لَو كُنتَ أَطمَع بِالمَنام تَوهما

لَو كُنتَ أَطمَع بِالمَنام تَوهما

لَسالَت طَيفكَ أَن يَزور تَكَرما

لَسالَت طَيفكَ أَن يَزور تَكَرما

If I hoped for sleep, even in fancy,

If I had hoped for you in a dream, my longing

I would ask your phantom to visit out of kindness.

Would have asked for your spirit to visit out of generosity

حاشا صُدودك أَن تَذم فَإِنَّها

حاشا صُدودك أَن تَذم فَإِنَّها

تَحلو لَدَيَّ وَإِن أُسيغَت عَلقَما

تَحلو لَدَيَّ وَإِن أُسيغَت عَلقَما

Far be it that your shunning should be blamed, for it

Far be it from your aloofness to blame me, for it

is sweet to me, even when swallowed as bitter colocynth.

Tastes sweet to me even if offered as bitter aloe

فَاِهجُر فَهَجرك لي التِفات مَودة

فَاِهجُر فَهَجرك لي التِفات مَودة

أَلقاهُ مِنكَ تَحنناً وَتَرَحُما

أَلقاهُ مِنكَ تَحنناً وَتَرَحُما

So forsake me: to me, your forsaking is a gesture of affection,

So shun me, your shunning is to me a kindly glance

which I receive from you as tenderness and compassion.

I take it from you as mercy and compassion

عَذب فُوادي بِالَّذي تَختارَهُ

عَذب فُوادي بِالَّذي تَختارَهُ

لَو كُنتُ مَنسيّاً تَرَكتُ وَإِنَّما

لَو كُنتُ مَنسيّاً تَرَكتُ وَإِنَّما

Torment my heart with whatever you choose;

Delight my heart with what you choose

had I been forgotten, I would have been left alone; yet...

Even if I were forgotten, I would not have left

لَو لَم تَكُن بِغُبار طَرفِكَ كَحلت

لَو لَم تَكُن بِغُبار طَرفِكَ كَحلت

عَين الغَزالة صَدّها وَجه الدُما

عَين الغَزالة صَدّها وَجه الدُما

Had it not been kohled with the dust of your glance,

Had it not been for the kohl of your eyelashes

the gazelle's eye would have been turned away by the faces of fair figurines.

The gazelle’s eye would have rejected the tear stained face

عَيدي لِفَقدِكَ مَأَتم لَو صافَحت

عَيدي لِفَقدِكَ مَأَتم لَو صافَحت

فيهِ المَسَرة خاطِري لَتَأَلَما

فيهِ المَسَرة خاطِري لَتَأَلَما

My feast-day mourns your absence; if joy clasped

My feast for your loss would have been a funeral

my heart's hand that day, my heart would ache.

Where joy penetrated my thoughts it would have suffered

هاتَ إِسقِني كَأس المَلامة عاذِلي

هاتَ إِسقِني كَأس المَلامة عاذِلي

وَأدر عَليَّ حَديثُهُ مُتَرَنِما

وَأدر عَليَّ حَديثُهُ مُتَرَنِما

Come, give me the cup of blame to drink, O my reproacher,

Give me a cup of blame, my critic

and pour out talk of him for me in song.

And let its talk flow melodiously to me

فَإِذا ذَكرت ليَ الحَبيب يَكادُ مِن

فَإِذا ذَكرت ليَ الحَبيب يَكادُ مِن

طَربي يَقبل مَسمَعي مِنكَ الفَما

طَربي يَقبل مَسمَعي مِنكَ الفَما

So when you mention the beloved to me, such is

When you mention the beloved to me, I almost

my rapture that my ear almost kisses your mouth.

Swoon from rapture, my hearing welcomes your mouth

إِني لَأَعشَقُ في هَواهُ عَواذِلي

إِني لَأَعشَقُ في هَواهُ عَواذِلي

شَغَفاً بِهِ وَأَود فيهِ اللُوَّما

شَغَفاً بِهِ وَأَود فيهِ اللُوَّما

Indeed, in loving him, I even love my reproachers,

I passionately love those who blame me for him

out of passion for him, and cherish those who blame me over him.

