سكَنَ الحُبُّ فؤادي وعَمَرْ

سكَنَ الحُبُّ فؤادي وعَمَرْ

ونَهَى الشّوْقُ بقَلْبي وأمَرْ

ونَهَى الشّوْقُ بقَلْبي وأمَرْ

Love settled in my heart and made it its home.

Love settled in my heart and took up residence

And longing forbade and commanded within my heart.

And yearning commanded my heart and gave orders

وغزَتْ قلْبي ألْحاظُ الظِّبا

وغزَتْ قلْبي ألْحاظُ الظِّبا

بظُباها أيْنَ يا قلْبُ المَفَرْ

بظُباها أيْنَ يا قلْبُ المَفَرْ

And the gazelles’ glances invaded my heart

The gazelles’ glances attacked my heart

with their blades—where, O heart, is escape?

With their beauty—where can my heart flee?

بأبي واللّهِ لحْظٌ فاتِرٌ

بأبي واللّهِ لحْظٌ فاتِرٌ

ما جَنى في مُهْجَةٍ إلا اعْتَذَرْ

ما جَنى في مُهْجَةٍ إلا اعْتَذَرْ

My father be ransom, by God, for a languid glance

By my father I swear, her languid glance

that never wronged a heart without asking pardon.

Reaped no harvest but made excuses

مَنْ مُجيري مَنْ نَصيري في الهَوى

مَنْ مُجيري مَنْ نَصيري في الهَوى

ضاعَ بيْنَ الغُنْجِ ثأري والحَوَرْ

ضاعَ بيْنَ الغُنْجِ ثأري والحَوَرْ

Who will shelter me, who will aid me in love?

Who will protect me, who will help me in passion?

My vengeance was lost amid coquetry and dark-eyed beauty.

My vengeance and desire were lost amid the branches

كنْتَ يا قَلْبي على طولِ المَدى

كنْتَ يا قَلْبي على طولِ المَدى

تحْذَرُ الحبَّ وهلْ يُنْجي الحَذَرْ

تحْذَرُ الحبَّ وهلْ يُنْجي الحَذَرْ

You, my heart, for so long had been

O my heart, you were wary of love your whole life

guarding against love—but can caution save?

Can wariness ever deliver?

وبنَفْسي مَنْ إذا جنّ الدُّجى

وبنَفْسي مَنْ إذا جنّ الدُّجى

أمْسكَ النوْمَ وأهْداني السّهَرْ

أمْسكَ النوْمَ وأهْداني السّهَرْ

And my soul be ransom for him who, when darkness falls,

And by my soul! When night falls dark

withholds sleep and gifts me sleeplessness.

Who will grasp sleep and gift me wakefulness?

غُصْنُ بانٍ وهِلالٌ ورَشا

غُصْنُ بانٍ وهِلالٌ ورَشا

إنْ تفنّى أو تبدّى أو خطَرْ

إنْ تفنّى أو تبدّى أو خطَرْ

A bān-tree bough, a crescent moon, a gazelle fawn,

A tender branch, a crescent moon, a sprinkle of rain

when he sways, appears, or saunters.

Whether they perish, appear or stir

لوْ بَدا للحُورِ يوْماً وجْهُهُ

لوْ بَدا للحُورِ يوْماً وجْهُهُ

قُلْنَ جَلّ اللهُ ما هَذا بشَرْ

قُلْنَ جَلّ اللهُ ما هَذا بشَرْ

Were his face to appear one day before the houris,

If he showed his face to the maidens one day

they would say, “Exalted is God! This is no mortal!”

They would say, “God is most great! This cannot be a man!”

زارَ في لَيْلَيْنِ ليْلٌ للدُّجى

زارَ في لَيْلَيْنِ ليْلٌ للدُّجى

حالِكُ الجُنْحِ وليْلٌ للسَّحَرْ

حالِكُ الجُنْحِ وليْلٌ للسَّحَرْ

He visited amid two nights: one a night of darkness,

Two nights visited in my two nights—a night for the darkness

black-winged, and one a night of dawn.

To fold its wings and a night for the dawn

فضَمَمْتُ الغُصْنَ من ثوبِ النّقا

فضَمَمْتُ الغُصْنَ من ثوبِ النّقا

ولثَمْتُ الرّاحَ منْ بيْنِ الدّرَرْ

ولثَمْتُ الرّاحَ منْ بيْنِ الدّرَرْ

So I clasped the bough in its robe of sand-dunes,

So I took the branch inside my cloak

and kissed the wine from between the pearls.

And kissed the wind from between the pearls

قلتُ مهْلاً لا تُروَّعُ إنّما

قلتُ مهْلاً لا تُروَّعُ إنّما

هيَ منْ دمْعٍ لَلالِئٌ أخَرْ

هيَ منْ دمْعٍ لَلالِئٌ أخَرْ

I said, “Gently, do not be alarmed; these are only

I said, “Gently! Do not startle,

other pearls, made of tears.”

