برب الهوى يا شمس لا تتعجلي

برب الهوى يا شمس لا تتعجلي

لعلي أراها قبل ساع الترحل

لعلي أراها قبل ساع الترحل

By the lord of love, O sun, do not hasten,

O lord of love, O sun, do not hasten

By the Lord of Love, O sun, do not hasten,

Perhaps I may see her before the hour of departure.

That I may see her before the time of parting

Perchance I may see her before the hour of parting.

سريت فأفق الغرب يلقلك باسما

سريت فأفق الغرب يلقلك باسما

طروبا و أفق الشرق بادي التذلل

طروبا و أفق الشرق بادي التذلل

You journeyed on, and the western horizon greets you, smiling,

You set in the west horizon wavering

You journeyed, so the western horizon meets you smiling

Enraptured, while the eastern horizon shows its submission.

While the east horizon dawns humbled

With joy, while the eastern horizon displays submission.

كأن السنا إذ فارق الأرض و اعتلى

كأن السنا إذ فارق الأرض و اعتلى

رؤوس الروابي و النخيل  المسبل

رؤوس الروابي و النخيل المسبل

As though the radiance, when it left the earth and climbed

As if the yearnings, when they left the earth and ascended

As if the radiance, when it left the earth and ascended

The hilltops and the palms with drooping fronds,

The hilltops and the trailing palm trees

The peaks of the hills and the drooping palm trees,

أحاسيس أخفاها الفؤاد وصانها

أحاسيس أخفاها الفؤاد وصانها

زمانا ففاضت من عيون و مقل

زمانا ففاضت من عيون و مقل

Were feelings the heart had concealed and guarded

Feelings I had hidden in my heart and protected

Were feelings the heart concealed and guarded

For a time—then they overflowed from eyes and orbs.

For so long that overflowed from my eyes and my eyelids

For a time, until they overflowed from eyes and gaze.

و صفصافة مخضوبة الرأس بالسنا

و صفصافة مخضوبة الرأس بالسنا

تراع بزفزاف من الريح معول

تراع بزفزاف من الريح معول

And a willow, its head dyed with radiance,

And a willow whose head is dyed with whiteness

And a willow tree, its head dyed with the glow,

Is startled by a wailing gust of wind.

Sways to the rhythm of the blowing winds

Is startled by a wailing whistle of the wind,

تبين كعذراء من الريف أقبلت

تبين كعذراء من الريف أقبلت

بجرتها من دافق الماء سلسل

بجرتها من دافق الماء سلسل

It appears like a country maiden who has come

She appears like a village maiden who approached

Appearing like a rural maiden coming forth

With her jar from clear, gushing water.

With her jug from the flowing water chained

With her jar of flowing, fresh water.

نعى لي و للناس النهار ( مؤذن )

نعى لي و للناس النهار ( مؤذن )

وقد كان ينعي لي قؤادي و مأملي

وقد كان ينعي لي قؤادي و مأملي

A muezzin announced the day's death to me and to the people,

The day proclaimer eulogized for me and people

The caller announced the day's death to me and the people,

And indeed he was announcing to me the death of my heart and my hope.

Though he had eulogized my companions and hopes

And he was announcing the death of my heart and my hope.

تمنيته لا يسمع الصوت أخرسا

تمنيته لا يسمع الصوت أخرسا

تمنيت لو يهوي إلى الأرض من عل

تمنيت لو يهوي إلى الأرض من عل

I wished him mute, his voice unheard;

I wished him mute, unable to hear his voice

I wished him mute, unable to hear the sound,

I wished he would plunge to the earth from on high.

I wished he would plummet from his height to the ground

I wished he would tumble to the earth from on high.

ألا وقرت آذان من يسمعونه

ألا وقرت آذان من يسمعونه

بأشلاء قلب في ضلوعي مقتل

بأشلاء قلب في ضلوعي مقتل

Oh, may the ears of those who hear him be stopped up

If only he deafened the ears of those who hear him

Alas, may the ears of those who hear him be deafened

With shreds of a heart slain within my ribs!

With shards of a heart in my shattered ribs

By the shreds of a murdered heart within my ribs.

ألا نثرت من تحت أقدامه أسى

ألا نثرت من تحت أقدامه أسى

حجارة ذاك المسجد المتبتل

حجارة ذاك المسجد المتبتل

Oh, may they be scattered in sorrow from beneath his feet—

If only I strewed my sorrow beneath his feet

Alas, may they be scattered beneath his feet in sorrow—

The stones of that devout mosque!

Stones of that frequented mosque

The stones of that devout mosque.

أطرت عصافير الربى حين غادرت

أطرت عصافير الربى حين غادرت

كأن بتغريد العصافير مقتلي

كأن بتغريد العصافير مقتلي

I sent the sparrows of the hills flying when I left,

The countryside birds twittered when I left

Did you startle the birds of the hills when you left?

As though my death lay in the sparrows' song.

As if in the birds' twittering was my death

As if in the chirping of the birds lies my demise.

رأيت بها بدهر مجنح

رأيت بها بدهر مجنح

فأبغضت أشباه العدو المنكل

فأبغضت أشباه العدو المنكل

I saw in them [a likeness] to winged time,

I saw in it one day winged

I saw in them a winged fate,

So I hated the likenesses of the tormenting enemy.

So I hated the likeness of the slanderous enemy

So I loathed the likeness of the tormenting foe.

كأنى به لما يمد جناحه

كأنى به لما يمد جناحه

يمد لأكباد الورى حد  فيصل

يمد لأكباد الورى حد فيصل

I seem to see him, when he spreads his wing,

As if when it spreads its wing

As though, when it spreads its wing,

Extending a cleaving sword's edge toward the livers of humankind.

It extends to the hearts of people a dividing sword

It extends a cutting blade to the hearts of mankind.

ألا ليت عمر اليوم يزداد ساعة

ألا ليت عمر اليوم يزداد ساعة

ليزداد عمر الوصل نظرة معجل

ليزداد عمر الوصل نظرة معجل

Oh, if only the day's life could lengthen by an hour,

Oh, if only the day would last an extra hour

Oh, would that the day's life increase by an hour,

So the life of union might lengthen by one hurried glance.

That the lifetime of union would extend with a hastened glance

To increase the reunion's life by a hurried glance.