أرى البُعْدَ لم يُخْطِرْ سواكم على بالي

أرى البُعْدَ لم يُخْطِرْ سواكم على بالي

وإن قَرّبَ الأخطارَ من جسدي البالي

وإن قَرّبَ الأخطارَ من جسدي البالي

I see that separation has brought none but you to my mind,

I see distance has not occurred to anyone but you in my mind

Though it has brought dangers close to my worn-out body.

And if dangers draw near my frail body

فيا حبّذا الأسقامُ في جَنبِ طاعتي

فيا حبّذا الأسقامُ في جَنبِ طاعتي

أوامِرَ أشواقي وعصيانِ عُذّالي

أوامِرَ أشواقي وعصيانِ عُذّالي

How welcome are sicknesses, for the sake of my obeying

So good for ailments by my obedience

The commands of my longings and defying my reproachers.

Orders of my passions and disobedience of my punisher

ويا ما ألذّ الذلّ في عِزّ وَصْلِكُمْ

ويا ما ألذّ الذلّ في عِزّ وَصْلِكُمْ

وإن عَزّ ما أحلى تقَطُّعَ أوصالي

وإن عَزّ ما أحلى تقَطُّعَ أوصالي

And how sweet is abasement in the glory of union with you;

And oh how sweet is humiliation in your companionship

And if it is beyond reach, how sweet the rending of my limbs!

And if it prides what sweeter splitting of my joints

نأيْتُمْ فحالي بَعدكُمْ ظَلّ عاطِلاً

نأيْتُمْ فحالي بَعدكُمْ ظَلّ عاطِلاً

وما هوَ مِمّا ساء بل سَرّكُمْ حالي

وما هوَ مِمّا ساء بل سَرّكُمْ حالي

You went far away; after you, my state remained bereft,

You went away so my state without you is an idle shadow

Yet my state did not displease you—it pleased you instead.

And it's not of what was ugly but delighted you my state

بَلَيْتُ بِهِ لمّا بُليتُ صَبابةً

بَلَيْتُ بِهِ لمّا بُليتُ صَبابةً

أبَلّتْ فلي منها صُبَابَةُ إبلال

أبَلّتْ فلي منها صُبَابَةُ إبلال

I wasted away through him when afflicted with longing

Yes, with it when I was tested young

That brought healing; from it I have but a last drop of recovery.

That tested me so I have from it the submissiveness of deference

نَصَبْتُ على عيني بتَغْميضِ جَفْنِها

نَصَبْتُ على عيني بتَغْميضِ جَفْنِها

لِزَورَةِ زُورِ الطّيف حيلةَ مُحتال

لِزَورَةِ زُورِ الطّيف حيلةَ مُحتال

By closing its lid, I laid upon my eye

I set on my eyes by blinking their lids

A schemer's stratagem to win a visit from the illusory dream-phantom.

The wiles of the phantom's false visions a trickster's ruse

فما أسعَفَتْ بالغُمضِ لكِن تعَسّفت

فما أسعَفَتْ بالغُمضِ لكِن تعَسّفت

عليّ بدَمْعٍ دائمِ الصّوبِ هَطّال

عليّ بدَمْعٍ دائمِ الصّوبِ هَطّال

But it would not grant sleep; instead it dealt harshly

So blinking did not help me but it imposed

With me, with tears forever falling in torrents.

On me a lasting tear shedding plentifully

فيا مُهْجَتي ذوبي على فَقْدِ بَهْجَتي

فيا مُهْجَتي ذوبي على فَقْدِ بَهْجَتي

لِتَرْحَالِ آمالي ومَقْدَمِ أوجالي

لِتَرْحَالِ آمالي ومَقْدَمِ أوجالي

O my soul, dissolve at the loss of my joy,

Oh my elation melt for the loss of my delight

At the departure of my hopes and the coming of my fears.

