بَرقا
May God's peace be upon you as long as a lover wanders love-mad,
And one tormented by fear spies lightning from your direction.
Sol 6.1