ما يتَجلَّى وجهُهُ ماثِلاً

ما يتَجلَّى وجهُهُ ماثِلاً

للناسِ إِلا عَذلَ العاذِلا

للناسِ إِلا عَذلَ العاذِلا

His face never reveals itself in full view

His face does not appear before people

to people without rebuking the reproacher.

Except as a reproacher finds fault

يقتُلُني بالسُّقم ذو مُقلةٍ

يقتُلُني بالسُّقم ذو مُقلةٍ

صاحبُها أَولى بها قاتِلا

صاحبُها أَولى بها قاتِلا

The possessor of an eye kills me with sickness,

He kills me with chronic illness—

though its owner is more deserving of its deadly force.

Its owner is more deserving to be its killer

واعجَبي كيفَ يكونُ الضَّنى

واعجَبي كيفَ يكونُ الضَّنى

في واحدٍ في آخر فاعِلا

في واحدٍ في آخر فاعِلا

And how strange that wasting sickness

And I wonder how sorrow can be

in one should work its effect in another!

In one, while in another, a causer

يا طرفَ مَن أسهرَ طَرفي أضِف

يا طرفَ مَن أسهرَ طَرفي أضِف

شَيئاً إلى شَيءٍ يكُن كامِلا

شَيئاً إلى شَيءٍ يكُن كامِلا

O eye of the one who kept my eye awake, add

O eye of whoever kept my eyes awake

one thing to another, that it may be complete.

Add something to something to make it complete

أكحِل جُفوني بالكَرى مرةً

أكحِل جُفوني بالكَرى مرةً

حتى تكونَ الأكحلَ الكاحِلا

حتى تكونَ الأكحلَ الكاحِلا

Once, line my eyelids with the kohl of sleep,

Line my eyelids with kohl once

so you become the dark-eyed one who also applies kohl.

So that the kohl itself becomes the applier

وشادنٍ طافَ بمَشمولةٍ

وشادنٍ طافَ بمَشمولةٍ

وكاد يَجري مثلَها سائِلا

وكاد يَجري مثلَها سائِلا

And a young gazelle made the rounds with chilled wine,

With a running stream, he roamed Mashmoolah

and almost flowed, liquid like the wine itself.

And almost flowed like it, running

لا عِلم لي من أيِّ أعضائِه

لا عِلم لي من أيِّ أعضائِه

آخذُها كي لا أُرى مائِلا

آخذُها كي لا أُرى مائِلا

I do not know from which of his limbs

I have no knowledge which of its parts

to take it, lest I be seen leaning.

To take so I am not seen leaning

أُسقى عَلى السُّكر فَما أَفتَدي

أُسقى عَلى السُّكر فَما أَفتَدي

من ولَعي شُدَّ معي ناهِلا

من ولَعي شُدَّ معي ناهِلا

I am given drink atop drunkenness, yet do not buy release

I am given sugar to drink, but I am not saved

from my passion; he was bound beside me, drinking.

From my addiction—it stayed with me, drinking

كأنَّه إذ قَوِيَت نَفسُهُ

كأنَّه إذ قَوِيَت نَفسُهُ

يَرجو أبا طالِبٍ العامِلا

يَرجو أبا طالِبٍ العامِلا

As though, when his spirit grows strong,

As if, when his soul grew strong

he hopes for Abu Talib al-Amil.

He hopes for Abu Talib, the doer

يَرجو رَجاءَ الناسِ مِن قَبلِه

يَرجو رَجاءَ الناسِ مِن قَبلِه

مَن ذا يَسدُّ المَسلكَ السابِلا

مَن ذا يَسدُّ المَسلكَ السابِلا

He hopes as people before him have hoped:

He hopes the hope of people from before him

who can bar the open path?

Who can dam the open path?

ما تركَت شُهرتُه والنَّدى

ما تركَت شُهرتُه والنَّدى

عَنه وَلا عن مالِه سائِلا

عَنه وَلا عن مالِه سائِلا

His fame and generosity have left

Neither his fame nor the dew

no one asking about him or his wealth.

Left him, nor did they leave his money asker

فكلُّ من أحسبُه سامِعاً

فكلُّ من أحسبُه سامِعاً

ما قُلتُه أحسبُهُ قائِلا

ما قُلتُه أحسبُهُ قائِلا

So everyone I believe has heard

So everyone I thought was listening

what I have said, I believe repeats it.

I thought was speaking

كم سبقَت أنملُهُ فِكرَه

كم سبقَت أنملُهُ فِكرَه

كأنَّ فيها خاطِراً جائِلا

كأنَّ فيها خاطِراً جائِلا

How often his fingertips have outpaced his thought,

How his fingers outstripped his thoughts

as though a thought wandered within them!

As if there were a stray idea in them

فليسَ يكسو وَرقاً عارِياً

فليسَ يكسو وَرقاً عارِياً

إلا تَحلَّى كلماً عاطِلا

إلا تَحلَّى كلماً عاطِلا

For he never clothes naked paper

So he does not clothe naked leaves

without unadorned words becoming adorned.

Unless he wore an ineffectual word

ونائباتٍ كنتُ من قَبلِها

ونائباتٍ كنتُ من قَبلِها

أحسِبُ تَقريبَكَ لي نائِلا

أحسِبُ تَقريبَكَ لي نائِلا

And calamities—before they came, I used to

And calamities—before them I used to think

count your drawing me close as a gift.

I would soon gain closeness to you

وكنتَ كالحاصِل عِندي ومَن

وكنتَ كالحاصِل عِندي ومَن

لم يتَكسَّب أنفقَ الحاصِلا

لم يتَكسَّب أنفقَ الحاصِلا

And you were like wealth in hand to me; whoever

And you were like the reaper in my eyes, and he

earns nothing spends what he has.

Who did not earn spent the harvest