أما الحديثُ بما صنعتَ فقد بدا

أما الحديثُ بما صنعتَ فقد بدا

ليست تلوحُ النارُ حتى تُوقَدا

ليست تلوحُ النارُ حتى تُوقَدا

As for the tale of what you have done—it has now come to light.

As for word of what you did, it has already come to light.

Fire does not gleam until it is kindled.

Fire does not show itself until it is kindled.

هل في النهايةِ غير ما أبصَرتَني

هل في النهايةِ غير ما أبصَرتَني

فيه وكيف يكونُ من بلغَ المَدى

فيه وكيف يكونُ من بلغَ المَدى

At the utmost end, is there anything but that in which you saw me?

Is there at the end anything but the state you saw me

And how could there be more in one who has reached the furthest bound?

In? And how should one be who has reached the utmost limit?

يا طرفَه الجاني عليَّ وطرفيَ ال

يا طرفَه الجاني عليَّ وطرفيَ ال

جاري عليه عَليكما أن تَشهدا

جاري عليه عَليكما أن تَشهدا

O his glance, transgressing against me, and my glance—the

O his eye that wrongs me, and my own eye,

one racing toward him—you both must bear witness.

Weeping over him: you both must bear witness.

وأرى خيالاً زارني متغيِّباً

وأرى خيالاً زارني متغيِّباً

بالغيب لا يدعُ الوصالَ مُجرَّدا

بالغيب لا يدعُ الوصالَ مُجرَّدا

I see a phantom that visited me while he was absent,

And I see a phantom that visited me in hiding,

coming from the unseen, refusing to leave our union a mere abstraction.

In the unseen, not leaving our union bare.

قطع النهارَ عليَّ ما وصلَ الدجى

قطع النهارَ عليَّ ما وصلَ الدجى

منه فأيُّهما تَراهُ الأَسوَدا

منه فأيُّهما تَراهُ الأَسوَدا

Daylight cut me off from what the darkness had joined

Day severed the bond that night had made for me

of him—which of the two, then, do you deem the blacker?

With it—so which of the two do you think is blacker?

لو كانَ يطرقُ كلَّما طرقَ الكرى

لو كانَ يطرقُ كلَّما طرقَ الكرى

لَشَربتُ من شَوقٍ إليهِ المُرقِدا

لَشَربتُ من شَوقٍ إليهِ المُرقِدا

If he came by night whenever slumber came knocking,

If it visited whenever slumber visited,

I would drink the sleeping-draught out of longing for him.

I would drink a sleeping draught out of longing for it.

نعمَ الرسولُ إليكَ لا يُدرى به

نعمَ الرسولُ إليكَ لا يُدرى به

فتردَّهُ أو يقتَضيكَ المَوعِدا

فتردَّهُ أو يقتَضيكَ المَوعِدا

What an excellent messenger to you, whose coming no one knows,

What a fine messenger to you, passing unnoticed,

so that you might turn it away—or the appointed meeting might claim you.

So you cannot turn it away, nor can it demand the promised meeting.

ومُدامةٍ صفراءَ أخلقَ عهدُها

ومُدامةٍ صفراءَ أخلقَ عهدُها

ليقيمَ عهداً بالسرورِ مجدَّدا

ليقيمَ عهداً بالسرورِ مجدَّدا

And a golden wine whose long age has made its vintage venerable,

And golden wine, whose vintage has aged,

that it might establish a covenant of joy renewed.

To usher in a renewed time of joy.

بلغَت نهايتُها إليَّ وما أرى

بلغَت نهايتُها إليَّ وما أرى

أحداً يحدِّثُ كيف كان المُبتدا

أحداً يحدِّثُ كيف كان المُبتدا

Its utmost perfection has reached me, yet I see

Its end has reached me, yet I do not see

no one who can relate how its beginning was.

Anyone who tells how its beginning was.

ولقد رأيتُ لها وقد طاولتُها

ولقد رأيتُ لها وقد طاولتُها

شِيماً تذكِّرني بهنَّ محمَّدا

شِيماً تذكِّرني بهنَّ محمَّدا

Long as I kept its company, I indeed saw in it

And I have seen in it, after keeping it company long,

qualities that reminded me of Muhammad.

Qualities that remind me of Muhammad.

هنئ النفوسُ بها ولكني أرى

هنئ النفوسُ بها ولكني أرى

ما أبرمتهُ اليوم تنقُضُه غدا

ما أبرمتهُ اليوم تنقُضُه غدا

Regale souls with it; yet I see

Souls delight in it, but I see:

that what it binds today, it will undo tomorrow.

