ما رأينا لحسن وجهك مثلا

ما رأينا لحسن وجهك مثلا

فسلكنا طريقة الحب مثلى

فسلكنا طريقة الحب مثلى

We have seen no equal to the beauty of your face.

Your beauty we've not seen the like,

So we followed love's finest path.

So we've taken the path of ideal love.

غبت عنا ولم تغب قبسات

غبت عنا ولم تغب قبسات

من يقين بها دجى الشك يجلى

من يقين بها دجى الشك يجلى

You were absent from us, yet there remained gleams

You've been absent yet rays of certainty

of certainty, by which doubt's darkness is dispelled.

Dispell the darkness of doubt.

أنت منا وان نأيت قريب

أنت منا وان نأيت قريب

من صميم الحشا سكنت محلا

من صميم الحشا سكنت محلا

You are close to us, though you are far away;

You're part of us, though you're near,

you have made your dwelling in the heart's innermost core.

You've made your home in the heart's depths.

كذبت في الغرام دعوى محب

كذبت في الغرام دعوى محب

غاب عنه حبيبه فتسلى

غاب عنه حبيبه فتسلى

False is the claim to passion of a lover

A love-struck one falsely claimed devotion,

whose beloved left him, and who found consolation.

When his beloved left, he was consoled.

ليس مثلي يسلو هواك لهجر

ليس مثلي يسلو هواك لهجر

وبعاد وليس مثلك يسلى

وبعاد وليس مثلك يسلى

One like me does not cease loving you through estrangement

None console themselves with love like me,

or separation; nor is one like you forgotten.

No one consoles themselves over your abandonment like you.

لي بذكراك بهجة وارتياح

لي بذكراك بهجة وارتياح

ومن الذكر ما يعادل وصلا

ومن الذكر ما يعادل وصلا

In remembering you, I find joy and comfort.

Remembering you is a joy and comfort,

And some remembrance equals union.

Nothing equals a remembrance that unites.

أنا لبيت داعي الحب لمّا

أنا لبيت داعي الحب لمّا

ان دعاني وقلت أهلا وسهلا

ان دعاني وقلت أهلا وسهلا

I answered love's caller when

I'm for the home that calls to love again and again,

he called me, and I said, "Welcome!"

When it calls me, I say "welcome!"

كم دعتني لكم فاسلم قلبي

كم دعتني لكم فاسلم قلبي

نفحات بعثن للشوق رسلا

نفحات بعثن للشوق رسلا

How often they summoned me to you, and my heart surrendered—

How it calls me to you! My heart surrenders

breezes sent as messengers of longing.

To the missives the longing dispatches.

لا أبالي وأنت عني راض

لا أبالي وأنت عني راض

بدم في سبيل حبك طلا

بدم في سبيل حبك طلا

I do not care, if you are pleased with me,

I don't care if you're pleased with me,

about blood shed unavenged for love of you.

My blood spilled in love for you is negligible.

أنت أنت الدنيا ولم نرفيها

أنت أنت الدنيا ولم نرفيها

غير آمالنا بوصلك فضلا

غير آمالنا بوصلك فضلا

You, you are the world, and we have not seen in it

You, you are the world, and in it

any blessing beyond our hopes of union with you.

We have no hopes but to be joined with you.

ورجاء اللقاء حبب منها

ورجاء اللقاء حبب منها

ما اعز الأنام عيشاً اذلا

ما اعز الأنام عيشاً اذلا

And the hope of meeting has made dear in this world

The hope of meeting you endears

what humbled the mightiest of mortals in life.

The most precious life to the humiliated.

أنت غوث لمن شكالك كرباً

أنت غوث لمن شكالك كرباً

أنت غيث لمن شكالك محلا

أنت غيث لمن شكالك محلا

You are succor to whoever complains to you of distress.

You're relief for whomever you've saddled with worry,

You are rain to whoever complains to you of drought.

You're rain after drought.

والليالي تزيد جوراً إذاما

والليالي تزيد جوراً إذاما

نحن قلنا لها رويدا ومهلا

نحن قلنا لها رويدا ومهلا

And the nights grow more unjust whenever

The nights grow crueler still

we tell them, "Gently—slowly!"

When we say "Gently! Wait!"

زان ميلادك الوجود فاضحى

زان ميلادك الوجود فاضحى

جيده وهو بالفريد محلى

جيده وهو بالفريد محلى

Your birth adorned existence, so that

Your birth graced existence, so it donned

its neck became adorned with the peerless jewel.

Its finest garb - you with the unique attribute.