To the travel of my hopes and arrival of my matter

وضِنّي بدَمْعٍ قد غَنَيْتُ بفَيْضِ ما

وضِنّي بدَمْعٍ قد غَنَيْتُ بفَيْضِ ما

جرَى من دمي إذ طُلّ ما بينَ أطلال

جرَى من دمي إذ طُلّ ما بينَ أطلال

And spare your tears: I have no need of them, with the flood of what

And console me with a tear for I sufficed by the abundance

Flowed from my blood, shed unavenged among the ruins.

Of what flowed from my blood when increased what was between ruins

ومَنْ لي بأن يرضى الحبيبُ وإن علا النْ

ومَنْ لي بأن يرضى الحبيبُ وإن علا النْ

نَحِيبُ فإبْلالي بَلائي وبَلْبَالي

نَحِيبُ فإبْلالي بَلائي وبَلْبَالي

And who can win me the beloved's favor, though high rises the

And who can please the beloved even if the cooing arises

Wailing? For my recovery is my affliction and my anguish.

For my deference is my affliction and confusion

فما كَلَفِي في حُبّهِ كُلْفَةً لهُ

فما كَلَفِي في حُبّهِ كُلْفَةً لهُ

وإن جَلّ ما ألْقَى من القيل والقال

وإن جَلّ ما ألْقَى من القيل والقال

For my passion in loving him is no burden to him,

So there was no burden on me in his love ever

Though great is what I endure of idle talk and gossip.

Even if plentiful what I endured of saying and talking

بقيتُ بهِ لمّا فَنيتُ بحُبّه

بقيتُ بهِ لمّا فَنيتُ بحُبّه

بِثَرْوَةِ إيثاري وكَثْرَةِ إقلالي

بِثَرْوَةِ إيثاري وكَثْرَةِ إقلالي

I remained through him when annihilated by love for him,

I remained through him when I perished by his love

Through the wealth of my selflessness and the abundance of my poverty.

By wealth of my preference and abundance of my paucity

رعَى اللهُ مَغنىً لم أَزَلْ في ربوعِهِ

رعَى اللهُ مَغنىً لم أَزَلْ في ربوعِهِ

معنّىً وقُلْ إن شئتَ يا ناعِم البال

معنّىً وقُلْ إن شئتَ يا ناعِم البال

May God preserve an abode in whose quarters I have ever been

God shepherd a praiser who I never ceased in his meadows

Tormented—or say, if you wish, 'O tranquil-hearted one!'

Meaningful and say if you wish oh one self-pleased

وحَيّا مُحَيّا عاذلٍ ليَ لم يزَلْ

وحَيّا مُحَيّا عاذلٍ ليَ لم يزَلْ

يكرِّرُ من ذِكْرَى أحاديث ذي الخال

يكرِّرُ من ذِكْرَى أحاديث ذي الخال

And may He bless the face of a reproacher of mine who never ceases

And greet greeting one who reproached me and did not stop

Repeating, from memory, tales of the one with the beauty mark.

Repeating from the tale of the one with the mole

رَوَى سُنّة عندي فأرْوى من الصّدى

رَوَى سُنّة عندي فأرْوى من الصّدى

وأهدى الهُدى فاعجبْ وقد رام إضلالي

وأهدى الهُدى فاعجبْ وقد رام إضلالي

He related a tradition to me and quenched my thirst,

He related a tradition with me so I quench from the echo

And bestowed guidance—marvel at it!—though he sought to lead me astray.

And guide to guidance so wonder and he wanted my straying

فأحببتُ لَوْمَ اللّؤمِ فيه لو انّني

فأحببتُ لَوْمَ اللّؤمِ فيه لو انّني

مُنِحْتُ المُنى كانت علامةَ عُذّالي

مُنِحْتُ المُنى كانت علامةَ عُذّالي

So I loved base reproach concerning him; were I

So I loved the blame of misguidance in him if I

Granted my wishes, they would be my reproachers' hallmark.

Was given what I wish it would be the signet of my punisher

جَهِلَتُ بأن قُلْتُ اقترحْ يا معذّبي عليّ

جَهِلَتُ بأن قُلْتُ اقترحْ يا معذّبي عليّ

فأجْلى لي وقال اسْلُ سلسالي

فأجْلى لي وقال اسْلُ سلسالي

I was foolish to say, 'O my tormentor, make a demand of me.'

