أَأَطْلُبُ يا مُحَمَّدُ أَنْ يَؤُولا

أَأَطْلُبُ يا مُحَمَّدُ أَنْ يَؤُولا

لِغَيرِكَ وِدُّ قَلْبي أو يَمِيلا

لِغَيرِكَ وِدُّ قَلْبي أو يَمِيلا

Should I seek, O Muhammad, that it turn—

Shall I seek, O Muhammad, that another

My heart's love—to anyone but you, or incline that way?

Gain the love of my heart, or it sway?

وَأَرجو غَيْرَ بابِكَ لي مَراماً

وَأَرجو غَيْرَ بابِكَ لي مَراماً

وأَقصِدُ غَيرَ رَبعِكَ لي مَقيلا

وأَقصِدُ غَيرَ رَبعِكَ لي مَقيلا

And hope for a goal at any door but yours,

Shall I hope from other than your door

And seek a noonday resting place in any dwelling but yours?

A purpose for me, or a place to stay?

وأَخطِب غَير شَمسكَ أَن تُجَلَّى

وأَخطِب غَير شَمسكَ أَن تُجَلَّى

وأَسأَل غَيْرَ مائِكَ أَنْ يَسِيلا

وأَسأَل غَيْرَ مائِكَ أَنْ يَسِيلا

And seek the unveiling of a sun other than yours,

Shall I ask for other than your sun to shine,

And ask for water other than yours to flow?

Or other than your water to flow?

وَقَد أَنجَحت لي بِنَدَاكَ مَسْعىً

وَقَد أَنجَحت لي بِنَدَاكَ مَسْعىً

وَقَدْ حَقَّقْتَ لي أَملاً وَسُولا

وَقَدْ حَقَّقْتَ لي أَملاً وَسُولا

For through your bounty you have made my endeavor succeed,

With your call, my journey has succeeded,

And fulfilled for me a hope and a wish.

With you, my hopes and passions grow.

جَعلْتَ بِجَاهِكَ العَلْياءَ دُوني

جَعلْتَ بِجَاهِكَ العَلْياءَ دُوني

وَرُعْتَ بِبأْسِكَ الخَطْبَ المَهُولا

وَرُعْتَ بِبأْسِكَ الخَطْبَ المَهُولا

Through your standing you set the heights beneath me,

With your glorious stature you honor me,

And with your might terrified dreadful calamity.

With your might, formidable fears you stow.

وَمَا أَنَا مُنْكِرٌ تِلْكَ العَطَايَا

وَمَا أَنَا مُنْكِرٌ تِلْكَ العَطَايَا

وَمَا أَنا جَاحِدٌ ذَاكَ الجَمِيلا

وَمَا أَنا جَاحِدٌ ذَاكَ الجَمِيلا

I do not deny those gifts,

I deny not those gifts you send me,

Nor do I disavow that kindness.

Nor the grace you on me bestow.

وَلا أَنا قانِعٌ لَكَ مِنْ وِدَادٍ

وَلا أَنا قانِعٌ لَكَ مِنْ وِدَادٍ

بِأَنْ أُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ وَأَنْ أَقُولا

بِأَنْ أُثْنِي عَلَيْكَ وَأَنْ أَقُولا

Nor am I content, in my affection for you,

Yet I am not content with praising you,

Merely to praise you and speak,

And with words only my thanks to show.

عَلى أَنّي فتىً فَطِنٌ بَليغٌ

عَلى أَنّي فتىً فَطِنٌ بَليغٌ

بَلوغٌ ما سَلَكْتُ لَهُ سَبِيلا

بَلوغٌ ما سَلَكْتُ لَهُ سَبِيلا

Though I am a perceptive, eloquent young man,

Though an astute and eloquent youth am I,

Attaining whatever I take a path to reach,

To praise you fittingly I do not know.

بِأَلْفَاظٍ تَخِرُّ لَهَا القَوافِي

بِأَلْفَاظٍ تَخِرُّ لَهَا القَوافِي

وَيَنْقَادُ القَريضُ لَهَا ذَلُولا

وَيَنْقَادُ القَريضُ لَهَا ذَلُولا

With words before which rhymes fall prostrate,

With phrases that trip off the tongue with ease,

And poetry submits to them, docile.

And rhymes that obedient to me flow,

إذا مَرَّتْ عَلى أُذُنَيْ فَصيحٍ

إذا مَرَّتْ عَلى أُذُنَيْ فَصيحٍ

سِوَاكَ يَعِضُّ إِصْبَعَه طَوِيلا

سِوَاكَ يَعِضُّ إِصْبَعَه طَوِيلا

If they pass over the ears of an eloquent man

If past an ear of one with eloquence supreme,

Other than you, he bites his finger for a long while.

