بحياة ما ضمّت عرى الأزرار

بحياة ما ضمّت عرى الأزرار

بذمام ما في الحب من أسرار

بذمام ما في الحب من أسرار

By the life of what the button-loops embrace,

With a life that held the strands of buttons,

By the life of that which the buttonholes embrace,

by the sanctity of the secrets within love,

With a chord that contains the secrets of love,

And by the sanctity of the secrets held within love,

بالحجر بالحجر المكرم بالصفا

بالحجر بالحجر المكرم بالصفا

بالبيت بالأركان بالأستار

بالبيت بالأركان بالأستار

by the Hijr, by the honored Stone, by Safa,

With the venerable Black Stone, with Safa,

By the Hatim, by the Stone honored at al-Safa,

by the House, by the corners, by the curtains—

With the House, the corners, the curtains,

By the Holy House, by its Pillars, and by its draped Veils,

باللّه إلا ما قضيت لبانة

باللّه إلا ما قضيت لبانة

تقضي بها وطرا من الأوطار

تقضي بها وطرا من الأوطار

by God, I implore you, fulfill a heartfelt wish,

By Allah, I have fulfilled a radiant covenant,

By God, I ask only that you fulfill a specific wish,

through which you satisfy one desire among desires,

Fulfilled with wavering from the peg.

Through which one of my deep longings may be satisfied:

ويكف من أشجان صب يشتكي

ويكف من أشجان صب يشتكي

جور الزمان وقلة الأنصار

جور الزمان وقلة الأنصار

and which eases the sorrows of a lover who laments

And enough of the agonized passion of youth complaining

That it may halt the sorrows of a lovelorn soul complaining

time's cruelty and the scarcity of helpers.

Of the tyranny of time and few helpers.

Of Time's injustice and the scarcity of supporters.

بلّغ لأندلس السلام وصف لها

بلّغ لأندلس السلام وصف لها

ما في من شوق وبعد مزار

ما في من شوق وبعد مزار

Convey greetings to al-Andalus, and tell her

Convey greetings of peace to Andalusia, describe to it

Convey my greetings to al-Andalus, and describe to her

of the longing within me and the distance that separates us.

What longing and remoteness of visitation is in me.

The longing within me and the vast distance of my exile.

وإذا مررت برندة ذات المنى

وإذا مررت برندة ذات المنى

والتاج والديموس واللؤزار

والتاج والديموس واللؤزار

And if you pass through Ronda, with its pleasure gardens,

And if you pass by glorious Grenada,

And if you pass by Ronda, the possessor of all desires,

and al-Taj, al-Daymus, and al-Lu'zar,

With its crown, citadel, and bracelets,

By the Taj, the Daymus, and the Lawzar,

سلم على تلك الديار وأهلها

سلم على تلك الديار وأهلها

فالقوم قومى والديار دياري

فالقوم قومى والديار دياري

greet those lands and their people,

Greet that abode and its people,

Send peace upon those dwellings and their people,

for the people are my people, and the lands my lands.

For that tribe is my tribe, that abode my abode,

For the folk are my kin, and the dwellings are my home.

حيث استوت تلك المدينة معصما

حيث استوت تلك المدينة معصما

ولوى عليها النهر نصف سوار

ولوى عليها النهر نصف سوار

Where that city took the shape of a wrist,

Where that city became a stronghold,

Where that city settles like a wrist,

and the river curved around it, half a bracelet.

And the river coiled around it like a bracelet,

And the river winds around it like a half-bracelet,

وامتد في تلك البطاح أمامها

وامتد في تلك البطاح أمامها

ما شئت من ظل وماء جار

ما شئت من ظل وماء جار

And across those plains before it stretched

With whatever shade and running water extending before it

And stretching out across those plains before it,

as much shade and running water as you could wish.

In those plains, as far as you wish.

Is all the shade and flowing water you could desire.

وتنسمت ريح المنى تلك المنى

وتنسمت ريح المنى تلك المنى

فتبسمت في أوجه النظار

فتبسمت في أوجه النظار

And those gardens breathed the breeze of hope,

The zephyr of wishes blew there, those wishes,

And the breeze of desire breathed through those aspirations,

then smiled into the faces of onlookers.

So it smiled in the faces of onlookers.

Smiling into the faces of the beholders.

والروض قد سامى السماء لحسنه

والروض قد سامى السماء لحسنه

لما ازدهى بالنهر والأزهار

لما ازدهى بالنهر والأزهار

And the garden rivaled the sky in its beauty

The garden ascended the sky in its beauty,

And the garden rivaled the heavens in its beauty,

when it grew resplendent with the river and flowers.

When it flourished with the river and flowers.

When it proudly adorned itself with the river and the flowers,

فكأن ذاك النهر فيه مجرة

فكأن ذاك النهر فيه مجرة

وكأن ذاك الزهر فيه دراري

وكأن ذاك الزهر فيه دراري

So that river within it seemed the Milky Way,

So it was as if that river contained a galaxy,

As if that river within it were the Milky Way,

and those flowers within it seemed brilliant stars.

