قَصَدْتُ ذُرَاكَ يَا نَجْلَ الْكِرَامِ

قَصَدْتُ ذُرَاكَ يَا نَجْلَ الْكِرَامِ

أَمُقْتَبِسَ الْعُلاَ عَبْدَ السَّلاَمِ

أَمُقْتَبِسَ الْعُلاَ عَبْدَ السَّلاَمِ

I sought your heights, O scion of the noble,

I sought you out, O son of the generous,

I sought your summits, O scion of the noble,

O you who draw from lofty glory, Abd al-Salam.

The pillar of glory, Abd al-Salam.

O acquirer of eminences, 'Abd al-Salam!

قَصَدْتُ حِمَاكَ حَامِي مَنْ أَتَاهُ

قَصَدْتُ حِمَاكَ حَامِي مَنْ أَتَاهُ

وَقَلْبِي بِالتَّلَهُّفِ جِدُّ حَامِ

وَقَلْبِي بِالتَّلَهُّفِ جِدُّ حَامِ

I sought your sanctuary, which protects whoever comes to it,

I sought your protection, protector of those who come to you,

I sought your sanctuary, O protector of those who come to it,

And my heart is fiercely aflame with longing.

While my heart longs ardently.

While my heart, with profound yearning, is fiercely burning.

قَصَدْتُ يَا إِمَامَ النَّاسِ فَذّاً

قَصَدْتُ يَا إِمَامَ النَّاسِ فَذّاً

لأَِكْرَعَ فِي نَدَاكَ بِلاَ زِحَامِ

لأَِكْرَعَ فِي نَدَاكَ بِلاَ زِحَامِ

Alone I sought you, O leader of the people,

I sought you, leader of people, most noble,

I sought a peerless one, O Imam of the people,

To drink deeply of your bounty without jostling.

To frequent your generosity without contention.

To drink deeply of your bounty without the pushing crowd.

قَصَدْتُ مُحِيطَ بَحْرِكَ وَهْوَ طَامٍ

قَصَدْتُ مُحِيطَ بَحْرِكَ وَهْوَ طَامٍ

عَلَى حِينَ احْتِرَاقِي مِنْ أُوَامِ

عَلَى حِينَ احْتِرَاقِي مِنْ أُوَامِ

I sought the vast expanse of your sea while it overflowed,

I sought the ocean of your vast knowledge in tumult,

I sought the encompassing expanse of your sea while it is overflowing,

At a time when I burned with raging thirst.

In my time of burning need.

At a time when I am burning from an agonizing thirst.

فَهَلْ فِي الْكَأْسِ كَأْسِ الْفَضْلِ فَضْلٌ

فَهَلْ فِي الْكَأْسِ كَأْسِ الْفَضْلِ فَضْلٌ

يَعُلُّ الْقَلْبَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْمُدَامِ

يَعُلُّ الْقَلْبَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْمُدَامِ

Is there, then, in the cup—the cup of bounty—a remnant

Is there in the cup, the cup of virtue, any favour

Is there in the cup—the cup of grace—any remnant left,

That gives the heart another draught of that wine,

That would lift up the heart from that wine?

To quench the heart again with that enduring wine?

وَتُنْشِي الْفِكْرَ سَوْرَتُهُ فَيَبْقَى

وَتُنْشِي الْفِكْرَ سَوْرَتُهُ فَيَبْقَى

مَدَى الدُّنْيَا مُنِيراً فِي الظَّلاَمِ

مَدَى الدُّنْيَا مُنِيراً فِي الظَّلاَمِ

And whose potency intoxicates thought, so it remains

And awaken the mind from its stupor, so it remains

Whose potency enlivens the mind, so it remains

For the world's whole span, luminous in the darkness?

Enlightened through the ages in the darkness?

Shining in the darkness for the duration of the world.

مُدَامٌ مَا حَوَاهَا الدَّهْرَ دَنٌّ

مُدَامٌ مَا حَوَاهَا الدَّهْرَ دَنٌّ

وَلَمْ يُغْلَقْ عَلَيْهَا بِالْفِدَامِ

وَلَمْ يُغْلَقْ عَلَيْهَا بِالْفِدَامِ

A wine no wine-jar has ever held,

A wine whose like the ages never contained,

A wine that time has never contained within a cask,

Nor has it been sealed beneath a cloth cover.

That was not locked away out of reach.

Nor has it ever been sealed shut with a strainer-cloth.

يَحُوزُ مَنِ انْتَشَى مِنْهَا ثَنَاءٌ

يَحُوزُ مَنِ انْتَشَى مِنْهَا ثَنَاءٌ

وَيُوسَمُ مَنْ صَحَا مِنْهَا بِذَامِ

وَيُوسَمُ مَنْ صَحَا مِنْهَا بِذَامِ

Praise embraces whoever grows drunk on it,

He who partakes of it gains praise,

Whoever grows intoxicated from it garners praise,

And whoever sobers from it is branded with blame.

While he who turns from it earns blame.

And whoever remains sober from it is marked with blame.

لَعَمْرُكَ وَالْيَمِينُ بِهِ عَظِيمٌ

لَعَمْرُكَ وَالْيَمِينُ بِهِ عَظِيمٌ

وَمُخْرِجُ نُورِ نُورِكَ مِنْ كِمَامِ

وَمُخْرِجُ نُورِ نُورِكَ مِنْ كِمَامِ

By your life—and an oath by it is solemn—

By your life, and the oath to it is mighty,

By your life—and an oath by it is tremendous—

And by him who brought forth the light of your light from bud-sheaths,

You brought forth the light from its veil.

And by the One who brought forth the light of your light from its sheaths.

عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةُ رَبِّي مَعْ سَلاَمٍ

عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةُ رَبِّي مَعْ سَلاَمٍ

يَعُلاَّنِ ثَرَاهُ إِلَى الْقِيَامِ

يَعُلاَّنِ ثَرَاهُ إِلَى الْقِيَامِ

Upon him be my Lord's blessing, together with peace,

Upon it is the prayer of my Lord and greetings,

Upon him be the blessings of my Lord, along with peace,

Both watering his grave-soil until Resurrection:

Exalting its glory until the final day.

Both ceaselessly drenching his soil until the Resurrection.

لَوْ أَنَّ الْهَامِدِينَ تَدِبُّ فِيهِمْ

لَوْ أَنَّ الْهَامِدِينَ تَدِبُّ فِيهِمْ

لَقَامَ الْهَامِدُونَ مِنَ الرَِّجَامِ

لَقَامَ الْهَامِدُونَ مِنَ الرَِّجَامِ

If life could stir within the lifeless,

If resolve stirs in the resolute,

If its spirit were to course through the lifeless ones,

The lifeless would surely rise from beneath the grave-stones.

The resolute will rise up from the graves.

The lifeless would surely rise from their stony graves.

عَلَى مَثْوَاكُمُ مَثْوَى الْمَعَالِي

عَلَى مَثْوَاكُمُ مَثْوَى الْمَعَالِي

رَيَاحِينُ التَّحِيَّةِ وَالسَّلاَمِ

رَيَاحِينُ التَّحِيَّةِ وَالسَّلاَمِ

Upon your resting place, the abode of lofty virtues,

Upon your tombs the lofty place of rest,

Upon your resting place, the resting place of high honors,

Be the fragrant herbs of greeting and peace.

The breeze of greeting and peace.

Are the fragrant basils of greeting and peace.