I was ignorant that I said propose oh my torturer upon me

So he made it clear to me and said, 'Forget my sweet water.'

So he uncovered for me and said ask my chains

وهيهاتِ أن أسلو وفي كلّ شعرةٍ

وهيهاتِ أن أسلو وفي كلّ شعرةٍ

لِحَتْفِي غرامٌ مُقْبِلٌ ايّ إقبال

لِحَتْفِي غرامٌ مُقْبِلٌ ايّ إقبال

Never could I forget, while in every hair

Alas to ask and in every hair for my doom

A passion advances toward my death—what an advance!

Enamored forthcoming oh what forthcoming

وقَالَ ليَ الاَحي مَرارةُ قصْدِهِ

وقَالَ ليَ الاَحي مَرارةُ قصْدِهِ

تَحَلّى بِها دَعْ حُبّهُ قلتُ أحلى لي

تَحَلّى بِها دَعْ حُبّهُ قلتُ أحلى لي

And the reproacher said to me, 'The bitterness of seeking him—

And he said to me the pain of his aim

Adorn yourself with it! Give up loving him!' I said, 'Sweeter to me!'

Adorned with it leave his love I said sweeter for me

بذَلْتُ له روحي لراحَةِ قُرْبِهِ

بذَلْتُ له روحي لراحَةِ قُرْبِهِ

وغيرُ عجيبٍ بذْليَ الغالِ في الغالي

وغيرُ عجيبٍ بذْليَ الغالِ في الغالي

I gave him my soul for the comfort of his nearness;

I sacrificed my soul for the comfort of his nearness

It is no wonder that I give what is precious for one so precious.

And it's not weird my sacrificing the expensive for the precious

فجادَ ولكن بالبُعادِ لِشِقْوَتي

فجادَ ولكن بالبُعادِ لِشِقْوَتي

فيا خَيبَةَ المَسعى وضَيعَةَ آمالي

فيا خَيبَةَ المَسعى وضَيعَةَ آمالي

So he was generous—but, to my misery, with separation.

So he was generous but with distance for my misery

Oh, the failure of my striving, and the ruin of my hopes!

Oh disappointment of effort and loss of my hopes

وحانَ لهُ حَيني على حِينِ غِرّةٍ

وحانَ لهُ حَيني على حِينِ غِرّةٍ

ولم أدرِ أنّ الآلَ يَذْهَبُ بالآل

ولم أدرِ أنّ الآلَ يَذْهَبُ بالآل

And my death for his sake came in a moment of heedlessness,

And his time came to me suddenly in an instant

And I did not know that the mirage could carry off the body.

And I did not know that fate takes away fate

تحكّمَ في جسمي النُّحولُ فلو أتَى

تحكّمَ في جسمي النُّحولُ فلو أتَى

لِقَبْضِي رسولٌ ضَلَّ في موضع خال

لِقَبْضِي رسولٌ ضَلَّ في موضع خال

Wasting has mastered my body; were there to come

Emaciation took control of my body so if

An envoy to seize me, he would lose his way in a beauty mark's space.

A messenger came to take me he would get lost in a place

فلو هَمّ باقي السقمِ بي لاستعانَ في

فلو هَمّ باقي السقمِ بي لاستعانَ في

تَلافي بما حالَتْ له من ضنىً حالي

تَلافي بما حالَتْ له من ضنىً حالي

Were the remaining sickness to assail me, it would enlist, for

So if the rest of the illness intended me he would seek help in

My destruction, the wasting to which my condition has turned.

Avoiding with what my condition presented him of intimacy

ولم يبقَ منّي ما يُناجي تَوَهُّمِي

ولم يبقَ منّي ما يُناجي تَوَهُّمِي

سِوى عزِّ ذُلٍّ في مهانَةِ إجْلالِ

سِوى عزِّ ذُلٍّ في مهانَةِ إجْلالِ

Nothing of me remains to whisper to my imagination,

And none remains of me that speaks to my imagination

Save the glory of abasement in the humiliation of reverence.

Except the honor of humiliation in the humiliation of veneration