يَاO أَخِيmy brother الصَّالِحَvirtuous الْكَثِيرَfrequent in السِّبَاقِracing ahead
يَا أَخِي الصَّالِحَ الْكَثِيرَ السِّبَاقِ
فيِin مَدَىthe field of حَائِزِيthose who attain الْمَعَانيِmeanings الرِّقَاقِsubtle
فيِ مَدَى حَائِزِي الْمَعَانيِ الرِّقَاقِ
O my virtuous brother, so often racing ahead
O my good brother of great enthusiasm
O my righteous brother, who so often leads the race,
in the field of those who attain subtle meanings.
Among those possessing refined and subtle meanings
in the arena of those who capture delicate meanings.
أَطْرَبَتْنِيenraptured me أَلْفَاظُكُمْyour words وَقَدِيماًand long ago
أَطْرَبَتْنِي أَلْفَاظُكُمْ وَقَدِيماً
أَطْرَبَتْنِيenraptured me نَفَائِسُthe choicest of الأَعْلاَقِtreasures
أَطْرَبَتْنِي نَفَائِسُ الأَعْلاَقِ
Your words have enraptured me, and long before,
Your words delighted me before
Your words have enraptured me, and since olden days
the choicest treasures enraptured me.
And the gems of your necklaces delighted me
I have been enraptured by the most precious of treasures.
أَعْجَبَتْنِيdelighted me أَبْيَاتُكُمْyour verses وَقَدِيماًand long ago
أَعْجَبَتْنِي أَبْيَاتُكُمْ وَقَدِيماً
أَعْجَبَتْنِيdelighted me جَوَاهِرُthe jewels of الأَطْوَاقِnecklaces
أَعْجَبَتْنِي جَوَاهِرُ الأَطْوَاقِ
Your verses have delighted me, and long before,
I admired your verses before
Your verses have delighted me, and since olden days
the jewels of necklaces delighted me.
And I admired the jewels of your assemblies
I have been delighted by the gleaming jewels of necklaces.
ضَاعَwafted fragrantly قُسْطُcostus (aromatic root) السَّلاَمِgreeting مِنْهَاfrom them وَقَدْand already أَحْbeginning of 'burned it'
ضَاعَ قُسْطُ السَّلاَمِ مِنْهَا وَقَدْ أَحْ
رَقَهُcompletion of 'burned it' نَارُthe fire of مِجْمَرِthe brazier of الأَشْوَاقِlongings
رَقَهُ نَارُ مِجْمَرِ الأَشْوَاقِ
Greeting's costus wafted from them, and it had been burned
The share of greeting from it was lost
The incense of greeting diffused from them, having been bur-
by the fire of longing's brazier.
Burned by the embers of longing
-ned by the fire in the censer of yearnings.
وَأَثَارَتْand they stirred مَاwhat لَمْnot يَكُنْbe عَِلِمَknows اللَّGod (first fragment)
وَأَثَارَتْ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَِلِمَ اللَّ
هُGod (remaining fragment) لِيُخْمِدَto quench مِنْany of لَهِيبِthe blaze of اشْتِيَاقِيmy yearning
هُ لِيُخْمِدَ مِنْ لَهِيبِ اشْتِيَاقِي
And they stirred what would never—God knows—
And it stirred what God, praise be to Him, did not know
And they stirred up what was never, as God kn-
quench any of the blaze of my yearning.
To extinguish from the flames of my yearning
-ows, meant to be quenched of the flame of my longing.
غَيْرَexcept أّنِّيthat I نَسِيتُI forgot طُولَthe length of الْفِرَاقِthe separation
غَيْرَ أّنِّي نَسِيتُ طُولَ الْفِرَاقِ
إِذْwhen تَنَسَّمْتُI breathed عَرْفَthe fragrance of قُرْبِthe nearness of التَّلاَقِيreunion
إِذْ تَنَسَّمْتُ عَرْفَ قُرْبِ التَّلاَقِي
Yet I forgot the length of the separation
Except that I forgot the length of separation
Yet I forgot the long duration of our parting,
when I breathed the fragrance of approaching reunion.
When I breathed in the fragrance of the nearness of our meeting
when I breathed the fragrance of our nearing reunion.
وَرَجَوْتُand I hoped in الإِلَهَGod سُبْحَانَهُglory be to Him فِيfor
وَرَجَوْتُ الإِلَهَ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي
رَفْعِthe removal of تَعْذِيبِنَاour torment بِنَارِby the fire of الْفِرَاقِseparation
رَفْعِ تَعْذِيبِنَا بِنَارِ الْفِرَاقِ
And I prayed to God—glory be to Him—for
And I hoped in God, glory be to Him
And I entreated God, exalted is He, for
an end to our torment by the fire of separation.
To relieve our torment with the fire of separation
the lifting of our torment by the fire of separation.