هبوا أَنَّ سجني مانِعٌ مِن وِصاله

هبوا أَنَّ سجني مانِعٌ مِن وِصاله

فَما الخَطبُ أَيضاً في اِمتِناع خَيالِهِ

فَما الخَطبُ أَيضاً في اِمتِناع خَيالِهِ

Suppose my imprisonment keeps me from union with him—

Suppose my imprisonment bars me from union with him;

then why, too, does his phantom withhold itself?

then why does his phantom also stay away?

نعم لم تنم عَني فَيَطرُقَ طَيفُهُ

نعم لم تنم عَني فَيَطرُقَ طَيفُهُ

زَوالُ مَنامي علَّةٌ لِزَوالِهِ

زَوالُ مَنامي علَّةٌ لِزَوالِهِ

True, my eye has not slept, that his phantom might visit by night;

True, you have not slept, heedless of me, to let his phantom visit;

the loss of my sleep is the cause of its disappearance.

the loss of my sleep is the cause of his vanishing.

فدا الصبّ من لم يَنسَهُ في بَلائه

فدا الصبّ من لم يَنسَهُ في بَلائه

وَيَنسى اسمه مَن كانَ في مثل حالِهِ

وَيَنسى اسمه مَن كانَ في مثل حالِهِ

This, then, is the lover: one who does not forget him amid affliction,

May the lovesick lover ransom him whom he has not forgotten in his ordeal,

though whoever is in such a state forgets his own name.

though one in such a state would forget his own name;

وَمَن صارَ سجني قطعةً مِن صدوده

وَمَن صارَ سجني قطعةً مِن صدوده

وَطُول اِكتئابي شُعبةً مِن ملالِهِ

وَطُول اِكتئابي شُعبةً مِن ملالِهِ

He has made my prison a portion of his turning away,

and him for whom my imprisonment became part of his rejection,

and my long anguish a branch of his weariness.

and my long dejection a branch of his weariness;

وَمَن لَم يَشُب شَهداً بسمٍّ لِطاعِمٍ

وَمَن لَم يَشُب شَهداً بسمٍّ لِطاعِمٍ

إِلى أَن بَدا لي هجره في دَلاله

إِلى أَن بَدا لي هجره في دَلاله

He did not adulterate honey with poison for its taster

and him who had not mixed honey with poison for a taster,

until his desertion appeared to me within his coy disdain.

until his abandonment appeared to me within his coquetry.

وَلم تَر عَيني حاسدين تَباينا

وَلم تَر عَيني حاسدين تَباينا

عَلَيهِ سِوى قَلبي وَتُربِ نعالِهِ

عَلَيهِ سِوى قَلبي وَتُربِ نعالِهِ

Never have my eyes seen two jealous rivals so unlike

And my eye has seen no two enviers so unlike

over him as my heart and the dust beneath his sandals.

over him, save my heart and the dust of his sandals.

وَإِني لأطويه حذاراً وَإِنَّما

وَإِني لأطويه حذاراً وَإِنَّما

يُخافُ اغتيالُ الجرحِ عِند اِندِمالِهِ

يُخافُ اغتيالُ الجرحِ عِند اِندِمالِهِ

Indeed, I conceal him warily; for

And I certainly conceal it out of caution; for

a wound’s treacherous attack is feared just as it heals.

only as a wound heals is its treacherous reopening feared.

وَما أَربي في أَن أصرِّحَ باسمه

وَما أَربي في أَن أصرِّحَ باسمه

كَفاه مِن التَّصريح وَصف جَمالِهِ

كَفاه مِن التَّصريح وَصف جَمالِهِ

Nor is it my purpose to declare his name openly;

And what need have I to speak his name plainly?

the description of his beauty is disclosure enough.

The description of his beauty suffices to name him openly.