ليلة في صباحها طلع النجم

ليلة في صباحها طلع النجم

على انه اجل واجلى

على انه اجل واجلى

A night in whose morning the star rose,

The night you were born, in the morning

though he was more exalted and more radiant.

A star rose as if it were a glorious occasion.

وجلا نوره الدجى فاستهلت

وجلا نوره الدجى فاستهلت

أوجه الكائنات لما استهلا

أوجه الكائنات لما استهلا

His light dispelled the darkness, and radiant grew

Its light dispelled the darkness, so the faces

the faces of all beings when he first cried.

Of all creatures were illuminated at its rising.

ولدت أمه الكريمة منه

ولدت أمه الكريمة منه

أكرم الخلق أشرف الناس أصلا

أكرم الخلق أشرف الناس أصلا

His noble mother brought forth in him

Your generous mother gave birth to

the noblest of creation, the most honorable of people in lineage.

The most noble of creations, the highest of ancestries.

رنخ الدهر عطفه وهو شيخ

رنخ الدهر عطفه وهو شيخ

طرباً ان رآءه في المهد طفلا

طرباً ان رآءه في المهد طفلا

Time swayed its side, though it was an old man,

Age smiled at your charm, while still

in delight at seeing him a baby in the cradle.

An infant in the cradle.

من حساب البنين الف جمعاً

من حساب البنين الف جمعاً

فحوى من خلاصة الجمع نجلا

فحوى من خلاصة الجمع نجلا

From the tally of sons, it assembled a multitude,

Of a thousand sons you're the essence -

and from that multitude's essence embraced a son.

The choicest extract of the sum.

قم وشيد بحد سيفك ديناً

قم وشيد بحد سيفك ديناً

شاده ذو فقار جدك قبلا

شاده ذو فقار جدك قبلا

Arise, and build with your sword's edge a faith

Arise! With the edge of your sword, found

that your forefather's Dhu al-Fiqar built before.

A faith your grandfather established before.

منكم الدين بدؤه وإليكم

منكم الدين بدؤه وإليكم

عوده والهزبر يعقب شبلا

عوده والهزبر يعقب شبلا

From you the faith began, and to you

Through you this religion began and to you

it returns; the lion begets a cub.

It returns, for the lion cub succeeds the elder.

ملئت هذه البرية ظلما

ملئت هذه البرية ظلما

فمتى تملأ البرية عدلا

فمتى تملأ البرية عدلا

This world has been filled with injustice;

You've filled the land with injustice,

so when will you fill the world with justice?

So when will it be filled with justice?

ومتى يقدم الجيوش لواء

ومتى يقدم الجيوش لواء

آية النصر في حواشيه تتلى

آية النصر في حواشيه تتلى

And when will a banner lead the armies,

When will the banners be carried forth

with the verse of victory recited along its borders,

With the emblem of victory inscribed upon them?

في رعيل من الملائك تتلو

في رعيل من الملائك تتلو

راية تحتها المسيح استئلا

راية تحتها المسيح استئلا

amid a host of angels following

In a troop of angels reciting

a standard beneath which the Messiah sought refuge?

The creed under which Jesus submitted.

فكأني بالروح جبريل يدعو

فكأني بالروح جبريل يدعو

قائما بين ركنها والمصلى

قائما بين ركنها والمصلى

So I seem to see the Spirit, Gabriel, calling,

It's as if Gabriel calls out

standing between its corner and the place of prayer:

While standing between the corner and prayer niche:

هذه بيعة الهدى ونابت

هذه بيعة الهدى ونابت

نوب تثقل العواتق حملا

نوب تثقل العواتق حملا

"This is the pledge of guidance!" And there have come

"This is the pledge of guidance," planted

calamities whose burden weighs heavily on shoulders.

Like a creeping plant burdening shoulders.

وبلينا من الزمان بخطب

وبلينا من الزمان بخطب

ما حسبنا بأننا فيه نبلى

ما حسبنا بأننا فيه نبلى

And we have been afflicted by time with a calamity

We've suffered such calamities

in which we never thought we would be tried.

We thought we'd never endure them.

خضع المسلمون شرقا وغربا

خضع المسلمون شرقا وغربا

إذ سرى ركب عزهم واستقلا

إذ سرى ركب عزهم واستقلا

Muslims have been humbled in East and West,

The Muslims in East and West submitted

when the caravan of their glory set out by night and departed.

When their glory spread and they gained power.

وعزيز عليك ما قد لقينا

وعزيز عليك ما قد لقينا

من رجال ساموا الأعزة ذلا

من رجال ساموا الأعزة ذلا

And grievous to you is what we have endured

Grievous to you is what we've encountered

from men who inflicted humiliation on the honored.

From men who've attained humiliation.