مَرحَباً يا سَمِيَ مَن كَلَّمَ اللَـ

مَرحَباً يا سَمِيَ مَن كَلَّمَ اللَـ

ـهُ وَأَدنى مَكانَهُ تَقريبا

ـهُ وَأَدنى مَكانَهُ تَقريبا

Welcome, O namesake of him to whom God spoke,

Welcome O friend who conversed with God, and drew near His place as close as can be,

Welcome, O namesake of him who spoke to God, and whom He drew close in honored proximity,

and whose station He drew close, bringing him near;

And like the one who languished in prison for years, yet remained noble and dignified,

And image of the one who lingered in prison for years, remaining righteous and noble,

وَشَبيهُ الَّذي تَلَبَّثَ في السِجـ

وَشَبيهُ الَّذي تَلَبَّثَ في السِجـ

ـنِ سِنيناً وَكانَ بَرّاً نَجيبا

ـنِ سِنيناً وَكانَ بَرّاً نَجيبا

and likeness of him who lingered in prison

And the reciter of the Quran, tender as when it was revealed, who captured my heart with torment,

And son of the reciter of the Quran—fresh as the day it was revealed—you have subjected my heart to torment.

for years, and was righteous and noble;

To you a face whose beautiful traits, ever-present, call hearts unto it,

You possess a face wherein the beauties of creation stand manifest, summoning hearts toward it,

وَاِبنَ قاري القُرآنِ غَضّاً كَما أُنـ

وَاِبنَ قاري القُرآنِ غَضّاً كَما أُنـ

ـزِلَ قَد سُمتَ قَلبِيَ التَعذيبا

ـزِلَ قَد سُمتَ قَلبِيَ التَعذيبا

and son of one who recites the Qur’an fresh, as it was

So when an eye sees you, it sees a moment yearning for you with strange beauty,

For whenever an eye beholds you, it witnesses, the moment it gazes, a beauty rare and strange.

revealed—you have indeed subjected my heart to torment.

O beloved, I complained to him of what was in me, so he told when he turned away a young gazelle, a pet,

O beloved to whom I complained of my affliction; he resembled, in his aloofness, a nurtured gazelle,

لَكَ وَجهٌ مَحاسِنُ الخَلقِ فيهِ

لَكَ وَجهٌ مَحاسِنُ الخَلقِ فيهِ

ماثِلاتٌ تَدعو إِلَيهِ القُلوبا

ماثِلاتٌ تَدعو إِلَيهِ القُلوبا

Yours is a face in which the beauties of creation

And bent, becoming an old man, above a branch, pulling a staff, hunched,

He swayed as he turned away, like a crescent moon atop a bough, dragging a heavy dune of sand,

stand manifest, beckoning hearts toward it.

By my father, you are to me a cure and an illness, and a doctor, when I lack the doctor.

May my father be your ransom; you are my cure and my ailment, and my physician when I am without a doctor.

فَإِذا ما رَأَتكَ عَينٌ رَأَت سا

فَإِذا ما رَأَتكَ عَينٌ رَأَت سا

عَةَ تَرنو إِلَيكَ حُسناً غَريبا

عَةَ تَرنو إِلَيكَ حُسناً غَريبا

So whenever an eye sees you, it beholds for a moment,

while gazing at you, a wondrous beauty.

يا حَبيباً شَكَوتُ ما بي إِلَيهِ

يا حَبيباً شَكَوتُ ما بي إِلَيهِ

فَحَكى حينَ صَدَّ ظَبياً رَبيبا

فَحَكى حينَ صَدَّ ظَبياً رَبيبا

O beloved, to whom I complained of what ails me,

and who, when he turned away, resembled a hand-reared gazelle,

وَتَثَنّى مُوَلِّياً كَهِلالٍ

وَتَثَنّى مُوَلِّياً كَهِلالٍ

فَوقَ غُصنٍ يَجُرُّ دِعصاً كَثيبا

فَوقَ غُصنٍ يَجُرُّ دِعصاً كَثيبا

and swayed, turning away, like a crescent moon

above a bough that drags a heaped-up dune of sand.

بِأَبي أَنتَ لي شِفاءٌ وَداءٌ

بِأَبي أَنتَ لي شِفاءٌ وَداءٌ

وَطَبيبٌ إِذا عَدِمتُ الطَبيبا

وَطَبيبٌ إِذا عَدِمتُ الطَبيبا

May my father be your ransom! You are my cure and my ailment,

and my physician when I have no physician.