أخ لي كنت أغبط باعتقاده

أخ لي كنت أغبط باعتقاده

ولا أخشى التنكر من وداده

ولا أخشى التنكر من وداده

A brother of mine—for whose devotion I was envied—

A brother of mine, whose devotion once made me envied,

and I never feared that his affection would change.

and I feared no change of heart in his affection.

أخٌ لي عاد من بعد اجتنابِهْ

أخٌ لي عاد من بعد اجتنابِهْ

وفرَّق بين قلبي واكتئابِهْ

وفرَّق بين قلبي واكتئابِهْ

A brother who returned to me after shunning me,

A brother of mine returned after keeping away,

and severed my heart from its dejection.

and separated my heart from its sorrow.

حباني بالعتاب وكان ظنّي

حباني بالعتاب وكان ظنّي

به أن لا سبيلَ إلى عتابه

به أن لا سبيلَ إلى عتابه

He favored me with reproach, though I had thought

He favored me with reproach, though I had thought

there was no way he would ever reproach me.

there was no way to receive his reproach.

وخاطبني فخلت بأن زهر ال

وخاطبني فخلت بأن زهر ال

ربى الموشيَّ يُجنى من خطابه

ربى الموشيَّ يُجنى من خطابه

He addressed me, and I fancied that the flowers

He addressed me, so I imagined that the blossoms of the

of brocade-clad hills were gathered from his speech—

hills, richly patterned, were gathered from his speech.

بلفظٍ لو بدا لحليف شَيبٍ

بلفظٍ لو بدا لحليف شَيبٍ

لفارقه وعاد إلى شبابه

لفارقه وعاد إلى شبابه

words which, if they appeared to one allied with gray hair,

With words that, if they appeared to one allied to gray hair,

would make the gray depart and restore him to youth.

the gray would leave him, and he would return to his youth.

فقرَّبَ بين أجفاني وغمضي

فقرَّبَ بين أجفاني وغمضي

وباعد بين دمعي وانسكابه

وباعد بين دمعي وانسكابه

My eye came to rest between eyelid and sleep,

So he brought my eyelids and my sleep together,

and he set a distance between my tears and their spilling.

and set my tears apart from their spilling.

وردَّ البرَ في جسمٍ ثوى من

وردَّ البرَ في جسمٍ ثوى من

سَقام الصدّ حين ثوى لما به

سَقام الصدّ حين ثوى لما به

He restored health to a body laid low

And he restored well-being to a body laid low by

by the sickness of estrangement, when it succumbed to its pain.

estrangement's sickness, when it lay low from its affliction.

أتاني أرْيُ منطقه فعفَّى

أتاني أرْيُ منطقه فعفَّى

على ما ذقته من طعم صابه

على ما ذقته من طعم صابه

The honey of his speech came to me and effaced

The honey of his speech reached me and wiped away

all I had tasted of the bitter ṣāb-tree’s flavor.

what I had tasted of his bitter sap.

وكان ألذَّ عندي من رضابٍ ال

وكان ألذَّ عندي من رضابٍ ال

حبيب إذا قدرتُ على رضابه

حبيب إذا قدرتُ على رضابه

It was sweeter to me than the mouth-nectar

And it was sweeter to me than the saliva of the

of a beloved—if I could ever attain that nectar.

beloved, whenever his saliva was within my reach.

إذا انتسب الثقاتُ إلى وفاءٍ

إذا انتسب الثقاتُ إلى وفاءٍ

فحسبك بانتسابي وانتسابه

فحسبك بانتسابي وانتسابه

When the trustworthy trace their lineage to fidelity,

If the trustworthy trace their lineage to fidelity,

it is enough that he and I both claim descent from it.

my lineage and his should suffice you.

على أني وإن حزتُ الثريا

على أني وإن حزتُ الثريا

فلستُ أُقاسُ بعدُ إلى ترابه

فلستُ أُقاسُ بعدُ إلى ترابه

Though I possessed the whole earth,

Yet even if I possessed the Pleiades,

beside him I could not be measured against his dust.

I still could not be compared with his dust.

ولو أقسمتُ أن المجد شيءٌ

ولو أقسمتُ أن المجد شيءٌ

له دون البرية لم أحابه

له دون البرية لم أحابه

If I swore that glory belonged to him alone,

And if I swore that glory was something

apart from all creation, I would show him no partiality.

his alone, apart from all creation, I would not be favoring him.

خليلٌ كنت إن واريتُ شخصي

خليلٌ كنت إن واريتُ شخصي

رأت عيناي شخصي في ثيابه

رأت عيناي شخصي في ثيابه

My friend—if I concealed my own person,

A friend: whenever I would hide my own form,

I would see myself plainly in his clothes.

my eyes would see my form in his clothes.

حمامي في تنائيه ولكن

حمامي في تنائيه ولكن

حياتي حين يقرب في اقترابه

حياتي حين يقرب في اقترابه

My death lies in his keeping far away; but

My death lies in his distance, but

when he draws near, my life lies in his approach.

my life, when he draws near, lies in his nearness.

إذا ما اقتادني ألفى قيادي

إذا ما اقتادني ألفى قيادي

قيادَ الماء أسرعَ في انصبابه

قيادَ الماء أسرعَ في انصبابه

Whenever he leads me, he finds my reins

Whenever he led me, he found my yielding

quicker to yield than water rushing downward.

like water's yielding, at its swiftest outpouring.

