من ذا ابنُ رعدٍ وهو ليس بصاعقهْ

من ذا ابنُ رعدٍ وهو ليس بصاعقهْ

وترى الصواعق للرعود ملاحقهْ

وترى الصواعق للرعود ملاحقهْ

Who is this son of thunder, though he is no thunderbolt?

Who is this son of thunder yet no lightning bolt is he,

And you see thunderbolts pursuing peals of thunder.

Though lightning bolts do chase the thunder ceaselessly,

ومن ابنُ أم اللَه أخبرْني ولن

ومن ابنُ أم اللَه أخبرْني ولن

يُدعَى إلهاً فيه ذاتٌ خالقه

يُدعَى إلهاً فيه ذاتٌ خالقه

And who is the son of God's mother? Tell me; yet he will not

And who is this son of the Goddess, tell me and don't

Be called a god with a creating essence within him.

Let him be called a god whose maker he comes to be,

وله أخٌ وأخوه حرٌّ مطلقٌ

وله أخٌ وأخوه حرٌّ مطلقٌ

بِكرٌ وحيدٌ والقضية صادقه

بِكرٌ وحيدٌ والقضية صادقه

And he has a brother, and his brother is free and unbound,

He has a brother who of his own free will is set fully free,

Firstborn, an only son—and the claim is true.

The first born he, alone, and true is this story certainly,

ونرى له أمّاً رأته ابناً لها

ونرى له أمّاً رأته ابناً لها

في وقتِ موت أخيه بكراً عاتقه

في وقتِ موت أخيه بكراً عاتقه

And we see he has a mother who saw him as her son

And we see he has a mother who saw him as a son to her,

At his brother's death, herself a virgin maiden.

At the very time his brother Bakr breathed his last breath fleetingly,

وأحبَّ يوماً أمَّه من قبل أن

وأحبَّ يوماً أمَّه من قبل أن

كان ابنَها والأم كانت وامقه

كان ابنَها والأم كانت وامقه

And one day he loved his mother, before

And one day he loved his mother before ever he

He was her son, and the mother was loving.

Could be her son, and the mother was kind-hearted and gentle certainly,

ومن العجائب أنه لم ينتبه

ومن العجائب أنه لم ينتبه

إلا بعينٍ في رقادٍ غارقه

إلا بعينٍ في رقادٍ غارقه

And one of the marvels is that he did not awaken

Of wonders is that he was not aware

Except with an eye immersed in slumber.

Save for an eye in slumber sunk completely,

وتعلم الحبَّ الوفيَّ بمقلةٍ

وتعلم الحبَّ الوفيَّ بمقلةٍ

هَجْعَى وشرطُ الحب عينٌ رامقه

هَجْعَى وشرطُ الحب عينٌ رامقه

And he learned faithful love through an eye

And he learned faithful love from a wink

Asleep—though love requires a watchful eye.

Drowsy, and love's rule is a barely open eye certainly,

لما نُفي عن داره وبلاده

لما نُفي عن داره وبلاده

منها دنا والدار منه موافقه

منها دنا والدار منه موافقه

When he was banished from his home and his country,

When he was exiled from his land and home

He drew near to it, and the home was in accord with him.

He drew near it, though from him it did flee,

ورأى حياة الكون مائتةً ولم

ورأى حياة الكون مائتةً ولم

تكن الحياة لطعم موتٍ ذائقه

تكن الحياة لطعم موتٍ ذائقه

And he saw the life of the universe dead, though

And he saw life's span a scant two hundred years, not

Life had not tasted death's flavor.

As a life whose taste is death's adversity,

وقع الخلاف بموته مع أنه

وقع الخلاف بموته مع أنه

بالطبع ميتٌ والحياة مفارقه

بالطبع ميتٌ والحياة مفارقه

Disagreement arose over his death, although he

Dispute fell on his death, though by nature

Is mortal by nature, and life has left him.

He was dead, and from life cut off utterly,