عَلِقتُ مِن شَقوَتي وَمِن نَكَدي

عَلِقتُ مِن شَقوَتي وَمِن نَكَدي

مُزَنَّراً وَالصَليبُ في عُنُقِه

مُزَنَّراً وَالصَليبُ في عُنُقِه

Through my misfortune and my misery, I fell in love

I was tormented by my wretchedness and misery

To my misery and wretchedness, I became ensnared,

with one wearing a girdle, a cross around his neck.

Wearing a cassock with a cross around his neck

By a sash-wearing youth, with a cross upon his neck.

أَقبَلَ يَمشي إِلى كَنيسَتِهِ

أَقبَلَ يَمشي إِلى كَنيسَتِهِ

فَكِدتُ أَقضي الحَياةَ مِن فَرَقِه

فَكِدتُ أَقضي الحَياةَ مِن فَرَقِه

He came walking to his church,

He came walking towards his church

He approached, making his way toward his church,

and I nearly died from fear of him.

I almost died of fright from seeing him

And I nearly breathed my last from sheer awe of him.

فَقُلتُ مَن أَنتَ بِالمَسيحِ وَبِال

فَقُلتُ مَن أَنتَ بِالمَسيحِ وَبِال

إِنجيلِ سَطَّرتُهُ عَلى وَرَقِه

إِنجيلِ سَطَّرتُهُ عَلى وَرَقِه

So I said, 'Who are you, by the Messiah and by the

I said "Who are you, by Christ and the

I said, 'Who are you?' swearing by the Messiah,

Gospel I inscribed upon its pages,

Gospel whose pages extol him

And by the Gospel inscribed upon the page,

وَبِالصَليبِ الَّذي تَدينُ لَهُ

وَبِالصَليبِ الَّذي تَدينُ لَهُ

فَقالَ بَدرُ السَماءِ في أُفُقِه

فَقالَ بَدرُ السَماءِ في أُفُقِه

and by the cross to which you are devoted?'

And by the cross you worship

And by the Cross to which you pledge your faith.'

He said, 'The full moon of the sky upon its horizon.'

The full moon in the sky said "This is my horizon"

He replied, 'I am the full moon of the sky upon its horizon.'

سَأَلتُهُ عَن مَحَلِّ بيعَتِهِ

سَأَلتُهُ عَن مَحَلِّ بيعَتِهِ

فَقالَ في نارِهِ وَفي حُرَقِه

فَقالَ في نارِهِ وَفي حُرَقِه

I asked him where his church was,

I asked where his goods were sold

I asked him of the location of his sanctuary,

and he said, 'In its fire and in its burning pangs.'

He said "In my fire and burning"

He answered, 'Amidst the fire and the burning flames.'

فَالوَيلُ لي مِن طِلابِ مُحتَبِسٍ

فَالوَيلُ لي مِن طِلابِ مُحتَبِسٍ

صِرتُ كَميناً لَهُ عَلى طُرُقِه

صِرتُ كَميناً لَهُ عَلى طُرُقِه

So woe to me for pursuing one secluded!

Woe to me from the seekers of the detained

So woe is me for pursuing one so inaccessible,

I took to lying in ambush for him along his paths.

I lay in wait for him on his paths

I have become a hidden snare upon his paths.

يا مَن رَأى عاشِقاً أَخا كَلَفٍ

يا مَن رَأى عاشِقاً أَخا كَلَفٍ

يَزدادُ حِرمانُهُ عَلى قَلَقِه

يَزدادُ حِرمانُهُ عَلى قَلَقِه

O you who have seen a lover consumed by passion,

O you who saw a lover, a stubborn brother

O who has seen a lover, brother to deep affliction,

whose deprivation grows, compounding his unrest.

His deprivation grows despite his anxiety

Whose deprivation grows alongside his distress.