عَلَيْكُمْ وإلاَّ فالبُكاءُ مضيعُ

عَلَيْكُمْ وإلاَّ فالبُكاءُ مضيعُ

وفيكُمْ وإلاَّ فالرَّجاءُ قَطيعُ

وفيكُمْ وإلاَّ فالرَّجاءُ قَطيعُ

For you—otherwise, weeping is wasted.

Without you, weeping becomes lost

And in you—otherwise, hope is cut off.

With you, hope remains gathered

وعَنكم وإلاَّ فالأحاديثُ ضِلَّةٌ

وعَنكم وإلاَّ فالأحاديثُ ضِلَّةٌ

ومنكمْ وألاَّ فالنَّوالُ وَضيعُ

ومنكمْ وألاَّ فالنَّوالُ وَضيعُ

And of you—otherwise, talk is folly.

Without you, words become misguidance

And from you—otherwise, bounty is paltry.

With you, yearning remains preserved

فإنْ تَهْجُرُوني للرِّحابِ مُلازمٌ

فإنْ تَهْجُرُوني للرِّحابِ مُلازمٌ

وإنْ تَنْدُبوني سامعٌ ومُطيعُ

وإنْ تَنْدُبوني سامعٌ ومُطيعُ

So if you forsake me, I remain at the courtyards.

If you abandon me, I will remain residing in the wilderness

And if you summon me, I am attentive and obedient.

If you lament for me, I listen and obey

وَلوعٌ ولم أهْجَعْ لأجلِ جَمالِكُمْ

وَلوعٌ ولم أهْجَعْ لأجلِ جَمالِكُمْ

ومن أينَ للطَّرفِ الوَلوعِ هجوعُ

ومن أينَ للطَّرفِ الوَلوعِ هجوعُ

Enamored, I have not slept because of your beauty.

Sleepless from yearning for your beauty

And how can the enamored eye find sleep?

Where can sleep find the sleepless eye?

به أرقٌ أفناهُ عن رُؤيةِ السِّوى

به أرقٌ أفناهُ عن رُؤيةِ السِّوى

وقد أغْرَقَ الأطرافَ منهُ دُموعُ

وقد أغْرَقَ الأطرافَ منهُ دُموعُ

Sleeplessness has consumed it, keeping it from seeing anything else.

Insomnia has wasted me from seeing others

And tears from it have flooded the eyes.

Tears have flooded my eyes

ولله قلبٌ منهُ قُلِّبَ في الغَضا

ولله قلبٌ منهُ قُلِّبَ في الغَضا

وجِسْمٌ بإثرِ الظَّاعنينَ صَريعُ

وجِسْمٌ بإثرِ الظَّاعنينَ صَريعُ

And what a heart, O God—tossed by it among ghada embers!

For your sake a heart has been overturned in passion

And a body lies stricken in the wake of those departing.

A body lies slain by the spears of reproach

مَضَتْ قَبلَهُ الرُّكبانُ من كلِّ جانبٍ

مَضَتْ قَبلَهُ الرُّكبانُ من كلِّ جانبٍ

إليكُمْ تُجِدُّ السَّيْرَ وهو ضَليعُ

إليكُمْ تُجِدُّ السَّيْرَ وهو ضَليعُ

The riders went ahead of him from every direction,

Caravans from all quarters traveled before it

Toward you, hastening their journey, while he is stout of frame.

To you this journey finds its way though lost

أما وصَباحٍ أبْرَزَتهُ وجوهُكُمْ

أما وصَباحٍ أبْرَزَتهُ وجوهُكُمْ

له من سَمواتِ الخُدودِ طُلوعُ

له من سَمواتِ الخُدودِ طُلوعُ

Lo, by a dawn your faces have brought forth,

By the morning your faces revealed

Whose rising is from the heavens of cheeks;

The heavens in your cheeks have dawned

وآياتِ عرفانِ نَظَمْتُمْ عُقودَها

وآياتِ عرفانِ نَظَمْتُمْ عُقودَها

بألبانِها طِفْلُ الكَمالِ رَضيعُ

بألبانِها طِفْلُ الكَمالِ رَضيعُ

And by signs of gnosis whose necklaces you have strung,

And signs of recognition you have strung as necklaces

On whose milk the infant of perfection suckles;

An infant of perfection suckling their milk

وشائِعِ وَجْدٍ سُرَّ خيفَةَ عِزِّكُمْ

وشائِعِ وَجْدٍ سُرَّ خيفَةَ عِزِّكُمْ

وسِرِّ على رَغْمِ الفُؤادِ يَشيعُ

وسِرِّ على رَغْمِ الفُؤادِ يَشيعُ

And by manifest passion, concealed for fear of your majesty,

With a prevailing passion the secret of your glory spreads

And by a secret that spreads against the heart's will;

Though against my will, through my heart it courses

وسيَّاحِ دَمْعٍ من عُيونٍ قَريحَةٍ

وسيَّاحِ دَمْعٍ من عُيونٍ قَريحَةٍ

بها الخَدُّ من شَقِّ المَسيلِ وَجيعُ

بها الخَدُّ من شَقِّ المَسيلِ وَجيعُ

And by streaming tears from wounded eyes,

And tears of wounded eyes stream

From which the cheek aches where their stream has cut its course;

Down cheeks, cleft from their flowing

ونارٍ يَشُبُّ الشَّوقُ زَفرَةَ جَمْرِها

ونارٍ يَشُبُّ الشَّوقُ زَفرَةَ جَمْرِها

طَوَتْها لكم يالَ الحَطيمِ ضُلوعُ

طَوَتْها لكم يالَ الحَطيمِ ضُلوعُ

And by a fire whose embers' sigh is kindled by longing,

A fire which longing fans its embers’ flames

Ribs have enfolded it for you—O al-Hatim!

Its heat melted for you, O heart rending thorns

لأنْتُمْ مَوالينا ونحنُ عَبيدُكمْ

لأنْتُمْ مَوالينا ونحنُ عَبيدُكمْ

ولو أنَّنا نَعْرى لكم ونَجوعُ

ولو أنَّنا نَعْرى لكم ونَجوعُ

You are indeed our masters, and we are your slaves,

For you are our patrons and we your servants

Even if we go naked and hungry for you.

Even if we were to be stripped bare and starved for you

يَطيبُ بكمْ في بُرْهَةِ الدَّهرِ عُمْرُنا

يَطيبُ بكمْ في بُرْهَةِ الدَّهرِ عُمْرُنا

فَمُجْدِبُهُ الخاوي الهَشيمُ رَبيعُ

فَمُجْدِبُهُ الخاوي الهَشيمُ رَبيعُ

Through you, our life grows sweet within time's span,

Through you our life is sweet for a time

So its barren, desolate stretch of dry stubble is spring.

Else its barren ruins would be desolate spring

أُصولُ العُلى أنتم ونحنُ فُروعُكُمْ

أُصولُ العُلى أنتم ونحنُ فُروعُكُمْ

ويُلْحَقُ حُكْماً بالأصولِ فُروعُ

ويُلْحَقُ حُكْماً بالأصولِ فُروعُ

You are the roots of eminence, and we are your branches,

You are the highest principles, us your branches

And by rule, branches are reckoned with the roots.

And branches obtain the rule of principles