إن زارنا طيفك أحيانا

إن زارنا طيفك أحيانا

على تنائي الدار أحيانا

على تنائي الدار أحيانا

If your phantom visits us at times,

If your shadow visits us sometimes

despite the remoteness of your dwelling, it revives us.

In the corners of the house sometimes

لا تأخذي بالهجر قلبا أبي

لا تأخذي بالهجر قلبا أبي

في الحب أن يأخذ سلوانا

في الحب أن يأخذ سلوانا

Do not punish with estrangement a heart that refused

Don't take with estrangement a heart that refuses

to take consolation in love.

For love to take any consolation

رفقا فما قاسيت بعض الذي

رفقا فما قاسيت بعض الذي

قاسه ولا عانبت أهلنا

قاسه ولا عانبت أهلنا

Be gentle: you have not suffered a fraction of what

Be gentle, for you haven’t suffered some of what

it endured; nor have you borne humiliations [wording uncertain].

He has suffered, nor have you wronged our family

لولا الهوى ما وصلت خلتي

لولا الهوى ما وصلت خلتي

جاف ولا استأمنت خوّانا

جاف ولا استأمنت خوّانا

Were it not for passion, my affection would not have reached

If not for passion, I wouldn’t have reached my friends

a cold-hearted one, nor would I have trusted a traitor.

Or a barren one, or trusted betrayers

ولا تذكرت على حالة

ولا تذكرت على حالة

ملي ومن لمياء إنسانا

ملي ومن لمياء إنسانا

Nor would I have recalled, in any state,

Nor remembered in my condition

dark lips, or a dark-lipped beauty's pupil [reading uncertain].

A soft touch or human companionship

سمراء لولا هيف بأن في

سمراء لولا هيف بأن في

أعطافها لم أعرف البانا

أعطافها لم أعرف البانا

A brown-skinned beauty—were it not for the slenderness revealed in

A brunette, if it weren't for the sighs that in

her curves, I would not have known the bān tree.

Her sides, I wouldn't have known coquetry

كأنما حركن أنفاسها

كأنما حركن أنفاسها

في أخريات الليل ريحانا

في أخريات الليل ريحانا

As though her breaths had stirred

As if her breaths in the late night

sweet basil in the last hours of night.

Were a breeze of basil

تزيد في الأعين حسنا كما

تزيد في الأعين حسنا كما

يزيد زين الدين إحسانا

يزيد زين الدين إحسانا

She grows in beauty in our eyes, just as

She adds to the eyes beauty just as

Zayn al-Din grows in beneficence.

Zayn al-Din adds perfection

تلقاه طلق الوجه بادي الحيا

تلقاه طلق الوجه بادي الحيا

مظفر الآراء غيرانا

مظفر الآراء غيرانا

You find him bright of face, his modesty evident,

She meets with a bright face and obvious life

victorious in counsel, protective of honor.

Victorious, jealous of none

عمر الندى إن أنت خاشنته

عمر الندى إن أنت خاشنته

قاوان لا ينته لانا

قاوان لا ينته لانا

Generosity's very life—if you treat him roughly,

The age of dew, if you guard it

he is stern; if treated gently, he softens [wording uncertain].

Flows continuously, never ceasing

تلقاه مطعاما إذا ما اعترف ال

تلقاه مطعاما إذا ما اعترف ال

جدب ويوم الحرب مطعانا

جدب ويوم الحرب مطعانا

You find him lavish with food whenever the

You meet it as food when the

drought makes itself known, and a fierce spear-thruster on battle day.

Barren admits, and the day of war, a spear

معتدل الشيمة ما مال عن

معتدل الشيمة ما مال عن

قضيّة الحق ولا مانا

قضيّة الحق ولا مانا

Balanced in character, he has never swerved from

Moderate in nature, never deviating

the cause of right, nor spoken falsely.

From the cause of truth or refusing

لا يقرب الفحشاء منه ولا

لا يقرب الفحشاء منه ولا

تراه بالمعروف منانا

تراه بالمعروف منانا

No indecency draws near him, nor

He does not approach vulgarity or

do you see him holding his favors over others.

Is seen refusing good deeds

غناه بالنفس ومن أجل ذا

غناه بالنفس ومن أجل ذا

يرى غنيّا كيف ما كانا

يرى غنيّا كيف ما كانا

His wealth lies in his soul, and for that reason

Wealthy of soul, and because of this

he is deemed rich, whatever his condition.

He sees himself wealthy no matter what

يمد بذل المال ربحا إذا

يمد بذل المال ربحا إذا

ما عّه الباخل خسرانا

ما عّه الباخل خسرانا

He counts the giving of wealth as gain [reading uncertain],

He spends money freely when

when the miser counts it as loss [reading uncertain].

The miser hoards it at a loss

بنت له الأنصار مجدا سما

بنت له الأنصار مجدا سما

يعانق النسر وكيوانا

يعانق النسر وكيوانا

The Ansar built for him a glory that soared,

The Ansar built glory for him that competed

embracing the Eagle and Saturn.

With eagles and sphinxes

قوم أقاموا الدين من بعدما

قوم أقاموا الدين من بعدما

وهي وشادوا منه أركانا

وهي وشادوا منه أركانا

A people who upheld the faith after

A people who established the faith after

it had weakened, and built up its pillars.

It flagged, and buttressed its pillars

هم أعدوا للقاء العدا

هم أعدوا للقاء العدا

ضوامرا تحسب عقبانا

ضوامرا تحسب عقبانا

To face their enemies, they made ready

They readied for the battle with the enemies

lean steeds you would take for eagles,

Vultures they assumed were hawks

وكل عسّال وفضفاضه

وكل عسّال وفضفاضه

ومطلق الحدَّين عريانا

ومطلق الحدَّين عريانا

and every swaying spear and ample coat of mail,

And every knight in his armor

and a naked sword, its two edges unleashed.

Bare-chested and loincloth-free

ما روضة ثراها الحيا

ما روضة ثراها الحيا

مجلجل الدّيمة هتّانا

مجلجل الدّيمة هتّانا

No garden that life-giving rain has watered—

A meadow whose flowers the life

thundering in steady, abundant showers—

Of a flirtatious coquette has cultivated

نصافح الأنداء من زهرها

نصافح الأنداء من زهرها

وردا وخيرياً وحواذانا

وردا وخيرياً وحواذانا

where we clasp hands with the dew from its flowers—

We shake the hands of friends from its flowers

roses, gillyflowers, and buttercups—

Roses, lilies, anemones

إذا تغنت طربا ورقها

إذا تغنت طربا ورقها

مال قضيب البان نشوانا

مال قضيب البان نشوانا

where, when its gray doves sing for joy,

When its leaves sing joyfully

the bān bough sways drunkenly—

The staff of the flute sways

يوما بأندى لك من يونس

يوما بأندى لك من يونس

يدا وأذكى منه أردانا

يدا وأذكى منه أردانا

is ever more generous to you than Yunus

One day the dew will bring you from Jonah

is with his hand, or more fragrant than his sleeves.

A hand, and more rational than him, a forearm

يا محيي الأنصار مهلا فقد

يا محيي الأنصار مهلا فقد

أنطقت بالإحسان حسانا

أنطقت بالإحسان حسانا

O reviver of the Ansar, hold back! For you have

O reviver of the Ansar, wait, for you have

made Hassan speak through your generosity.

Made goodness eloquent with your goodness