تقول وقد ألمت بي سليمى

تقول وقد ألمت بي سليمى

من الشاكي فقلت لها سليمان

من الشاكي فقلت لها سليمان

Sulayma, having come to me, says:

You said, and my heart was struck with love for you, O Suleima

“Who is the sufferer?” I told her, “Sulayman.”

I complained to her, saying "O Solomon!"

فقالت ما شكوت فقلت حاشا

فقالت ما شكوت فقلت حاشا

أنا الشاكي الذي كابدت ضيما

أنا الشاكي الذي كابدت ضيما

She said, “I have not complained.” I said, “Far from it!

She said, "I made no complaint," so I said, "Far be it!

I am the sufferer who has endured injustice.”

I am the complainer who has suffered injustice."

فقالت تستعير اسمي لماذا

فقالت تستعير اسمي لماذا

ولم تك تستعير الشعر يوما

ولم تك تستعير الشعر يوما

She said, “Why do you borrow my name,

She said, "Why do you borrow my name?

when you have never borrowed poetry?

You who never borrowed poetry before."

لعلك تكتفي فتميط حرفاً

لعلك تكتفي فتميط حرفاً

لتوجد بيننا نسباً عظيما

لتوجد بيننا نسباً عظيما

Perhaps you make do by removing a letter

Perhaps you'll be content and delete a letter,

to establish a great kinship between us.”

To fabricate a great lineage between us."

فقلت الفوز أجمع بانتسابي

فقلت الفوز أجمع بانتسابي

لمن خلق الجمال لها خديما

لمن خلق الجمال لها خديما

I said, “Complete triumph lies in my being linked

I said, "My pride in being associated with you

to her for whom beauty was created as a servant.

Is because the Creator made me your servant."

ولكن ما حذفت الحرف عمدا

ولكن ما حذفت الحرف عمدا

بل المحذوف قد أمسى رميما

بل المحذوف قد أمسى رميما

But I did not remove the letter deliberately;

"But I did not intentionally delete a letter,

rather, the removed letter had already crumbled to dust.

Rather, the deleted has become feeble."

محا ضري بنون اسمي فأضحى

محا ضري بنون اسمي فأضحى

سليماً والضنى يمحو الرسوما

سليماً والضنى يمحو الرسوما

My affliction erased my name’s nun, and it became

"I erased the nun from my name, so it became

Sulayma—and wasting sickness erases all traces.

Whole, and grief erases features."

فهل من رحمةٍ تفتك أسري

فهل من رحمةٍ تفتك أسري

من الداء الذي أعيى الحكيما

من الداء الذي أعيى الحكيما

Is there, then, any mercy to free me from the bondage

"Is there any mercy to free my captivity

of the disease that has baffled the physician,

From the illness which blinded the wise?"

وجرَّعني الحميم وصدَّ عني

وجرَّعني الحميم وصدَّ عني

حميماً كنت أحسبه حليما

حميماً كنت أحسبه حليما

and made me drink boiling water, and driven away from me

"It made me drink anguish and diverted from me

a dear friend I had thought forbearing?”

The affection I thought was gentle."

فظل الطلُّ يقطر فوق وردٍ

فظل الطلُّ يقطر فوق وردٍ

ويودع صفحة القمر النجوما

ويودع صفحة القمر النجوما

Then dew kept dripping upon a rose,

"So longing still drips atop a rose

and setting stars on the face of the moon.

And bids farewell to the crescent's cheek."

وانطق خالق الزهر الأقاحي

وانطق خالق الزهر الأقاحي

وأودع في خطابتها النسيما

وأودع في خطابتها النسيما

And the Creator of flowers made the daisies speak,

"Speak, Creator of the blooming wild roses,

and placed the breeze within their speech.

And place in their discourse the breeze."

فقالت يا فدتك النفس إنَّا

فقالت يا فدتك النفس إنَّا

تساوينا هوىً واسماً كريما

تساوينا هوىً واسماً كريما

She said, “Ah, may my soul be your ransom! We

She said, "May I ransom you, my soul. We

are alike in love and in a noble name.”

Are equal in love and in noble name."

فألقيت العمامة عن دماغي

فألقيت العمامة عن دماغي

وقلت مكبراً رحمت سليمى

وقلت مكبراً رحمت سليمى

So I cast the turban off my head,

I threw off my turban from my head

and said, proclaiming God’s greatness, “Sulayma has shown mercy!”

And said, magnifying, "You have mercy, O Suleima!"

وبت بحجرها أمتص فاها

وبت بحجرها أمتص فاها

وأرشف من مراضبها القديما

وأرشف من مراضبها القديما

And I spent the night in her lap, sucking at her mouth,

I spent the night by her neighborhood to savor her mouth

and sipping aged wine from her lips,

And enjoy her ancient cups.

وألثم من محياها نهاراً

وألثم من محياها نهاراً

يشق بنوره الليل البهيما

يشق بنوره الليل البهيما

and kissing the daylight of her face,

And by day I kiss her cheek

which cleaves the pitch-black night with its light,

Whose light splits the brutal night,

كما شقت دمشق بجود والي ال

كما شقت دمشق بجود والي ال

ولاية جودت الخطب الجسما

ولاية جودت الخطب الجسما

as Damascus cleft, through the bounty of the governor of the

As you split Damascus in your generosity, O Deputy of

province, Jawdat, the mighty calamities.

Whose generosity the sermons are robust.