And as if those flowers contained pearls.

And as if those flowers within it were shining stars.

وبسيحة العليا لنا متنزه

وبسيحة العليا لنا متنزه

فيه من الأسماع والأبصار

فيه من الأسماع والأبصار

And at Siha al-Ulya we have a pleasure ground,

And lofty Bāshaykha is a promenade for us

And in the Upper Sayha we had a place of leisure,

with delights for the ears and eyes,

With views and sights.

Filled with delights for both hearing and sight,

حيث انتهت في الحسن كل حديقة

حيث انتهت في الحسن كل حديقة

وجرى النسيم وفاح كل عرار

وجرى النسيم وفاح كل عرار

where every garden reached the height of beauty,

Where every garden ended in beauty,

Where every garden reached the perfection of beauty,

and the breeze drifted, and every arar plant gave off fragrance.

The breeze blew, and the thickets diffused scent,

And the breeze flowed, and every wild herb wafted its fragrance.

والغصن في حركاته متحير

والغصن في حركاته متحير

بين الغناء وغنة الأطيار

بين الغناء وغنة الأطيار

And the bough, in its swaying, was bewildered

And the branch was perplexed in its motions

And the branch seemed bewildered in its movements,

between singing and the birds' trilling.

Between singing and the trilling of birds.

Caught between the singing of men and the chanting of birds.

ويكاد قلب الصب يفنى رقّة

ويكاد قلب الصب يفنى رقّة

بين النشيد ونغمة الأوتار

بين النشيد ونغمة الأوتار

And the lover's heart all but dissolves in tenderness

The heart of the youth is nearly spent in gentleness

And the heart of the lovelorn lover almost perishes from tenderness,

between song and the melody of the strings.

Between melody and the tune of strings.

Between the recited verses and the melody of strings.

للّه كم بتنا بها من ليلة

للّه كم بتنا بها من ليلة

وكأنها سحرٌ من الأسحار

وكأنها سحرٌ من الأسحار

God, how many nights we spent there,

By Allah, how many nights did we spend in it,

By God, how many a night we passed there,

as though each were one of the hours before dawn!

Nights that were like the magic of magicians!

As if it were a magic cast by the early dawns.

ولكم قطعنا الدهر في ظل الصبا

ولكم قطعنا الدهر في ظل الصبا

ما بين اعذار وخلع عذار

ما بين اعذار وخلع عذار

And how often we passed our time beneath youth's shade,

And for how long did we spend our time in the shade of youth,

And how often we traversed time in the shadow of youth,

between excuses and casting off the bridle.

Between coquetry, removing veils, and donning them!

Wavering between restraint and casting off the bridle of inhibition.

عيش تلاعبت الخطوب بعهده

عيش تلاعبت الخطوب بعهده

حتى غدا خبرا من الأخبار

حتى غدا خبرا من الأخبار

A life whose days calamities toyed with,

A life whose covenant vicissitudes toyed with

A life whose covenant was toyed with by misfortunes,

until it became a story among stories.

Until it became a tale of the tales.

Until it became nothing but a story among stories.

ومعاهد كانت علي كريمة

ومعاهد كانت علي كريمة

لم يبق لي منها سوى التذكار

لم يبق لي منها سوى التذكار

And haunts that once were dear to me—

I had a covenant noble and generous,

And familiar haunts that were once so generous to me,

nothing remains to me of them but remembrance.

Of which there remains to me only remembrance.

Of which nothing remains for me now but the memory.

واحسرتا من ذكر أيام الصبا

واحسرتا من ذكر أيام الصبا

ها قد بدا شيبي فأين وقاري

ها قد بدا شيبي فأين وقاري

Alas, to recall the days of youth!

Woe to me from the memory of the days of youth!

Oh, the sorrow of remembering the days of youth!

Behold, my gray hair has appeared—where is my dignity?

Behold, my hair has turned white, where then is my dignity?

My gray hair has appeared, yet where is my dignity?

يا رب خذ بيدي من الذنب الذي

يا رب خذ بيدي من الذنب الذي

أنا حائر في بحره الزخار

أنا حائر في بحره الزخار

O Lord, take me by the hand out of the sin

O Lord, take me by the hand from sins

O Lord, save me from the sin in which

in whose surging sea I am bewildered.

In which I am bewildered, in a tumultuous sea.

I am lost, adrift in its swelling sea.

لا تأخذ الجاني بما هو اهله

لا تأخذ الجاني بما هو اهله

واغفر بجاه المصطفى المختار

واغفر بجاه المصطفى المختار

Do not punish the sinner as he deserves,

Do not seize the sinner for what he deserves,

Do not treat the sinner as he deserves,

and forgive me for the sake of al-Mustafa, the Elect.

And pardon me through the status of the Chosen One.

But forgive him for the sake of the Chosen One, the Elect.