إِذا شِئتُ هاجَتني دِيارٌ مُحيلَةٌ

إِذا شِئتُ هاجَتني دِيارٌ مُحيلَةٌ

وَمَربِطُ أَفلاءٍ أَمامَ خِيامِ

وَمَربِطُ أَفلاءٍ أَمامَ خِيامِ

Whenever I wish, desolate dwellings stir my longing,

When I wish, a land of exile stirs me,

and a tethering-place for foals before the tents,

And a meadow of antelopes before tents.

بِحَيثُ تَلاقى الدَوُّ وَالحَمضُ هاجَتا

بِحَيثُ تَلاقى الدَوُّ وَالحَمضُ هاجَتا

لِعَينَيَّ أَغراباً ذَواتَ سِجامِ

لِعَينَيَّ أَغراباً ذَواتَ سِجامِ

where the desert plain and saltwort meet; they stir

Where bitterness and acid meet raging,

great buckets of streaming tears in my eyes.

Strangers appear before my eyes, possessing swords.

فَلَم يَبقَ مِنها غَيرُ أَثلَمَ خاشِعٍ

فَلَم يَبقَ مِنها غَيرُ أَثلَمَ خاشِعٍ

وَغَيرُ ثَلاثٍ لِلرَمادِ رِئامِ

وَغَيرُ ثَلاثٍ لِلرَمادِ رِئامِ

Nothing of them remained but a breached, sunken trench,

Of it remains only a submissive dark cloud,

and three hearthstones, tenderly nursing the ashes.

And three for the ashes of coals spitting.

أَلَم تَرَني عاهَدتُ رَبّي وَإِنَّني

أَلَم تَرَني عاهَدتُ رَبّي وَإِنَّني

لَبَينَ رِتاجٍ قائِمٌ وَمَقامِ

لَبَينَ رِتاجٍ قائِمٌ وَمَقامِ

Have you not seen me pledge myself to my Lord, while I

Did you not see me make a pact with my Lord while

stood between the great gate and the Station,

I stand between a saddle and stop?

عَلى قَسَمٍ لا أَشتُمُ الدَهرَ مُسلِماً

عَلى قَسَمٍ لا أَشتُمُ الدَهرَ مُسلِماً

وَلا خارِجاً مِن فِيَّ سوءَ كَلامِ

وَلا خارِجاً مِن فِيَّ سوءَ كَلامِ

under oath never to revile a Muslim,

On an oath not to insult fate while Muslim

nor let foul speech issue from my mouth?

Nor utter from within me an evil word.

أَلَم تَرَني وَالشِعرَ أَصبَحَ بَينَنا

أَلَم تَرَني وَالشِعرَ أَصبَحَ بَينَنا

دُروءٌ مِنَ الإِسلامِ ذاتُ حُوامِ

دُروءٌ مِنَ الإِسلامِ ذاتُ حُوامِ

Have you not seen how, between me and poetry, there now stand

Did you not see me - poetry has set between us

barriers of Islam, guarding me all around?

A shield from Islam bearing crosses?

بِهِنَّ شَفى الرَحمَنُ صَدري وَقَد جَلا

بِهِنَّ شَفى الرَحمَنُ صَدري وَقَد جَلا

عَشا بَصَري مِنهُنَّ ضَوءَ ظَلامِ

عَشا بَصَري مِنهُنَّ ضَوءَ ظَلامِ

Through them the Merciful healed my breast and has dispelled

With it the Merciful healed my chest though

the dimness of my sight with their light amid darkness.

My vision from it flowed light from darkness.

فَأَصبَحتُ أَسعى في فَكاكِ قِلادَةٍ

فَأَصبَحتُ أَسعى في فَكاكِ قِلادَةٍ

رَهينَةِ أَوزارٍ عَلَيَّ عِظامِ

رَهينَةِ أَوزارٍ عَلَيَّ عِظامِ

So I began striving to free a collar,

I began to seek to unclasp a necklace

held in pledge for grievous burdens of sin upon me.

A hostage of burdens upon me bones.

أُحاذِرُ أَن أُدعى وَحَوضي مُحَلِّقٌ

أُحاذِرُ أَن أُدعى وَحَوضي مُحَلِّقٌ

إِذا كانَ يَومُ الوِردِ يَومَ خِصامِ

إِذا كانَ يَومُ الوِردِ يَومَ خِصامِ

I fear being summoned while my watering-pool is dry,

I fear being called while my pool is suspended

when the day of coming to water is a day of dispute.

If the day of flowers were a day of dispute.

وَلَم أَنتَهِ حَتّى أَحاطَت خَطِيئَتي

وَلَم أَنتَهِ حَتّى أَحاطَت خَطِيئَتي

وَرائي وَدَقَّت لِلدُهورِ عِظامي

وَرائي وَدَقَّت لِلدُهورِ عِظامي

And I did not desist until my sin had hemmed me in

I did not stop until my sins surrounded

from behind, and my bones grew frail with the years.

Me from behind and knocked on the doors of ages.

لَعَمري لَنِعمَ النِحيُ كانَ لِقَومِهِ

لَعَمري لَنِعمَ النِحيُ كانَ لِقَومِهِ

عَشِيَّةَ غَبَّ البَيعُ نَحيُ حُمامِ

عَشِيَّةَ غَبَّ البَيعُ نَحيُ حُمامِ

By my life, what a fine butter-skin it was for his people,

By my life - excellent was the inclination

that evening after the sale—Humam's butter-skin—

Of the man at evening the sale of pigeons.

بِتَوبَةِ عَبدٍ قَد أَنابَ فُؤادُهُ

بِتَوبَةِ عَبدٍ قَد أَنابَ فُؤادُهُ

وَما كانَ يُعطي الناسَ غَيرَ ظِلامِ

وَما كانَ يُعطي الناسَ غَيرَ ظِلامِ

through the repentance of a servant whose heart had turned back,

With the repentance of a servant whose heart returned

and who had given people nothing but injustice.

Who did not give people anything but darkness.

أَطَعتُكَ يا إِبليسُ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً

أَطَعتُكَ يا إِبليسُ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً

فَلَمّا اِنتَهى شَيبي وَتَمَّ تَمامي

فَلَمّا اِنتَهى شَيبي وَتَمَّ تَمامي

I obeyed you, O Iblis, for seventy years;

I obeyed you, O Devil, seventy arguments

so when my gray hair reached its limit and my full span was complete,

But when my old age ended and my time was complete

فَرَرتُ إِلى رَبّي وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّني

فَرَرتُ إِلى رَبّي وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّني

مُلاقٍ لِأَيّامِ المَنونَ حِمامي

مُلاقٍ لِأَيّامِ المَنونَ حِمامي

I fled to my Lord and became certain that I

I fled to my Lord and was certain that I

would meet my appointed death in the days of Fate.

Would meet the days of death's pigeon roost.