Ardently, and wish for their censure

سَرق الرَسول بَلَحظِهِ مِن وَجهِهِ

سَرق الرَسول بَلَحظِهِ مِن وَجهِهِ

حُسناً أَبى عَن ناظِري أَن يَكتما

حُسناً أَبى عَن ناظِري أَن يَكتما

The messenger stole with his glance, from the beloved's face,

The messenger stole beauty from his cheek

a beauty he refused to hide from my eyes.

Refusing to conceal it from my eyes

دَعني أُسامر هَجرَهُ في خُلوة

دَعني أُسامر هَجرَهُ في خُلوة

فَكَفى لِمِثلي أَن يَراني مَحرَما

فَكَفى لِمِثلي أَن يَراني مَحرَما

Let me converse by night with his estrangement in seclusion;

Let me whisper of his estrangement in solitude

enough for one like me that he deem me an intimate.

For one like me, it is enough to be seen as forbidden

بَدرٌ مِن الأَتراك لَما أَن بَدا

بَدرٌ مِن الأَتراك لَما أَن بَدا

تَرك البُدور تَرى لِعَينِكَ أَنجُما

تَرك البُدور تَرى لِعَينِكَ أَنجُما

A full moon among the Turks: when he appeared,

A full moon of the Turks, when it rose

he left the full moons looking like stars to your eye.

It left the stars for your eyes as stars

تَسقي لَواحِظُهُ العُقول مُدامة

تَسقي لَواحِظُهُ العُقول مُدامة

الصَحو مِنها لا يَزالُ محرّما

الصَحو مِنها لا يَزالُ محرّما

His glances ply minds with a wine

His glances inebriate minds with endless intoxication

from which sobriety is forever forbidden.

Remaining sober from it is still forbidden

لَو بِتُ أَشكو ظُلمُهُ لَشَكَوتُهُ

لَو بِتُ أَشكو ظُلمُهُ لَشَكَوتُهُ

لِمَليك هَذا الدَهر أَسما مَن سَما

لِمَليك هَذا الدَهر أَسما مَن سَما

Were I to spend the night lamenting his injustice, I would complain of him

If I complained of his injustice, I would complain

to this age's sovereign, the loftiest of all who rose.

To the king of this age, glorify the one who glorified him

مَلك مِن الإِيمان جَرد صارِماً

مَلك مِن الإِيمان جَرد صارِماً

بِالحَق حَتّى الكُفر أَصبَحَ مُسلِما

بِالحَق حَتّى الكُفر أَصبَحَ مُسلِما

A king who drew from faith a keen-edged sword,

A king of faith, an unsheathed, sharpened sword

for truth, until unbelief itself became Muslim.

With truth until disbelief became Muslim

قَد جَهَز السُفن الَّتي صادَمَت

قَد جَهَز السُفن الَّتي صادَمَت

رَضوى بِأَيسر لَمحة لِتهدَّما

رَضوى بِأَيسر لَمحة لِتهدَّما

He has equipped ships that, if they struck

He equipped the ships which collided

Radwa, would make it crumble in a mere blink.

With his satisfaction with the slightest hint to destroy them

وَتُلهب البَحر الخِضَم مَهابَةً

وَتُلهب البَحر الخِضَم مَهابَةً

مِنهُ فَظَنَتهُ كَريتُ جَهَنَما

مِنهُ فَظَنَتهُ كَريتُ جَهَنَما

And they set the mighty sea aflame with awe

And ignited the roaring sea with awe

of him, so Crete took it for Hell.

It imagined it hellfire

لَو شاهَدَ المَطرود سَطوةَ باسِهِ

لَو شاهَدَ المَطرود سَطوةَ باسِهِ

في صُلبِ آدم لِلسُجود تَقَدَما

في صُلبِ آدم لِلسُجود تَقَدَما

Had the outcast seen the onslaught of his might

If the exiled one witnessed his power’s domination

within Adam's loins, he would have hurried to prostrate himself.