أَلا بِأَبي الغُصنُ النَّضيرُ وَإِنَّما

أَلا بِأَبي الغُصنُ النَّضيرُ وَإِنَّما

كنَيتُ بِهِ عَن قَدِّه وَاعتِدالِهِ

كنَيتُ بِهِ عَن قَدِّه وَاعتِدالِهِ

Ah, may my father ransom that fresh, verdant bough! Yet

Ah, may my father ransom the verdant bough! I only

I used it only as a kenning for his stature and symmetry.

used it to allude to his stature and balanced form.

فَإِن فاقَهُ حسن الحَبيبِ فَإِنَّما

فَإِن فاقَهُ حسن الحَبيبِ فَإِنَّما

أُقَرِّبُ ما أعني وجود مثالِهِ

أُقَرِّبُ ما أعني وجود مثالِهِ

Though the beloved’s beauty surpasses that bough,

If the beloved's beauty surpasses it, then I only

it is the nearest existing likeness of what I mean.

bring my meaning nearer by finding a likeness for it.

وَما حُسنُ هذا الشعر إِلا لنفثةٍ

وَما حُسنُ هذا الشعر إِلا لنفثةٍ

لَهُ في فَمي مِن قَبل قطع وَصالِهِ

لَهُ في فَمي مِن قَبل قطع وَصالِهِ

The beauty of this poetry comes only from a breath

And the beauty of this verse is due only to a breath

of his within my mouth, before union with him was severed.

of his in my mouth, before he severed our union.

نَطقت بِسحر عِندها غَير أَنَّهُ

نَطقت بِسحر عِندها غَير أَنَّهُ

مِن السحر ما لَم يُختَلَف في حَلالِهِ

مِن السحر ما لَم يُختَلَف في حَلالِهِ

It then spoke magic—except that

I uttered magic then, yet it is

its magic was of a kind whose lawfulness none disputed.

magic whose lawfulness is undisputed.

كَذاكَ ابن سيرينٍ لنفثة يوسفٍ

كَذاكَ ابن سيرينٍ لنفثة يوسفٍ

تكلَّم في الرؤيا بمثل مَقالِهِ

تكلَّم في الرؤيا بمثل مَقالِهِ

So too did Ibn Sirin, through a breath from Joseph,

So too Ibn Sirin, through a breath from Yusuf,

speak of dreams in words like his.

spoke about dreams in words like his.

أممتثل في نَفثة مِن مَنامه

أممتثل في نَفثة مِن مَنامه

فَما العُذر بِاليَقظانِ عِندَ اِمتِثالِهِ

فَما العُذر بِاليَقظانِ عِندَ اِمتِثالِهِ

I follow his example through a breath from his dream;

Does he emulate him through a breath from his dream?

what excuse, then, has a waking man when emulating him?

Then what excuse has one awake when emulating him?

أَلا اصرف إِلى صدغيك لحظك كُلَّهُ

أَلا اصرف إِلى صدغيك لحظك كُلَّهُ

وَدَع لَحظه مُستَغنياً عَن نِصالِهِ

وَدَع لَحظه مُستَغنياً عَن نِصالِهِ

Come, turn your whole gaze toward your two sidelocks,

Now turn your whole gaze toward your two temples,

and let his glance dispense with its arrowheads.

and leave his gaze without need of its arrowheads.

تَرى فيهما نَونين عُطِّلَ وَاحدٌ

تَرى فيهما نَونين عُطِّلَ وَاحدٌ

وَآخر مَعجومٌ بِنقطةِ خالِهِ

وَآخر مَعجومٌ بِنقطةِ خالِهِ

There you see two letter nūns: one you left undotted,

You will see in them two nūn letters, one undotted,

and another dotted with the point of his beauty mark.

and the other dotted with the point of his beauty spot.

