سما لكَ برقٌ أو بَدا لكَ نورُ

سما لكَ برقٌ أو بَدا لكَ نورُ

أو انكشَفَت تحتَ الظلام ثُغورُ

أو انكشَفَت تحتَ الظلام ثُغورُ

Did lightning flash aloft for you, or did a light appear?

Has lightning risen before you, or has a light appeared to you,

The sky flashed lightning or a light appeared to you,

Or were gleaming teeth revealed beneath the darkness?

or have mouths been unveiled beneath the darkness?

Or gaps opened for you in the darkness,

أم السكرُ من خَمر الهَوى بكَ لاعِبٌ

أم السكرُ من خَمر الهَوى بكَ لاعِبٌ

أفِق فلقد دارَت عليكَ خُمورُ

أفِق فلقد دارَت عليكَ خُمورُ

Or does the drunkenness of passion’s wine toy with you?

Or is intoxication from the wine of love toying with you?

Or did intoxication with the wine of love make you delirious?

Awake! Its wines have surely gone round and overwhelmed you.

Sober up, for wines have indeed been passed round to you.

Wake up, for the effects of wine have passed.

كأنَّكَ ما قدَّرتَ أنَّ فِراقَهم

كأنَّكَ ما قدَّرتَ أنَّ فِراقَهم

على أخذِ ما استَبقى الصُّدودُ قَديرُ

على أخذِ ما استَبقى الصُّدودُ قَديرُ

It is as though you never reckoned that parting from them

As though you had not reckoned that parting from them

It's as if you did not realize that parting from them

could take away whatever their coldness had spared.

could take away what rejection had spared.

Was able to take what barriers had withheld.

أيَعدِلُ في عَينَيكَ سلطان دمعِها

أيَعدِلُ في عَينَيكَ سلطان دمعِها

وسلطانُ هذا البينِ فيكَ يَجورُ

وسلطانُ هذا البينِ فيكَ يَجورُ

In your judgment, does the power of her tears deal justly,

Does the dominion of her tears deal justly in your eyes,

Does the authority of her tears weigh equally in your eyes

while the power of this separation tyrannizes you?

while the dominion of this separation wrongs you?

With the unjust authority of separation?

غَرامٌ وشَوقٌ لَوعةٌ وصَبابةٌ

غَرامٌ وشَوقٌ لَوعةٌ وصَبابةٌ

لهيبٌ ووَجدٌ رنةٌ وزَفيرُ

لهيبٌ ووَجدٌ رنةٌ وزَفيرُ

Passion and longing, heartache and ardor;

Passion and longing, anguish and lovesickness;

Passion, longing, burning pain, and youthfulness,

flame and rapture, a moan and a sigh.

a flame and heartache, a wail and a sigh.

Flame, fervor, sighing, and groaning.

وإنَّ فُؤاداً يَحملُ البينُ بعضَ ذا

وإنَّ فُؤاداً يَحملُ البينُ بعضَ ذا

عليهِ ولا يأذى بهِ لَصبورُ

عليهِ ولا يأذى بهِ لَصبورُ

A heart on which separation lays even some of this,

And a heart on which separation lays some of this

A heart that bears some separation

yet which is not hurt by it, is patient indeed.

yet which suffers no hurt from it is surely steadfast.

Is not harmed by it, being patient.

أتاركَتي إذ ودَّعَتني جفونُها

أتاركَتي إذ ودَّعَتني جفونُها

حَديثاً به ركبُ البلادِ يَسيرُ

حَديثاً به ركبُ البلادِ يَسيرُ

When she bade me farewell, did her eyelids leave me

Will her eyelids, having bidden me farewell, leave me

Did she leave me, when her eyelids bid farewell,

a tale that caravans will carry through the lands?

as a tale that caravans carry through the lands?

With words the lands repeat in their travel?

تحيَّرتُ في أمري وأمرِك في الهَوى

تحيَّرتُ في أمري وأمرِك في الهَوى

وإنِّي لطبٌّ بالأمورِ بَصيرُ

وإنِّي لطبٌّ بالأمورِ بَصيرُ

I am bewildered by my plight and yours in love,

I have grown bewildered over my plight and yours in love,

I’m confused about my affair and yours in love,

though I am a skilled man, discerning in all affairs.

though I am indeed skilled and clear-sighted in affairs.

Yet I’m an expert physician in such matters.

يحث بكِ الحادي بَعيراً وهَودجاً

يحث بكِ الحادي بَعيراً وهَودجاً

وما البينُ إلا هَودجٌ وبَعيرُ

وما البينُ إلا هَودجٌ وبَعيرُ

The camel-driver urges onward the camel and howdah bearing you;

The camel-driver urges on a camel and a howdah, with you aboard,

The guide urges the camel and litter onwards;

yet separation is nothing but a howdah and a camel.

and separation is nothing but a howdah and a camel.

But separation is only a litter and camel.

وترقُبُني عينُ البَعير كأنَّه

وترقُبُني عينُ البَعير كأنَّه

إذا نَظرَت عَيني إليه غَيورُ

إذا نَظرَت عَيني إليه غَيورُ

The camel’s eye watches me, as though

And the camel's eye watches me, as though it

The camel’s eye watches me as if,

jealous whenever my eye looks toward it.

were jealous when my eye looks toward it.