Save you, he'd bite his finger tip in woe.

وَمَا أَنا بالغٌ بِكَثيرِ مَدْحِي

وَمَا أَنا بالغٌ بِكَثيرِ مَدْحِي

مِنَ الكَرمِ الَّذي تَحْوي قَليلا

مِنَ الكَرمِ الَّذي تَحْوي قَليلا

Yet with all my abundant praise I do not attain

With my abundant praise I reach but little

Even a little of the generosity you possess.

Of your nobility that confines me so.

وأَنْتَ أَعزّ أَنْ تُدْعَى عَزِيزاً

وأَنْتَ أَعزّ أَنْ تُدْعَى عَزِيزاً

وأَنْتَ أَجَل أَنْ تُدْعَى جَلِيلا

وأَنْتَ أَجَل أَنْ تُدْعَى جَلِيلا

And you are too exalted to be called merely exalted,

You are too noble to be called noble,

And you are too majestic to be called merely majestic.

Too sublime to be called sublime.

وَأَنْتَ أَخٌ لِكُلّ غَريبِ دَارٍ

وَأَنْتَ أَخٌ لِكُلّ غَريبِ دَارٍ

إِذا عَدِمَ القَرابةَ والخَلِيلا

إِذا عَدِمَ القَرابةَ والخَلِيلا

And you are a brother to every stranger far from home,

To every stranger in a foreign land,

When he lacks kin and a close friend.

When kith and friend he does not find,

يُسلّي لَفْظُكَ الصَّبَّ المُعَنَّى

يُسلّي لَفْظُكَ الصَّبَّ المُعَنَّى

وَيَشْفي ذِكْرُكَ الدَّنِفَ العَليلا

وَيَشْفي ذِكْرُكَ الدَّنِفَ العَليلا

Your speech consoles the tormented lover,

You are a brother, and your words console

And the mention of you heals the enfeebled invalid.

The ardent soul and heal the troubled mind.

إِذَا وَهَبَ الإلهُ لنا عُقُولاً

إِذَا وَهَبَ الإلهُ لنا عُقُولاً

وَهَبْتَ لِما وُهِبْنَاهُ عُقُولا

وَهَبْتَ لِما وُهِبْنَاهُ عُقُولا

If God has bestowed minds upon us,

When God grants intellect, you grant

You have bestowed minds upon the minds we were given.

The means to deepen and refine.

فِداؤُكَ مَنْ تَدِينُ لَهُ الأَماني

فِداؤُكَ مَنْ تَدِينُ لَهُ الأَماني

بِأَنْ يَلْقَى إِلَيْكَ لَهُ وُصُولا

بِأَنْ يَلْقَى إِلَيْكَ لَهُ وُصُولا

May he whose wishes bow to him be your ransom,

You ransom those whose hopes to you aspire,

In finding for himself a way to you;

That they may find in you their goal.

وَمَنْ هُوَ دُونَ أَنْ يَرْنُو بِطَرْفٍ

وَمَنْ هُوَ دُونَ أَنْ يَرْنُو بِطَرْفٍ

إِلَيكَ فَكَيْفَ تَنْظُره عَدِيلا

إِلَيكَ فَكَيْفَ تَنْظُره عَدِيلا

And he who is too lowly even to lift his gaze

He who does not look to you - how can he see?

To you—how could you regard him as an equal?

For him what substitution can there be?

تُرَى شَمْسُ الضُّحى إِبّان تَبْدُو

تُرَى شَمْسُ الضُّحى إِبّان تَبْدُو

وَتُنْظَرُ حِينَ تُنْتَسبْ الأُصُولا

وَتُنْظَرُ حِينَ تُنْتَسبْ الأُصُولا

The morning sun is seen when it appears,

The morning sun is seen when it first rises,

And is beheld when ancestral roots are traced.

And noted when the lineages first flowed,

فَمَنْ وَافى يَعيبُ الشَّمْسَ يَوْماً

فَمَنْ وَافى يَعيبُ الشَّمْسَ يَوْماً

كَفاهُ على جَهَالتِهِ دَليلا

كَفاهُ على جَهَالتِهِ دَليلا

So if anyone comes one day to fault the sun,

So one who'd fault the sun some day,

That alone is proof enough of his ignorance.

His ignorance would amply show.