مَحا كاتب اليمنى دجى العجمةِ الَّتي

مَحا كاتب اليمنى دجى العجمةِ الَّتي

عَلى النون في اليُسرى بِحُسنِ احتِيالِهِ

عَلى النون في اليُسرى بِحُسنِ احتِيالِهِ

The scribe of the right-hand one erased the darkness of the dot

The scribe of the right one erased the darkness of the dotting that

above the nūn on the left, with consummate artifice,

lay on the nūn on the left, by his skillful artifice,

لدن حَلِيَت بِالعجمِ نُونُ يَمينه

لدن حَلِيَت بِالعجمِ نُونُ يَمينه

وَعُطِّلَت النونُ الَّتي في شمالِهِ

وَعُطِّلَت النونُ الَّتي في شمالِهِ

when you adorned the nūn on his right with a dot

when the nūn on his right was adorned with a dot,

and left the nūn upon his left undotted.

and the nūn on his left was left undotted.

وَيا سَيِّدي عَبد رَجاكُم مُعَوِّلٌ

وَيا سَيِّدي عَبد رَجاكُم مُعَوِّلٌ

عَلَيكُم وَلا يَجري سِواكُم بِبالِهِ

عَلَيكُم وَلا يَجري سِواكُم بِبالِهِ

O my lords, a servant whose hope rests upon you, relying

And, my lord, a servant who has hoped in you relies

upon you—and no one but you crosses his mind.

on you; none but you passes through his mind.

وَهَل يَستعينُ المَرءُ في قُعر هُوَّةٍ

وَهَل يَستعينُ المَرءُ في قُعر هُوَّةٍ

لإِخراجِهِ إِلا بِأَقوى حِبالِهِ

لإِخراجِهِ إِلا بِأَقوى حِبالِهِ

Can a man at the bottom of an abyss seek aid

And does a man at the bottom of a chasm seek help

to be drawn out except by the strongest of his ropes?

to be drawn out except from his strongest ropes?

هَل أَبصرتموه شافِعاً بِسواكُمُ

هَل أَبصرتموه شافِعاً بِسواكُمُ

وَأَقبِح بعد وَهوَ في ضيق حالِهِ

وَأَقبِح بعد وَهوَ في ضيق حالِهِ

Have you seen him seek any intercessor but you?

Have you seen him seeking intercession through anyone but you?

How much uglier that would be, while he is in such distress!

And how shameful, moreover, while he is in such straits!

وَما كانَ إِلا فَألُ سَعدٍ وَأَحمَدٍ

وَما كانَ إِلا فَألُ سَعدٍ وَأَحمَدٍ

إِذا صرَّح الداعون أَيمنَ فالِهِ

إِذا صرَّح الداعون أَيمنَ فالِهِ

It was nothing but the auspicious omen of Saʿd and Aḥmad;

And only the omen of Sa'd and Ahmad has been,

when petitioners invoke their names, most fortunate is his omen.

when callers pronounce it plainly, his most auspicious omen.

وَإِذ صارَ سَعدٌ وَاِبنه معقلاً لَهُ

وَإِذ صارَ سَعدٌ وَاِبنه معقلاً لَهُ

فَما العُذرُ في إِطلاقِهِ عَن عقالِهِ

فَما العُذرُ في إِطلاقِهِ عَن عقالِهِ

And now that Saʿd and his son have become his stronghold,

And since Sa'd and his son have become a refuge for him,

what excuse remains for not freeing him from his fetters?

then what objection is there to freeing him from his fetter?

وَيا عارِضاً كَالعارض الجون إِستجز

وَيا عارِضاً كَالعارض الجون إِستجز

مِن الفِكرِ ما أَعطاكَ عندَ كلالِهِ

مِن الفِكرِ ما أَعطاكَ عندَ كلالِهِ

O sudden verse, like a dark raincloud, seek indulgence

And O cloud, like the dark raincloud, accept

from thought for what it granted you when weary.

from thought what it gave you in its weariness.

لَئن أَصبَحت مَجهودَ ذهني بِشعلة

لَئن أَصبَحت مَجهودَ ذهني بِشعلة

فَكَم قالَ فيكُم فَوقها في ارتِجالِهِ

فَكَم قالَ فيكُم فَوقها في ارتِجالِهِ

Though you have become the utmost my mind could labor forth with a spark,

Even if a flame for you now takes my mind's utmost effort,

how often, in praising you, has it surpassed that in improvisation!

yet how often it has said more of you than that, extemporaneously!