These are but tears, more shimmers”

فاعْتَراهُ منْ كَلامي خَجَلٌ

فاعْتَراهُ منْ كَلامي خَجَلٌ

خلَطَ الوَرْدَ بسوسانِ الخَفَرْ

خلَطَ الوَرْدَ بسوسانِ الخَفَرْ

Then shyness at my words came over him,

My words embarrassed him

mingling roses with the lilies of modesty.

Mixing roses with blades of grass

حبّذا ليْلٌ نَعِمْناهُ وقدْ

حبّذا ليْلٌ نَعِمْناهُ وقدْ

حلّتِ الزّهْرَةُ في بيْتِ القَمَرْ

حلّتِ الزّهْرَةُ في بيْتِ القَمَرْ

How lovely the night we enjoyed, when

Blessed is the night we enjoyed when

Venus had entered the Moon’s house.

The flowers bloomed in the house of the moon

وحَمِدْنا الصّبْرَ في الأمْرِ وكمْ

وحَمِدْنا الصّبْرَ في الأمْرِ وكمْ

حمدَ العُقْبَى محِبٌّ قد صَبَرْ

حمدَ العُقْبَى محِبٌّ قد صَبَرْ

And we praised patience in the matter; how often

And we praised patience in passion, and how often

has a patient lover praised the outcome!

Has a lover praised patience after he showed strength

خُضْتَ بحْرَ الحُبِّ والدّمْعِ وهلْ

خُضْتَ بحْرَ الحُبِّ والدّمْعِ وهلْ

تُدْرَكُ الآمالُ إلا بالغَرَرْ

تُدْرَكُ الآمالُ إلا بالغَرَرْ

You plunged into the sea of love and tears—but can

You braved the sea of love and tears—can hopes

hopes be attained except through risk?

Be attained save by diving?

فسَطا الوصْلُ على الهجْرِ كمَنْ

فسَطا الوصْلُ على الهجْرِ كمَنْ

ببَني نصْر على الدّهْرِ انْتَصَرْ

ببَني نصْر على الدّهْرِ انْتَصَرْ

So union pounced upon estrangement, like one

So union spread over separation like the triumph

who, through the sons of Nasr, triumphed over Time.

Of the people of Beni Nasr over fate

أبْحُرُ الجودِ وأمْلاكُ الوَرى

أبْحُرُ الجودِ وأمْلاكُ الوَرى

وسُيوفُ اللهِ تُرْدي مَنْ كَفَرْ

وسُيوفُ اللهِ تُرْدي مَنْ كَفَرْ

Seas of generosity and sovereigns of humankind,

I am the sea of generosity and sovereign of people

and swords of God that lay low whoever disbelieves.

And God’s swords strike down the unbeliever

لهُمُ الفخْرُ بحقٍّ وكَفى

لهُمُ الفخْرُ بحقٍّ وكَفى

بأبي الحَجّاجِ اسْما مُفْتَخَرْ

بأبي الحَجّاجِ اسْما مُفْتَخَرْ

Theirs is glory by right; and sufficient

The pride is theirs by right, and enough

as a name to boast of is Abu al-Hajjaj.

That my father Al-Hajjaj is a name for pride

أيُّ مجْدٍ أُحْكِمَتْ آياتُهُ

أيُّ مجْدٍ أُحْكِمَتْ آياتُهُ

فهْيَ تُتْلى مثْلَما تُتْلي السُّوَرْ

فهْيَ تُتْلى مثْلَما تُتْلي السُّوَرْ

What glory, whose verses have been perfected,

What glory has its signs so secured

so they are recited as the surahs are recited!

That it is recited just like the suras?

دامَ في سعْدٍ جَديدٍ ومُنىً

دامَ في سعْدٍ جَديدٍ ومُنىً

تصِلُ الآصالَ فيها بالبُكَرْ

تصِلُ الآصالَ فيها بالبُكَرْ

May he endure in renewed good fortune and hopes,

May it last in continual joy and wish

wherein you join evenings to mornings,

Fulfilment, prayers joining the innocent

ما ارْتَدى بالغيْثِ روْضٌ فرَوَتْ

ما ارْتَدى بالغيْثِ روْضٌ فرَوَتْ

نسْمَةُ الرّيحِ عنِ الزّهْرِ خبَرْ

نسْمَةُ الرّيحِ عنِ الزّهْرِ خبَرْ

as long as a garden robes itself in rain, and

No garden blossomed, made verdant

a breath of wind brings tidings of the flowers.

By rain, without the breeze telling the flowers about it