يَقولونَ يا هذا الشُّيوخِيُّ كمْ تَهِمْ

يَقولونَ يا هذا الشُّيوخِيُّ كمْ تَهِمْ

إلى الشَّامِ يا بورِكْتَ إنَّكَ بَصْرِيُّ

إلى الشَّامِ يا بورِكْتَ إنَّكَ بَصْرِيُّ

They say: O you Shuyukhi, how much you yearn

They say, "O old man, for how long will you yearn

For al-Sham—ah, blessed be you! You are indeed Basran.

For Syria, O blessed one, you are from Basra."

فَقُلْتُ لهمْ كُفُّوا المَلامَةَ واقْصِروا

فَقُلْتُ لهمْ كُفُّوا المَلامَةَ واقْصِروا

هُنالكَ لي نَشْرٌ بِذا الطَّيِّ مَطْوِيُّ

هُنالكَ لي نَشْرٌ بِذا الطَّيِّ مَطْوِيُّ

So I told them: Cease your reproach and desist;

So I said to them, "Stop blaming and be brief,

There I have an unfolding, folded within this fold.

For I have a spreading blossom in this folded robe."

وقالتْ حَماماتُ اللِّوى فاذْكُرَنْ لَنا

وقالتْ حَماماتُ اللِّوى فاذْكُرَنْ لَنا

هلِ الشَّامُ ما تَبغي بَقيتَ أمِ الحَيُّ

هلِ الشَّامُ ما تَبغي بَقيتَ أمِ الحَيُّ

And the doves of al-Liwa said: Then do tell us:

And the doves of the grove said, "Remember us,

Is al-Sham what you seek—may you live on—or the clan?

Is it Syria you want or is it the neighborhood left?"

فَقلتُ لهمْ في الحَيِّ مَنْبَعُ شأنِنا

فَقلتُ لهمْ في الحَيِّ مَنْبَعُ شأنِنا

ولكن بأرضِ الشَّامِ مَيِّتُنا حَيُّ

ولكن بأرضِ الشَّامِ مَيِّتُنا حَيُّ

So I told them: In the clan is the wellspring of our affair,

So I said to them, "In the neighborhood lies our struggle,

But in the land of al-Sham our dead one is alive.

But in the land of Syria lies our life."

فَقالتْ دِمَشقاً رُمْتَ أنتَ أمِ الرُّبا

فَقالتْ دِمَشقاً رُمْتَ أنتَ أمِ الرُّبا

بِمِتْكينَ خَبِّرْنا حَديثُكَ مَرْوِيُّ

بِمِتْكينَ خَبِّرْنا حَديثُكَ مَرْوِيُّ

Then they said: Was it Damascus you sought, or the hills

So Damascus said, "You aimed, O mother of meadows,

At Mitkin? Tell us; your tale is recounted.

Inform us, your talk is transmitted."

فَقُلتُ بِمِتْكينَ السَّرارَةُ تَنْجَلي

فَقُلتُ بِمِتْكينَ السَّرارَةُ تَنْجَلي

وكَوْكَبُنا من ذلكَ البُرْجِ مَرْئِيُّ

وكَوْكَبُنا من ذلكَ البُرْجِ مَرْئِيُّ

So I said: At Mitkin the innermost essence comes to light,

So I said, "With al-Sarara the fog lifts,

And our star is visible from that tower.

And our star from that zodiac is visible."

ويُنْعَتُ بالوادي المُقَدَّسِ في الحِمى

ويُنْعَتُ بالوادي المُقَدَّسِ في الحِمى

ويا عَجَباً كالشَّمسِ بادٍ ومَخْفِيُّ

ويا عَجَباً كالشَّمسِ بادٍ ومَخْفِيُّ

And it is described as the sacred valley within the sanctuary.

And it is attributed to the sacred valley in the sanctuary,

And—O wonder!—like the sun, manifest and hidden.

How strange! Like the sun setting and hidden.

