سر الفؤاد طيفُهُ لما سرى

سر الفؤاد طيفُهُ لما سرى

فمرحباً منه بما أهدى الكرا

فمرحباً منه بما أهدى الكرا

His phantom gladdened my heart when it came by night.

The phantom of his beauty when it passed,

So welcome what slumber bestowed of him.

Welcome to it for what it brought of gifts.

وافى إلى زائرا فليتهُ

وافى إلى زائرا فليتهُ

حَقَّق في اليقظَة لي ما زورا

حَقَّق في اليقظَة لي ما زورا

He came to me as a visitor—if only he

Would that he who came visiting would stay,

would make real for me in waking life what he had feigned.

And realize in wakefulness what I dreamed.

ظبيٌ إذا ماس ولاح وجهُه

ظبيٌ إذا ماس ولاح وجهُه

رايت غُصناً بالهلال مُثمرا

رايت غُصناً بالهلال مُثمرا

A gazelle—when he swayed and his face shone,

A gazelle, when it appeared and its face shone,

I saw a bough bearing the crescent moon as fruit.

I saw a branch bearing the crescent fruitful.

وإن بدت طلعته في ليلة

وإن بدت طلعته في ليلة

من شعره رأيت ليلا مقمرا

من شعره رأيت ليلا مقمرا

And if his face appeared amid a night

And if its blossoms appeared in the night,

of his hair, I saw a moonlit night.

From its hair I saw a moonlit night.

كم ليلةٍ جنيتُ من عِذاره

كم ليلةٍ جنيتُ من عِذاره

آساً ومن خَدَّيه ورداً أحمرا

آساً ومن خَدَّيه ورداً أحمرا

How many a night I gathered from his cheek-down

How many nights have I plucked from his coquetry

myrtle, and red roses from his cheeks!

Agony, and from his cheeks red roses.

قل للذي يعذلني في حبِّه

قل للذي يعذلني في حبِّه

حَقٌ لمن أحبَّه أن يُعذرا

حَقٌ لمن أحبَّه أن يُعذرا

Tell whoever reproaches me for loving him:

Say to him who torments me in his love,

Whoever loves him has a right to be excused.

It is the right of one who loved him to be excused.

يا بأبي من لم يزل بحسنه

يا بأبي من لم يزل بحسنه

في الحبِّ عن ذنوبه مُعتذرا

في الحبِّ عن ذنوبه مُعتذرا

O, may my father ransom him who has always, through his beauty,

O my father, he has not ceased with his beauty

offered excuses for his offenses in love.

In love to excuse him from his sins.

جَرَّدَ من جفنيه عَضبا أبيضاً

جَرَّدَ من جفنيه عَضبا أبيضاً

وهزَّ من عطفيه لدنا أسمرا

وهزَّ من عطفيه لدنا أسمرا

He unsheathed from his eyelids a sharp, gleaming sword,

He stripped from his eyelids a white anger,

and brandished from his sides a supple, tawny lance.

And shook from his shoulders a soft, brown one.

يا ساحر الأجفان رفقاً بفتى

يا ساحر الأجفان رفقاً بفتى

سلبتَ منه عقلهُ وما درى

سلبتَ منه عقلهُ وما درى

O you of bewitching eyelids, be gentle with a youth

O sorcerer of eyelids, gently with a young man

whose reason you stole while he was unaware.

Who you have robbed of his mind and was unaware.

غريمهُ الشوق وقد أضحى من الص

غريمهُ الشوق وقد أضحى من الص

بر الجميل مُذ نأيتَ مُعسرا

بر الجميل مُذ نأيتَ مُعسرا

Longing is his creditor, and he has become, in

His adversary is passion, and he has become,

noble patience, bankrupt since you went away.

With beautiful patience, destitute since you departed.

أجريتَ من أدمُعِهِ ما قد كفا

أجريتَ من أدمُعِهِ ما قد كفا

يكفيك من أدمعه ما قد جَرى

يكفيك من أدمعه ما قد جَرى

You have made enough of his tears flow;

You made flow from his tears what had sufficed,

what has already flowed of his tears suffices you.

What has flowed from his tears should suffice you.

حُزتَ الجمال مثلما حاز العُلا ال

حُزتَ الجمال مثلما حاز العُلا ال

مَولى كمالُ الدين من دون الوَرى

مَولى كمالُ الدين من دون الوَرى

You have won beauty, just as eminence was won by the

You assumed beauty just as the Master

lord Kamal al-Din, alone among humankind.

Of perfection, Kamal al-Din assumed glory above all creation.

شَيَّدَ مجداً لو أراد النجمُ أن

شَيَّدَ مجداً لو أراد النجمُ أن

يُدرِكَ بعض شَأوه لقَصَّرا

يُدرِكَ بعض شَأوه لقَصَّرا

He built such glory that, if a star sought

He built a glory that if the star wished

to reach even part of his lofty stature, it would fall short.

To attain some of his renown it would fall short.

ولو رأى البدرُ المنيرُ وَجهَهُ

ولو رأى البدرُ المنيرُ وَجهَهُ

هَلَّلَ إجلالا له وكبَّرا

هَلَّلَ إجلالا له وكبَّرا

And if the shining full moon saw his face,

If the brilliant full moon saw his face,

it would proclaim God's oneness and greatness in reverence for him.

It would shout his praises and pronounce his greatness.

يا من أرَجِّى ماله وجاهه

يا من أرَجِّى ماله وجاهه

هذا أوانُ النفع فافعل ما تَرى

هذا أوانُ النفع فافعل ما تَرى

O you in whose wealth and influence I place my hope,

O you whose wealth and status I hope for,

this is the time to help, so do as you see fit.

This is the time for profit, so do what you see fit.

لم أَلقَ في ذا الدهر من أَشكُو له

لم أَلقَ في ذا الدهر من أَشكُو له

رَيب الزمان إذ تَعَدَّى واجتَرا

رَيب الزمان إذ تَعَدَّى واجتَرا

I have met no one in this age to whom I could lament

I have never met in this life one to complain to

the blows of time, when it overstepped and grew insolent.

Of the corruption of Time once it transgressed and spread.

وطالما حدَّثتُ نفسي بالغنى

وطالما حدَّثتُ نفسي بالغنى

منك وما كان حَدِيثاً يُفتَرَى

منك وما كان حَدِيثاً يُفتَرَى

And how often I have told myself of wealth

And I have often conversed with myself about your riches

from you—and it was no invented tale.

And it was no fabricated talk.

ولستُ أختارُ كريماً بعدها

ولستُ أختارُ كريماً بعدها

عنك وكلُّ الصَّيد في جَوفِ الفَرَا

عنك وكلُّ الصَّيد في جَوفِ الفَرَا

And henceforth I shall choose no generous man

I do not choose a generous one after you,

instead of you: all game lies in the wild ass's belly.

From you, while all the prey is in the gut of the hunter.

فخاطب السلطانَ في مَرَّةً

فخاطب السلطانَ في مَرَّةً

واحدةً من قبل تنوي السَّفَرا

واحدةً من قبل تنوي السَّفَرا

So speak to the sultan on my behalf a

So address the Sultan once,

single time, before you plan to travel.

Intending to travel.

فَهوَ أبو بكرٍ وأرجو أنَّه

فَهوَ أبو بكرٍ وأرجو أنَّه

في كل أمرٍ لم يخالف عمرا

في كل أمرٍ لم يخالف عمرا

For he is Abu Bakr, and I hope that he

For he is an Abu Bakr, and I hope that

has not opposed Umar in any matter.

In every matter he did not contradict Omar.