Whenever my eye looked at it, jealous.

خليليَّ هذا الليلُ قد طالَ عِندنا

خليليَّ هذا الليلُ قد طالَ عِندنا

وليل خليلاتِ القلوبِ قَصيرُ

وليل خليلاتِ القلوبِ قَصيرُ

My two companions, this night has grown long for us,

My two friends, this night has grown long for us,

My friend, the night has grown long with us,

while the night of those beloved by our hearts is brief.

while the night of the hearts' beloveds is short.

Yet the night for the heart's sweethearts is short.

وقد كانَ لي منه خيالٌ يَزورني

وقد كانَ لي منه خيالٌ يَزورني

فلمَّا مُنِعتُ النومَ كيفَ يَزورُ

فلمَّا مُنِعتُ النومَ كيفَ يَزورُ

A phantom of her once used to visit me in sleep;

And I once had a phantom from it that visited me;

I had a vision of her visiting me,

but now that I am denied sleep, how can it visit?

but when I was denied sleep, how could it visit?

But how can it visit now that sleep is denied me?

وما سرَّ قَلبي أن يُعافى مِن الهَوى

وما سرَّ قَلبي أن يُعافى مِن الهَوى

وأنِّي بِلا حبٍّ يَتمُّ سرورُ

وأنِّي بِلا حبٍّ يَتمُّ سرورُ

It would not please my heart to be cured of love,

It would not gladden my heart to be cured of love,

Why should my heart be cured of love

nor for my happiness to be complete without loving.

nor to have complete joy without love.

And I have no love, completeness of bliss?

وإنِّي لَمشغولٌ عن اللهوِ في الهَوى

وإنِّي لَمشغولٌ عن اللهوِ في الهَوى

بخطبٍ له صمُّ الجبالِ تَمورُ

بخطبٍ له صمُّ الجبالِ تَمورُ

In love I am too preoccupied for idle pleasure,

And in love I am indeed distracted from amusement

I’m too busy with love's madness

by a calamity that makes the solid mountains quake.

by a calamity before which the solid mountains sway.

To seek diversion; it makes even mountains deaf.

سقَى اللَهُ قبرَ الروذَباريِّ هاطِلاً

سقَى اللَهُ قبرَ الروذَباريِّ هاطِلاً

ففيهِ لأجناسِ العلوم قُبورُ

ففيهِ لأجناسِ العلوم قُبورُ

May God drench al-Rūdhbārī’s grave with pouring rain,

May God water al-Rudhabari's grave with a downpour,

May God water the Raodhbaari’s grave with rain,

for within it lie buried every branch of knowledge.

for within it lie graves for the branches of knowledge.

For in him the branches of knowledge have tombs.

فتىً زهِدَت فيه الرَّغائب كلُّها

فتىً زهِدَت فيه الرَّغائب كلُّها

غَنيٌّ عن الأعراضِ وهو فَقيرُ

غَنيٌّ عن الأعراضِ وهو فَقيرُ

A young man whom all worldly desires themselves renounced,

A young man whom all coveted things had shunned,

A noble youth in whom all desires are frustrated,

independent of worldly goods, though poor.

rich, needing no worldly goods, though he was poor.

Wealthy, yet has no interest in wealth and is poor.

لئن ماتَ ما ماتَت محاسنُه التي

لئن ماتَ ما ماتَت محاسنُه التي

لها بينَ أصحابِ الحديثِ نُشورُ

لها بينَ أصحابِ الحديثِ نُشورُ

Though he has died, his virtues have not died—

Though he has died, his virtues have not died;

If he has died, his virtues have not died

among the scholars of Hadith they rise to life again.

among the people of hadith, they rise again.

Which among narrators of traditions have life.

أكذِّب أخبارَ النعاةِ تَزَوُّراً

أكذِّب أخبارَ النعاةِ تَزَوُّراً

على أنَّ تكذيبَ الحقائقِ زُورُ

على أنَّ تكذيبَ الحقائقِ زُورُ

I brand the mourners’ reports as lies, willfully feigning disbelief,

I pretend the death-announcers' reports are false,

I deny the words of the elegists falsely

though denying what is true is itself a lie.

though denying the facts is falsehood.

Composing, for denying truths is composing falsely.

كأنَّ العُلى مَحمولةٌ يوم حَملهِ

كأنَّ العُلى مَحمولةٌ يوم حَملهِ

يسيرُ بها فوقَ الرجال سَريرُ

يسيرُ بها فوقَ الرجال سَريرُ

It seemed that greatness itself was borne on the day he was carried,

As though glory itself were borne on the day he was borne away,

It's as if the bier, the day it bore him,

as his bier conveyed it above the heads of men.

a bier bearing it onward above the men.

Moved lightly above the people on a bed.

فلا بَرحَت عنِّي همومٌ لِفَقدِه

فلا بَرحَت عنِّي همومٌ لِفَقدِه

فإنَّ اغتِباطي بالحياةِ غُرورُ

فإنَّ اغتِباطي بالحياةِ غُرورُ

May the sorrows of his loss never leave me,

So may sorrows for his loss never leave me,

Worries about losing him have not left me,

for any delight I take in life is mere delusion.

for my delight in life is delusion.

For my pleasure in life is only fancy.