فَهذا هو البُرْجُ الَّذي قد عَنَيْتُهُ

فَهذا هو البُرْجُ الَّذي قد عَنَيْتُهُ

به كَوْكَبي في آخِرِ الأمرِ مَجْلِيُّ

به كَوْكَبي في آخِرِ الأمرِ مَجْلِيُّ

This, then, is the tower I have meant;

So this is the zodiac that I meant,

In it my star is revealed in the end.

In which my star at the end of time will come together.

وفي أيمَنِ الوادي تَلوحُ قِبابُهُ

وفي أيمَنِ الوادي تَلوحُ قِبابُهُ

إذْ الشَّوْطُ في تلكَ المَعاهدِ شَرْقِيُّ

إذْ الشَّوْطُ في تلكَ المَعاهدِ شَرْقِيُّ

And on the valley's right side its domes gleam,

And on the right side of the valley its domes appear

For the course through those haunts runs eastward.

When the distance in those shrines is eastern.

يَقومُ لهُ مَجْلى الجَلالِ مُهَيْمِناً

يَقومُ لهُ مَجْلى الجَلالِ مُهَيْمِناً

جَمالاً عليهِ من شَمائِلِهِ زِيُّ

جَمالاً عليهِ من شَمائِلِهِ زِيُّ

For it stands the locus of majesty's manifestation, presiding,

The abode of glory stands up for it, sovereign,

In beauty, wearing a garb of its qualities.

With a beauty upon it from its attributes.

وغِبْتُ إذاً عَنِّي وتُهْتُ بِمَشْهَدي

وغِبْتُ إذاً عَنِّي وتُهْتُ بِمَشْهَدي

فَسَبْرِيَ في طَيِّ الإشاراتِ ضِمْنِيُّ

فَسَبْرِيَ في طَيِّ الإشاراتِ ضِمْنِيُّ

And then I vanished from myself and was lost in my vision.

So I became absent from myself and plunged into my witnessing,

So my probing is implicit within the fold of allusions.

So explore in the folds of my signals, read between my lines.

أُكَنِّي أُوَرِّي أرْمُزُ السِّرَّ مُخْبِراً

أُكَنِّي أُوَرِّي أرْمُزُ السِّرَّ مُخْبِراً

وقَولي صَريحٌ والضَّمينُ التِّهامِيُّ

وقَولي صَريحٌ والضَّمينُ التِّهامِيُّ

I speak indirectly, use double meanings, and hint at the secret while telling it.

I hint, I demonstrate, I symbolize the secret, informing,

And my speech is plain, and the guarantor is the Tihami.

And my words are explicit while the implied is hidden.

فَهذا هو البَيتُ الَّذي قد رَفَعْتُهُ

فَهذا هو البَيتُ الَّذي قد رَفَعْتُهُ

وإن كانَ لا بيتٌ لَدَيَّ ولا حَيُّ

وإن كانَ لا بيتٌ لَدَيَّ ولا حَيُّ

This, then, is the house I have raised,

So this is the house that I have raised up,

Even though I have neither house nor clan.

Although I have neither a house nor life near me.

هُمُ القومُ أعْمامي ومَعْجونُ طينَتي

هُمُ القومُ أعْمامي ومَعْجونُ طينَتي

وعِرْقي على تلكَ العَصائِبِ مَلْوِيُّ

وعِرْقي على تلكَ العَصائِبِ مَلْوِيُّ

They are the folk, my paternal uncles, and the kneaded mixture of my clay,

They are my blind kinsmen and the kneaded clay of my substance,

And my root is twined around those clans.

And my vein upon those headbands is twisted.

فهُمْ أُسرتي أعْلامُ بَيتي فَصيلَتي

فهُمْ أُسرتي أعْلامُ بَيتي فَصيلَتي

وإنِّي في بيتِ الرِّفاعيِّ مَهْدِيُّ

وإنِّي في بيتِ الرِّفاعيِّ مَهْدِيُّ

So they are my family, the luminaries of my house, my close kin.

For they are my family, the flags of my house, my lineage,

And indeed I am guided in the house of al-Rifa'i.

And I in the house of Rifa`i am rightly guided.