What it binds fast today it undoes tomorrow.

وأرى ابنَ مكيٍّ إذا بذلَ الغِنى

وأرى ابنَ مكيٍّ إذا بذلَ الغِنى

كتبت عَليه يدُ العطاءِ مُخلَّدا

كتبت عَليه يدُ العطاءِ مُخلَّدا

And I see Ibn Makki: whenever he gives away wealth,

And I see Ibn Makki: whenever he bestows wealth,

the hand of generosity inscribes him as immortal.

The hand of generosity writes 'immortal' upon him.

ولبِشره فيها ورقَّةِ وجهِه

ولبِشره فيها ورقَّةِ وجهِه

سنةٌ وليس المقتَدي كالمقتَدى

سنةٌ وليس المقتَدي كالمقتَدى

In his gladness as he gives, and the tenderness of his face,

And in it his cheerfulness and gentle countenance have

are many exemplars—and the follower is not like the one followed.

A pattern—yet the follower is not like the one followed.

فعلى المكارم أن تؤرخَ باسمِه

فعلى المكارم أن تؤرخَ باسمِه

وعليه إذ قد شادَهن وشَيَّدا

وعليه إذ قد شادَهن وشَيَّدا

Noble deeds must date their age by his name

So noble deeds must be chronicled in his name,

and rest upon him, since he has raised them and built them firm.

And to his credit, since he has raised and built them.

وعليَّ فيها أن أقيمَ بذكرِها

وعليَّ فيها أن أقيمَ بذكرِها

فبذكرِه في كلِّ يومٍ مَشهَدا

فبذكرِه في كلِّ يومٍ مَشهَدا

And it falls to me, concerning him, to erect—by recalling them

And it falls to me, in this, to hold in their remembrance—

and thus by recalling him—a memorial every day:

And thus in his—a gathering every day.

وكتابةٍ سوداءَ فيها أسهمٌ

وكتابةٍ سوداءَ فيها أسهمٌ

يجري الندى منها وتجري بالرَّدى

يجري الندى منها وتجري بالرَّدى

and writing, black, in which there are arrows.

And black writing with arrows within it,

Bounty flows from it, while the arrows fly bearing death—

Bounty flows from them, and they course with death.

من أرقشٍ لا تَستَمدُّ شَباتُه

من أرقشٍ لا تَستَمدُّ شَباتُه

إلا بأسودَ يستحبُّ السُّؤدَدا

إلا بأسودَ يستحبُّ السُّؤدَدا

arrows from a speckled serpent, whose sharp points draw their force

From a speckled pen whose sharp tips draw no ink

only from black ink that aspires to lordly eminence.

Except from a black one that prizes eminence.

هزَّت له تلكَ الخواطرُ نَفسَها

هزَّت له تلكَ الخواطرُ نَفسَها

ببدائعٍ وصلَت بها تلك الندى

ببدائعٍ وصلَت بها تلك الندى

Those inspirations stirred themselves for him

Those thoughts stirred themselves for him,

with marvels through which that generosity came.

With marvels through which they attained bounty.

فأتت وما بينَ العقودِ وبينها

فأتت وما بينَ العقودِ وبينها

ويكونُ إلا أن تحلَّ وتعقِدا

ويكونُ إلا أن تحلَّ وتعقِدا

They came, with nothing between strings of gems and them

So they came forth, with no difference between necklaces and them,

except that they are unstrung and strung anew.

Nor can there be, save in unstringing and stringing.

للَه فعلكَ بي وما أُثني به

للَه فعلكَ بي وما أُثني به

عنه وفِعلي أن جعلتُك مَقصِدا

عنه وفِعلي أن جعلتُك مَقصِدا

How wondrous is what you have done for me, and all the praise I give it!

God bless your deed toward me, and the praise I offer

As for my own deed, it was only to make you my destination.

For it, and my own deed of making you my destination.

فبتلك أيامُ الخطوبِ خَطَوتُها

فبتلك أيامُ الخطوبِ خَطَوتُها

فلقد رأيتُ القاتلَ المتعَمِّدا

فلقد رأيتُ القاتلَ المتعَمِّدا

By that, I strode through days of calamity,

So with those I traversed the days of misfortune,

for I had seen the murderer deliberately bent on killing.

For I have indeed seen the killer who acts with intent.