يا بارقاً قد تَلَوَّى

يا بارقاً قد تَلَوَّى

متَى التَوَيْتَ نُراعُ

متَى التَوَيْتَ نُراعُ

O lightning-flash that has curled,

O lightning that twists and turns

whenever you curl, we are startled.

When will you rest, O my delight

يَشُبُّ في السِّرِّ منَّا

يَشُبُّ في السِّرِّ منَّا

إن ما بَرَزْتَ شُعاعُ

إن ما بَرَزْتَ شُعاعُ

In our innermost depths there flares,

Affection for you grows secretly within me

if you do not appear, a ray.

If only you would shine your rays

يا بَرْقُ أحْبابُ قَلبي

يا بَرْقُ أحْبابُ قَلبي

بالهَجْرِ قلبي أضاعوا

بالهَجْرِ قلبي أضاعوا

O lightning, the beloveds of my heart

O lightning, beloved of my heart

have laid my heart waste through abandonment.

With abandonment, they made my heart stray

تَواتَرَ الدَّمْعُ مِنِّي

تَواتَرَ الدَّمْعُ مِنِّي

وقَوْلُ قَطْعي سَماعُ

وقَوْلُ قَطْعي سَماعُ

Tears have flowed from me in succession,

My tears flowed continuously

and talk of cutting me off is what I hear.

And their word of farewell I heard

وحُكْمُ أهلِ وِدادي

وحُكْمُ أهلِ وِدادي

يا بَرْقُ حُكْمٌ مُطاعُ

يا بَرْقُ حُكْمٌ مُطاعُ

And the decree of those I love,

The judgement of those I love

O lightning, is a decree obeyed.

O lightning, their rule I obeyed

أذَعْتُ سَيْلَ عُيوني

أذَعْتُ سَيْلَ عُيوني

لهمْ وهَجْري أذاعوا

لهمْ وهَجْري أذاعوا

I made known the flood of my eyes

I announced the flood of my eyes for them

to them; they made known their abandonment of me.

And they made known my abandonment

والبُعْدُ قد راعَ رَوْعي

والبُعْدُ قد راعَ رَوْعي

يا لَيْتَهُمْ ليَ راعوا

يا لَيْتَهُمْ ليَ راعوا

And distance has stirred my dread;

Distance alarmed my composure

oh, if only they had shown me care!

If only they would alarm for me

للحُبِّ والَهْفَ قلبي

للحُبِّ والَهْفَ قلبي

على الطِّباعِ انْطِباعِ

على الطِّباعِ انْطِباعِ

Love—alas for my heart!—leaves

My heart is impressionable

an imprint upon our natures.

To love and ardour

وَدَّعْتُ روحي اصْطِلاماً

وَدَّعْتُ روحي اصْطِلاماً

مُذْ قيلَ حانَ الوَداعُ

مُذْ قيلَ حانَ الوَداعُ

I bade my soul farewell in annihilation,

I bade farewell to my soul despondently

since it was said, “The hour of farewell has come.”

Since the time of farewell was announced

وقد عَبَثْنَ بِقلبي

وقد عَبَثْنَ بِقلبي

لَهْفاهُ تلكَ التِّلاعُ

لَهْفاهُ تلكَ التِّلاعُ

And they have toyed with my heart—

They toyed with my heart

alas!—those hills.

Those flirts with their coquetry

والموجُ من بحرِ جَفْني

والموجُ من بحرِ جَفْني

ما فيهِ خِلَّى انْقِطاعُ

ما فيهِ خِلَّى انْقِطاعُ

And the surge from the sea of my eyelid

The waves from my eyelids’ sea

never ceases, my friend.

Have no ebb to cease

بها سَفائِنُ وَجْدي

بها سَفائِنُ وَجْدي

ما احْتفَّهُنَّ شِراعُ

ما احْتفَّهُنَّ شِراعُ

Upon it are the ships of my ecstasy;

In it are the ships of my fervour

no sail has enfolded them.

No sails could contain them

ولي معَ النَّوْحِ دَوْماً

ولي معَ النَّوْحِ دَوْماً

مَعارِكٌ وصِراعُ

مَعارِكٌ وصِراعُ

And with lamentation I am forever locked

And I, with lament forever

in battles and struggle.

Have battles and struggles

يُمْلأُ من جُهْدِ روحي

يُمْلأُ من جُهْدِ روحي

صاعٌ ويُفْرَغُ صاعُ

صاعٌ ويُفْرَغُ صاعُ

From my soul's exertion is filled

It fills from my soul’s exertion

a measure, and a measure is emptied.

A bucket, and a bucket is emptied

ومن زَفيرِ أنيني

ومن زَفيرِ أنيني

للعاشقينَ سماعُ

للعاشقينَ سماعُ

And from the sighing of my moans

And from the sigh of my moan

comes music for lovers to hear.

Lovers find audio

كأنَّني لَوْحُ رِقٍّ

كأنَّني لَوْحُ رِقٍّ

قد جَفَّ فيهِ اليَراعُ

قد جَفَّ فيهِ اليَراعُ

As though I were a sheet of parchment,

It's as if I'm a parchment of affliction

on which the reed pen has dried.

On which the inscriber dried his ink

ويا عَجَباً لِحبِّي

ويا عَجَباً لِحبِّي

على شُؤُني اطِّلاعُ

على شُؤُني اطِّلاعُ

And, O wonder, my beloved has

And oh, the wonder of my love

insight into my affairs.

Its awareness of my affairs

هو المَتاعُ لِروحي

هو المَتاعُ لِروحي

وللرِّجالِ مَتاعُ

وللرِّجالِ مَتاعُ

He is the delight of my soul,

It is the possession of my soul

and men have possessions.

And for men, a possession

هَمِّي عَليهِ ضَياعي

هَمِّي عَليهِ ضَياعي

وهَمُّ غَيري ضِياعُ

وهَمُّ غَيري ضِياعُ

My concern for him is my own undoing,

My loss is in its misplacement

while others' concern is landed estates.

And others' loss is in its absence

دِرايَتي مُسْنَدُ الحب

دِرايَتي مُسْنَدُ الحب

بِ صَحَّ منها السَّماعُ

بِ صَحَّ منها السَّماعُ

My understanding is love's chain of transmission;

The support of love is my knowledge

what is heard from it is proven sound.

From it, hearing truths

ومُمْكِنُ الوَجْدِ فيهِ

ومُمْكِنُ الوَجْدِ فيهِ

للغَيرِ فيه امْتِناعُ

للغَيرِ فيه امْتِناعُ

And what is possible in ecstasy within it

And allowing passion in it

is, within it, impossible for others.

For others in it, refusal

سَلْبِيَّةٌ في القَضايا

سَلْبِيَّةٌ في القَضايا

منها الفُرادى شِفاعُ

منها الفُرادى شِفاعُ

A negation among propositions,

A negativity in matters

from which the single become pairs,

From it, individuals find intercession

مَكْنِيَّةٌ تحتَ قلبي

مَكْنِيَّةٌ تحتَ قلبي

كالنَّارِ لا تُسْتَطاعُ

كالنَّارِ لا تُسْتَطاعُ

concealed beneath my heart,

An implication beneath my heart

like fire that cannot be endured.

Like fire, cannot be contained