نأَى بي عَن موارِدِهِ زَمَاني

نأَى بي عَن موارِدِهِ زَمَاني

فَأَرْسَلَ لي نَداهُ مَعَ السَّحَابِ

فَأَرْسَلَ لي نَداهُ مَعَ السَّحَابِ

My days carried me far from his watering places,

Time estranged me from its springs,

So he sent me his bounty with the clouds.

Yet its downpour came to me with the clouds,

وَلَمْ أَرَ قَبْلَ جُودِ يَدَيْهِ جُوداً

وَلَمْ أَرَ قَبْلَ جُودِ يَدَيْهِ جُوداً

أتَاني طَارِقاً بِالخَيْرِ بَابي

أتَاني طَارِقاً بِالخَيْرِ بَابي

And before the generosity of his hands, I had never seen generosity

Never before have I seen generosity like the generosity of its hands,

Come knocking at my door with good things.

It came knocking on my door with good tidings.

وَكانَ الفَأْرُ فارَ قَنَا وَغَنَّى

وَكانَ الفَأْرُ فارَ قَنَا وَغَنَّى

بِرَغْمِي عَن مُنازَلتي اغْتِرابي

بِرَغْمِي عَن مُنازَلتي اغْتِرابي

And the mouse had left us and sang,

The rat had left and sang happily,

Against my wishes, of my estrangement from combat [wording uncertain].

In spite of my remoteness and exile from my dwellings.

وَكَيفَ يُقِيمُ في بَيْتٍ طَوَانا

وَكَيفَ يُقِيمُ في بَيْتٍ طَوَانا

طَوَانا عِنْدَهُ طَيَّ الكِتابِ

طَوَانا عِنْدَهُ طَيَّ الكِتابِ

And how could it dwell in a house where our hunger

How could one who runs his house by the Book,

Folded us up there as a letter is folded?

Stay where there are spies,

وَيَحْسِبُنا فَوارِسَ إذْ يَرانا

وَيَحْسِبُنا فَوارِسَ إذْ يَرانا

بِسَاحتهِ نَحُومُ علَى اللُّبَابِ

بِسَاحتهِ نَحُومُ علَى اللُّبَابِ

And it thinks us horsemen when it sees us

And reckon us as knights when he sees us,

In its courtyard, hovering over the kernels.

Roaming helplessly in his courtyard?

وَقَدْ بَعَثَ الأَمِيرُ لَنَا مُغَلاًّ

وَقَدْ بَعَثَ الأَمِيرُ لَنَا مُغَلاًّ

بِهِ قَدْ فَكَّ أَغْلالَ الرِّقَابِ

بِهِ قَدْ فَكَّ أَغْلالَ الرِّقَابِ

And the emir has sent us something bound,

The prince sent us money to free us,

With which he unlocked the shackles on our necks.

With which he loosed the shackles from our necks.

وَلَمَّا غَابَ شَمْسُ الدِّينِ عَنّي

وَلَمَّا غَابَ شَمْسُ الدِّينِ عَنّي

دَعَاني الظَّنُّ فِيهِ لارْتيابي

دَعَاني الظَّنُّ فِيهِ لارْتيابي

And when Shams al-Din was absent from me,

When the sun of religion was absent from me,

Conjecture about him led me into doubt.

Doubt called me to distrust him.

وَبِتُّ أَقُولُ قَمحٌ أمْ شَعيرٌ

وَبِتُّ أَقُولُ قَمحٌ أمْ شَعيرٌ

فَبادَرَني عَطَاؤُكَ بِالجَوَابِ

فَبادَرَني عَطَاؤُكَ بِالجَوَابِ

And I spent the night asking, “Wheat or barley?”

I stay up at night saying is it wheat or barley?

Then your gift was quick to answer me.

Your gift came answering me.

وَجَاءَ البِرُّ بُرّاً لُؤْلُؤياً

وَجَاءَ البِرُّ بُرّاً لُؤْلُؤياً

يُباهِي العِقْدَ في جِيدِ الكَعَابِ

يُباهِي العِقْدَ في جِيدِ الكَعَابِ

And kindness came as pearl-like wheat,

Goodness came to me pearly,

Rivaling the necklace on a maiden’s neck.

Outshining a necklace around the neck of a maiden.

فَزارَ الضيَّفُ بَعْدَ جَفاءِ رَبْعي

فَزارَ الضيَّفُ بَعْدَ جَفاءِ رَبْعي

وَأَيْقَنَ طَارِقي خِصْبَ الجَنابِ

وَأَيْقَنَ طَارِقي خِصْبَ الجَنابِ

So the guest visited after shunning my dwelling,

So the guest visited after the harshness of my quarter,

And my night visitor was sure of the grounds’ abundance.

And my knocker perceived the fertility of my threshold.