وزيرٌ فاضلٌ برٌّ حكيمٌ

وزيرٌ فاضلٌ برٌّ حكيمٌ

يمدِّن حلمه الغرَّ الغشيما

يمدِّن حلمه الغرَّ الغشيما

A virtuous, benevolent, wise minister,

"A virtuous, righteous, wise minister

whose forbearance civilizes the naive and uncouth.

Whose patience calms the raging angry."

تحنكه التجارب كل يومٍ

تحنكه التجارب كل يومٍ

وترضعه الفضائلَ والعلوما

وترضعه الفضائلَ والعلوما

Experience makes him wiser every day,

"Experience trains him each day

and nurses him on virtues and the sciences.

And virtues and knowledge nurse him."

يفيد جريح صارمه افتخاراً

يفيد جريح صارمه افتخاراً

ويضمد بالندى منه الكلوما

ويضمد بالندى منه الكلوما

He grants pride to the one wounded by his keen sword,

"He takes pride in healing his opponent's wound

and with bounty dresses the wounds it has made.

And bandages the abused with dew."

ويقلب بالسماح العسر يسراً

ويقلب بالسماح العسر يسراً

ويقلب بالصفا الكدر الذميما

ويقلب بالصفا الكدر الذميما

Through generosity he turns hardship into ease,

"He turns hardship into ease with kindness

and with purity transforms loathsome murk.

And turns bitterness into gentle calm."

فيخجل من يقول السحر زورٌ

فيخجل من يقول السحر زورٌ

وعلم الكيمياء غدا عديما

وعلم الكيمياء غدا عديما

Thus he shames whoever says that magic is false

"So those who say magic is false are shamed

and the science of alchemy has become nonexistent.

And the science of alchemy is now futile."

ويعجب من طبيب حاتميٍّ

ويعجب من طبيب حاتميٍّ

يبرُّ ويبرئ الداء العقيما

يبرُّ ويبرئ الداء العقيما

And one marvels at a physician generous as Hatim,

"And he amazes those with a Hippocratic physician

who does good and cures incurable disease.

Who cures and heals the barren illness."

تسميه العدى ليثاً هجوماً

تسميه العدى ليثاً هجوماً

ويدعوه الندى غيثاً سجوما

ويدعوه الندى غيثاً سجوما

His enemies call him a charging lion,

"His enemies call him a fierce lion in attack

and bounty calls him a copious downpour.

While the gentle call him a pouring rain in battle."

إذا هز المهند هز ناراً

إذا هز المهند هز ناراً

تسالمه وتبتلع الخصوما

تسالمه وتبتلع الخصوما

When he brandishes his Indian-forged sword, he brandishes fire

"When he brandishes his sword, it is a fire

that is at peace with him and swallows his foes.

That his opponents greet and swallow."

فبشر جلقاً بأغر منها

فبشر جلقاً بأغر منها

وأطيب من حدائقها نسيما

وأطيب من حدائقها نسيما

So give Jilliq glad tidings of one more radiant than herself,

"Give glad tidings of a meadow more fragrant than it

and sweeter in breeze than her gardens,

And a breeze gentler than its gardens."

وأرفق بالورى من أم طفلٍ

وأرفق بالورى من أم طفلٍ

تلاطفه وقد أضحى يتيما

تلاطفه وقد أضحى يتيما

and gentler to humankind than the mother of a child

"And be kinder to people than a mother to her orphan child

whom she caresses now that he is fatherless.

As you refine and perfect him."

ينول كل نفسٍ مشتهاها

ينول كل نفسٍ مشتهاها

سوى ما يغضب اللَه الرحيما

سوى ما يغضب اللَه الرحيما

He grants each soul whatever it desires,

"Let each soul attain its desires

except what angers God, the Merciful.

Except what angers God the Merciful."

كأن الشمس أضحت منه خجلى

كأن الشمس أضحت منه خجلى

فيوم قدومه ارتدت الغيوما

فيوم قدومه ارتدت الغيوما

It is as though the sun had grown ashamed before him:

"It is as if the sun has become bashful before you

so, on the day of his arrival, she clothed herself in clouds.

So on the day you came, the clouds departed."

تقبَّلْ يا نظام الملك منا

تقبَّلْ يا نظام الملك منا

ثناء يفضُل الدر النظيما

ثناء يفضُل الدر النظيما

Accept from us, O Nizam al-Mulk,

"Accept, O Pillar of the Nation, from us

praise surpassing strung pearls.

Praise that exceeds refined pearls."

تقلُّ نجومه لعلاك شمسٌ

تقلُّ نجومه لعلاك شمسٌ

تبشُّ فتخجل القمر الوسيما

تبشُّ فتخجل القمر الوسيما

A sun bears its stars aloft to your eminence,

"Its stars are few, so you are a sun

smiling and putting the handsome moon to shame.

That dawns and shames the graceful moon."

وعيِّد بالصفا واسلم لعيدٍ

وعيِّد بالصفا واسلم لعيدٍ

يزورك كل عامٍ مستديما

يزورك كل عامٍ مستديما

And celebrate the feast in serenity, and remain safe for a feast

"Celebrate in purity and submit to a feast

that visits you every year, ever returning.

That visits you enduringly each year."

ودم ما دامت الدنيا إماماً

ودم ما دامت الدنيا إماماً

هماماً فاضلاً برّاً كريما

هماماً فاضلاً برّاً كريما

And as long as the world endures, remain a leader,

"And may you remain, as long as life remains,

high-minded, virtuous, benevolent, and generous.

A protector, virtuous, generous, and noble."