هاتِ عن أهل الحِمى ما فَعَلُوا

هاتِ عن أهل الحِمى ما فَعَلُوا

هل أقاموا بعدَنا أَمْ رحلوا

هل أقاموا بعدَنا أَمْ رحلوا

Tell me what the people of the sanctuary have done.

Ask the people of passion what they did

Did they stay after we left, or depart?

Did they stay after us or did they depart?

إن يكونوا رحلوا عن ناظري

إن يكونوا رحلوا عن ناظري

فبأَكْنَافِ فؤادي نَزَلوا

فبأَكْنَافِ فؤادي نَزَلوا

If they have departed from my sight,

If they departed from my sight

then they have settled in the recesses of my heart.

Then in the folds of my heart they descended

عمركَ الله إذا ما جئتَهمُ

عمركَ الله إذا ما جئتَهمُ

وتراءَتْ لك تِلكَ الكِللُ

وتراءَتْ لك تِلكَ الكِللُ

I adjure you by God, when you come to them,

May God lengthen your life when you come to them

and those curtained canopies appear before you,

And you see those ruins

قُلْ لَهُم باللهِ عنّي إنّني

قُلْ لَهُم باللهِ عنّي إنّني

حافظٌ ميثاقَهم إنْ سألوا

حافظٌ ميثاقَهم إنْ سألوا

tell them, by God, on my behalf, that I

Say to them, by God, from me that I

am faithful to their covenant, if they ask.

Am true to their covenant if they ask

أَيُّ سرٍّ في فؤادي لَهمُ

أَيُّ سرٍّ في فؤادي لَهمُ

غير مأمونٍ عليه الرسلُ

غير مأمونٍ عليه الرسلُ

Any secret I hold for them in my heart—

What secret is in my heart for them

messengers cannot be trusted with it.

Other than one the messengers cannot be trusted with

صِفْ لهمْ حالي وخذ في شرحِهِ

صِفْ لهمْ حالي وخذ في شرحِهِ

عَلَّهُمْ أن يعلَموا ما جهلوا

عَلَّهُمْ أن يعلَموا ما جهلوا

Describe my condition to them, and begin explaining it,

Describe my state to them and elaborate

that perhaps they may learn what they did not know.

Perhaps they will know what they did not know

واطّرحْ ذِكر دَمي عِندهُم

واطّرحْ ذِكر دَمي عِندهُم

ليسَ يُودَى عندهُمْ مَنْ قَتلوا

ليسَ يُودَى عندهُمْ مَنْ قَتلوا

And omit all mention of my blood in their presence:

And omit mentioning my blood to them

among them, no blood money is paid for those they have slain.

Those they killed cannot be compensated among them

كم أثاروا مِن جوىً في مهجتي

كم أثاروا مِن جوىً في مهجتي

عِندما قَالوا سَلاَ قُلتُ سلوا

عِندما قَالوا سَلاَ قُلتُ سلوا

How much burning anguish they stirred in my heart's core

How much passion they stirred in my soul

when they said, ‘He has forgotten his love,’ and I said, ‘Ask!’

When they said, ask, I said, ask

كلُّ شيءٍ مُتَلَقَّى مِنهمُ

كلُّ شيءٍ مُتَلَقَّى مِنهمُ

بقبولٍ قَطَعوا أو وصلوا

بقبولٍ قَطَعوا أو وصلوا

Everything from them is received

Everything I received from them

with acceptance, whether they sever ties or maintain them.

With acceptance they severed or connected

آه كم أُتْبعُ زَفْرات الهوى

آه كم أُتْبعُ زَفْرات الهوى

زَفَراتٍ بعدَها تَتّصِلُ

زَفَراتٍ بعدَها تَتّصِلُ

Ah, how often I follow the sighs of love

Oh how many sighs of passion I emit

with sighs that follow them in unbroken succession!

Sighs that are followed by more

آه ما لي ولأسْباب الهوى

آه ما لي ولأسْباب الهوى

ما لَها عنّيَ لا تَنْفصِل

ما لَها عنّيَ لا تَنْفصِل

Ah, what have I to do with the bonds of love?

Oh what is between me and the causes of passion

Why do they not break away from me?

That do not detach themselves from me

بأبي مَنْ إنْ تثنّى أَوْ رَنا

بأبي مَنْ إنْ تثنّى أَوْ رَنا

تخجلُ البيضُ وتعنو الأَسَلُ

تخجلُ البيضُ وتعنو الأَسَلُ

May my father be ransom for him who, when he sways or gazes,

By my father, he who if he smiles or delights

makes bright swords blush and spears bow down.

The full moons are bashful and the crescents weak

وتغار الشّمسُ مِنه ن بدا

وتغار الشّمسُ مِنه ن بدا

ويغورُ القمرُ المكْتَمِلُ

ويغورُ القمرُ المكْتَمِلُ

And the sun grows jealous of him when he appears,

The sun is jealous of his brilliance when he appears

and the full moon sinks from sight.

And the full moon sinks down

مُقلتاهُ سحرتْ لبّي ولا

مُقلتاهُ سحرتْ لبّي ولا

يسحر الألبابَ إلاَّ المقلُ

يسحر الألبابَ إلاَّ المقلُ

His two eyes have bewitched my mind, and nothing

His eyes have enchanted my heart and only

bewitches minds except eyes.

The enchanting can entrance minds

كيفَ كتْمانُ صباباتي بهِ

كيفَ كتْمانُ صباباتي بهِ

وبها يُضْرب فيهِ المثلُ

وبها يُضْرب فيهِ المثلُ

How can I conceal my passionate longings for him,

How can I conceal my love for him

when those longings for him are proverbial?

When he is the paragon of lovers

أتُرى يَصْرفني عن حبّه

أتُرى يَصْرفني عن حبّه

عاذلي إن طالَ مِنه العذَلُ

عاذلي إن طالَ مِنه العذَلُ

Do you think I could be turned from loving him

Can any chider detach me from loving him

by my reproacher, even if his reproach goes on at length?

If his rebuke is prolonged?

لاَ ومَنْ أخرَسني عن عَذْلِه

لاَ ومَنْ أخرَسني عن عَذْلِه

ذاك أصلٌ عنه لا أنتقلُ

ذاك أصلٌ عنه لا أنتقلُ

No—by the one who left me unable to reproach him:

No, and whoever silenced me from his rebuke

that is a principle from which I shall not depart.

That is ingrained; I do not change course