In Adam’s loins he would have prostrated

العَدل أَخرسَ كانَ قَبل زَمانِهِ

العَدل أَخرسَ كانَ قَبل زَمانِهِ

أَذنت لَهُ الأَيام أَن يَتَكَلَّما

أَذنت لَهُ الأَيام أَن يَتَكَلَّما

Justice had been mute before his time;

Justice was mute before his time

the days gave it leave to speak.

The days allowed it to speak

يَذَر الدُجى بِالبَشر صُبحاً مُشرِقاً

يَذَر الدُجى بِالبَشر صُبحاً مُشرِقاً

وَالصُبح بِالإِرهاب لَيلاً مُظلِما

وَالصُبح بِالإِرهاب لَيلاً مُظلِما

He turns darkness, with his cheerfulness, into radiant dawn,

He leaves mankind at dawn shining

and dawn, through terror, into a darkened night.

And dawn in terror as gloomy night

لَم تَخط آساد الفَلافي عَهدِهِ

لَم تَخط آساد الفَلافي عَهدِهِ

بَينَ الشَقائِقِ خيفة أَن تَتَهما

بَينَ الشَقائِقِ خيفة أَن تَتَهما

In his reign, the lions of the deserts never stepped

The horsemen’s steeds did not in his time

among the anemones, afraid they might be accused.

Stamp a daisy fearing blame

عقد النثار عَلى العِداة سَحائِباً

عقد النثار عَلى العِداة سَحائِباً

لَولا الحَيا لَسقى السَما مِنها دَما

لَولا الحَيا لَسقى السَما مِنها دَما

He bound scattered missiles into clouds above his foes;

He strung clouds of bullets on the enemies

but for modesty, he would have watered the sky with blood from them.

If not for shame, the sky would have rained blood from them

وَدَعَت ظُباهُ الطَيرَ حَتّى أَنَّهُ

وَدَعَت ظُباهُ الطَيرَ حَتّى أَنَّهُ

قَد يَكادُ يَسقُط فَرحة نسر السَما

قَد يَكادُ يَسقُط فَرحة نسر السَما

And his sword-edges summoned birds, so much so that

And left its hyenas until it

the eagle of the sky almost falls for joy.

Nearly falls from joy like the eagle of the sky

لَو يَرتَضي حَمل السِهام لَغارة

لَو يَرتَضي حَمل السِهام لَغارة

لَرَأَيتُهُ اِتَخَذَ الكَواكب أَسهُما

لَرَأَيتُهُ اِتَخَذَ الكَواكب أَسهُما

Were he to choose to carry arrows on a raid,

If it pleased him to carry arrows for a raid

I would see him take the stars for arrows.

You would have seen him take the stars as arrows

أَو شاءَ أَن يَهب المُلوك لِبَعض ما

أَو شاءَ أَن يَهب المُلوك لِبَعض ما

في رِقِهِ مُستَحقراً لَتَبَرما

في رِقِهِ مُستَحقراً لَتَبَرما

Or, if he wished to bestow kings on one of those

Or if he wished to gift the kings some of

in his bondage, the recipient would scorn them and resent the gift.

What was in his mantle scorning them, they would frown

صِحت مِن السقم العُقول بِحِلمِهِ

صِحت مِن السقم العُقول بِحِلمِهِ

وَبِظِلِهِ الدين القَويم قَد اِحتَمى

وَبِظِلِهِ الدين القَويم قَد اِحتَمى

Minds have recovered from sickness through his forbearance;

Intellects recovered from sickness with his forbearance

and in his shade the upright faith has taken refuge.

And the straight religion took shelter in his shadow

تَب يا زَمان فَإِن ذكرتك عِندَهُ

تَب يا زَمان فَإِن ذكرتك عِندَهُ

مِن قَبل أَن يَنهاكَ مُتَّ تَوَهُّما

مِن قَبل أَن يَنهاكَ مُتَّ تَوَهُّما

Repent, O Time: for if I mentioned you in his presence,

Repent, oh time, for when you are mentioned in his presence

before he even rebuked you, you would die at the thought.

You halt imagining out of fear of him