يا مصلَّى أيمه

يا مصلَّى أيمه

من بنى آدم طَهُر

من بنى آدم طَهُر

O prayer-place of imams,

O worshipper of the faithful

pure among the children of Adam.

Of the children of Adam, purity

سبَّح الرمل والحصى

سبَّح الرمل والحصى

في نواحيه والحجر

في نواحيه والحجر

The sand and pebbles offered praise

The sand and pebbles glorified

in its reaches, as did the stones.

In his surroundings and the stone

وعلى ظهر جوّه

وعلى ظهر جوّه

صلَّت الشمس والقمر

صلَّت الشمس والقمر

And upon the back of its sky,

And on the back of its air

the sun and moon prayed.

The sun and the moon prayed

جمعا عزلة المدار

جمعا عزلة المدار

إلى عزلة المدر

إلى عزلة المدر

They joined the orbit's solitude

Together the isolation of orbit

to the solitude of the clay.

To the isolation of the monastery

سبّحا ثم سبّحا

سبّحا ثم سبّحا

بالعشايا وبالبكر

بالعشايا وبالبكر

They offered praise, then offered praise,

They glorified and then glorified

in the evenings and early mornings.

In the evenings and at dawn

وخِضما من الرمال

وخِضما من الرمال

أواذيُّه الصخر

أواذيُّه الصخر

And a vast sea of sand,

And the bustle of the sands

whose billows are rock.

Its rocky places of prayer

ما له ساحل ولا

ما له ساحل ولا

من فُجاءاته وزر

من فُجاءاته وزر

It has no shore, nor

It has no coast and no

any refuge from its sudden perils.

Of its gaps and burden

فيه من كل حاصب

فيه من كل حاصب

جَلَّل الجو وانهمر

جَلَّل الجو وانهمر

Within it, stone-laden gales of every kind

In it from every lookout

shrouded the sky and poured down,

Adorned the air and rained

هب من كل جانب

هب من كل جانب

كالَّدَبى اشتد وانتشر

كالَّدَبى اشتد وانتشر

blew from every side,

Blowing from every side

like young locusts, grew fierce and spread.

Like heavy rainfall intensified and spread

رب أكفان مصحر

رب أكفان مصحر

منه هيئن أو حفر

منه هيئن أو حفر

Many a desert traveller's shroud

Lord of the shrouds of the desert

was readied from it—or a grave.

Made of it forms or dug

وفضاء كأنه

وفضاء كأنه

حلم رائع الصور

حلم رائع الصور

And an expanse as though it were

And space as if it were

a dream of wondrous images.

A beautiful figment of imagination

العشايا سواحر

العشايا سواحر

في حواشيه والبكر

في حواشيه والبكر

The evenings are enchantresses

The evenings are sorceresses

along its fringes, as are the early mornings.

In its margins and dawn

كل سار وسامر

كل سار وسامر

**********

**********

Every night-traveller and companion in night-time talk

Every walker and night conversationist

**********

**********

يا فضاء بسحره

يا فضاء بسحره

دَلَّه الركب بالسحر

دَلَّه الركب بالسحر

O expanse, whose magic

O space with its magic

enraptured the caravan before dawn.

Its path led travelers with magic

فتنتهم وجوهه

فتنتهم وجوهه

واستخفتهمو الصور

واستخفتهمو الصور

Its faces beguiled them,

Charmed them its faces

and the images carried them away.

And made light of them the images

وشجاهم سكونه

وشجاهم سكونه

بالعشايا وبالبُكر

بالعشايا وبالبُكر

And its stillness saddened them

And stimulated them its tranquility

in the evenings and early mornings.

In the evenings and at dawn

لا تلمهم فانما

لا تلمهم فانما

قائد الأنفس الفِطر

قائد الأنفس الفِطر

Do not blame them, for only

Do not blame them, for only

innate dispositions guide souls.

The leader of instinctive souls

كل نفس لها هوى

كل نفس لها هوى

كل نفس لها وطر

كل نفس لها وطر

Every soul has its passion;

Every soul has a passion

every soul has its desire.

Every soul has a way

كم جمال ومنظر

كم جمال ومنظر

فرَّقا لذة النظر

فرَّقا لذة النظر

How many a beauty and vista

How much beauty and scenery

have divided the pleasure of gazing!

Shared the pleasure of looking

كل حسن ومنظر

كل حسن ومنظر

فيهما للهوى نظر

فيهما للهوى نظر

Every beauty and vista—

Every beauty and view

in both, passion has its own view.

In both for passion a view