ولما أحدث الدهرُ ارتياباً

ولما أحدث الدهرُ ارتياباً

غدا متعلقاً بعرى ارتيابه

غدا متعلقاً بعرى ارتيابه

When Time gave rise to suspicion,

And when Time stirred up doubt,

he clung to the bonds of his doubt.

he began clinging to the handholds of his suspicion.

يعاقبني على غير اجترامٍ

يعاقبني على غير اجترامٍ

فأصبر حين يبلغُ في عقابه

فأصبر حين يبلغُ في عقابه

He punishes me though I committed no offense,

He punishes me for no offense,

and I endure when he goes to the utmost in punishment,

so I endure when he goes to extremes in his punishment.

رجاءَ إِيابهِ لي بالذي لم

رجاءَ إِيابهِ لي بالذي لم

أزلْ صباً إليه من إيابه

أزلْ صباً إليه من إيابه

hoping he will return to me, even while wronging me; never

Hoping for his return to me with what I have never

have I ceased yearning for him since his return.

ceased to yearn for from his return.

وما لي لا أخافُ ذهابَ ودٍّ

وما لي لا أخافُ ذهابَ ودٍّ

وجدتُ ذهاب نفسي في ذهابه

وجدتُ ذهاب نفسي في ذهابه

Why should I not fear affection’s departure,

And why should I not fear the loss of a love,

when I found my soul departing with it?

when in its loss I found the loss of my own life?

أمن معنى تبسّم عن صوابٍ

أمن معنى تبسّم عن صوابٍ

فأجتنب الزيادة من صوابه

فأجتنب الزيادة من صوابه

Is it because a meaning smiled forth in correctness

Does a tormented man's smile spring from sound judgment,

that I should shun adding to its correctness?

that I should shun any more of such judgment?

يغادرني التجني كلَّ يومٍ

يغادرني التجني كلَّ يومٍ

صريعاً بين مخلبه ونابه

صريعاً بين مخلبه ونابه

His unjust reproach leaves me every day

Unjust reproach leaves me every day

felled between its claw and fang,

felled between its claw and fang.

كأني قد رضيتُ عن الليالي

كأني قد رضيتُ عن الليالي

واسعدت الزمان على انقلابه

واسعدت الزمان على انقلابه

as though I had made peace with the nights

As though I had been pleased with the nights,

and helped Time through all its reversals.

and helped Time in its reversals.

وما أنا وارتكابَ الأمر حتى

وما أنا وارتكابَ الأمر حتى

أرى ما خلفه قبل ارتكابه

أرى ما خلفه قبل ارتكابه

Yet I undertake no affair until

Nor will I embark on a matter until

before undertaking it, I see what lies behind it.

I see what lies behind it before undertaking it.

أبا الفتح افتتحت الفضلَ لما

أبا الفتح افتتحت الفضلَ لما

فككتَ معذباً بك من عذابه

فككتَ معذباً بك من عذابه

Abu al-Fath, you inaugurated grace when

Abu al-Fath, you opened the way to generosity when

you freed one tormented by you from his torment.

you freed one tormented by you from his torment.

أعيذك أن يكونَ رضاك يعدو

أعيذك أن يكونَ رضاك يعدو

فتىً ما كان سخطٌ في حسابه

فتىً ما كان سخطٌ في حسابه

May you be guarded lest your favor overstep

I seek protection for you, lest your favor pass by

and undo what my anger had entered in its reckoning.

a youth who never reckoned on displeasure.

فقد سكَّنتَ قلباً كاد مما

فقد سكَّنتَ قلباً كاد مما

حشدتَ عليه يخرجُ من إِهابه

حشدتَ عليه يخرجُ من إِهابه

For you calmed a heart that nearly,

For you have calmed a heart that almost, from what

beneath all you had massed upon it, burst from its sheath.

you massed against it, burst out of its skin.

وأطفأ بردُ وصلك حرَّ هجرٍ

وأطفأ بردُ وصلك حرَّ هجرٍ

تلهبت الجوانحُ بالتهابه

تلهبت الجوانحُ بالتهابه

With the coolness of union with you, you quenched an estrangement’s heat

And the coolness of your closeness quenched the heat of estrangement,

whose blaze had set my innermost ribs aflame.

whose blaze had set my ribs aflame.

فكنتَ إذا مددتَ لحسمِ أمرٍ

فكنتَ إذا مددتَ لحسمِ أمرٍ

يداً لم تأته من غير بابه

يداً لم تأته من غير بابه

Whenever you stretched out a hand to settle an affair,

So whenever, to settle a matter, you stretched out

that hand reached it through no door but its own.

a hand, you approached it only through its door.

بنفسي شيمةٌ لك ولو أُتيحتْ

بنفسي شيمةٌ لك ولو أُتيحتْ

لذي ظمأ لكانت من شرابه

لذي ظمأ لكانت من شرابه

May my life ransom a trait of yours which, if offered

My life for a virtue of yours! Were it bestowed

to a thirsty man, would become his drink.

on one athirst, it would be part of his drink.

كتبتُ ومن أجن الشوق قدماً

كتبتُ ومن أجن الشوق قدماً

قسيماً ما يجن على كتابه

قسيماً ما يجن على كتابه

My writings and those of one whom longing maddened long ago

I wrote; whoever has long harbored longing

share alike whatever he conceals in his letter.

as a companion hides nothing in his letter.

ولي قلم إذا كاتمتُ ما بي

ولي قلم إذا كاتمتُ ما بي

تبين في انتحابي وانتحابه

تبين في انتحابي وانتحابه

I have a pen that, whenever I hide what is within me,

And I have a pen: whenever I conceal what ails me,

reveals it in my sobbing—and in its own.

it is revealed in my sobbing and in the pen's sobbing.