أَلا يا حَماماتِ الأَراكَةِ وَالبانِ

أَلا يا حَماماتِ الأَراكَةِ وَالبانِ

تَرَفَّقنَ لا تُضعِفنَ بِالشَجوِ أَشجاني

تَرَفَّقنَ لا تُضعِفنَ بِالشَجوِ أَشجاني

Ah, doves of the arak and ban trees,

O doves of the shrines and temples,

be gentle; do not double my sorrows with your lamentation.

Be gentle, do not weaken my love with laments,

تَرَفَّقنَ لا تُظهِرنَ بِالنوحِ وَالبُكا

تَرَفَّقنَ لا تُظهِرنَ بِالنوحِ وَالبُكا

خَفِيَّ صَباباتي وَمَكنونَ أَحزاني

خَفِيَّ صَباباتي وَمَكنونَ أَحزاني

Be gentle; do not reveal through wailing and weeping

Be gentle, do not reveal in wailing and crying,

my hidden yearnings and my concealed sorrows.

My hidden passions and my secret sorrows,

أُطارِحُها عِندَ الأَصيلِ وَبِالضُحى

أُطارِحُها عِندَ الأَصيلِ وَبِالضُحى

بِحَنَّةِ مُشتاقٍ وَأَنَّةِ هَيمانِ

بِحَنَّةِ مُشتاقٍ وَأَنَّةِ هَيمانِ

I exchange laments with her in late afternoon and in the forenoon,

I confide them at dawn and at day break

with the plaint of one who longs and the moan of one crazed with love.

In the cooing of a lover and the moan of a yearner,

تَناوَحَتِ الأَرواحُ في غَيضَةِ الغَضا

تَناوَحَتِ الأَرواحُ في غَيضَةِ الغَضا

فَمالَت بِأَفنانٍ عَلَيَّ فَأَفناني

فَمالَت بِأَفنانٍ عَلَيَّ فَأَفناني

The spirits wailed together in the thicket of ghada trees;

Souls struggled in the flood of passion,

then it bent its boughs over me and annihilated me.

So they inclined with seductions upon me and seduced me,

وَجاءَت مِنَ الشَوقِ المُبَرِّحِ وَالجَوى

وَجاءَت مِنَ الشَوقِ المُبَرِّحِ وَالجَوى

وَمِن طُرَفِ البَلوى إِلَيَّ بِأَفنانِ

وَمِن طُرَفِ البَلوى إِلَيَّ بِأَفنانِ

And they brought me, from agonizing longing and heartache,

And there came to me from fervent desire and affection,

and from affliction's strange marvels, manifold kinds of suffering.

And from the side of affliction, seductions upon me,

فَمَن لي بِجَمعٍ وَالمُحَصَّبِ مِن مِنىً

فَمَن لي بِجَمعٍ وَالمُحَصَّبِ مِن مِنىً

وَمَن لي بِذاتِ الأُثلِ مَن لي بِنَعمانِ

وَمَن لي بِذاتِ الأُثلِ مَن لي بِنَعمانِ

Who will grant me Jam‘ and al-Muhassab of Mina?

So who will gather me in the valley of wishes,

And who will grant me Dhat al-Athl? Who will grant me Nu‘man?

And who will unite me with the most beautiful beloved, with Nu'man,

تَطوفُ بِقَلبي ساعَةً بَعدَ ساعَةٍ

تَطوفُ بِقَلبي ساعَةً بَعدَ ساعَةٍ

لِوَجدٍ وَتَبريحٍ وَتَلثُمُ أَركاني

لِوَجدٍ وَتَبريحٍ وَتَلثُمُ أَركاني

She circles my heart, hour after hour,

They revolve in my heart hour after hour,

out of passionate longing and torment, and kisses my corners,

For ecstasy, joy, kissing my temples,

كَما طافَ خَيرُ الرُسلِ بِالكَعبَةِ الَّتي

كَما طافَ خَيرُ الرُسلِ بِالكَعبَةِ الَّتي

يَقولُ دَليلُ العَقلِ فها بِنُقصانِ

يَقولُ دَليلُ العَقلِ فها بِنُقصانِ

as the best of messengers circled the Kaaba, which

As the best of Messengers circumambulated the Ka'ba,

reason's proof declares to be imperfect,

Which the guide of reason says is imperfect,

وَقَبَّلَ أَحجاراً بِها وَهُوَ ناطِقٌ

وَقَبَّلَ أَحجاراً بِها وَهُوَ ناطِقٌ

وَأَينَ مَقامُ البَيتِ مِن قَدرِ إِنسانِ

وَأَينَ مَقامُ البَيتِ مِن قَدرِ إِنسانِ

and kissed stones within it, though he was endowed with speech.

And he kissed stones wherein he is vocal,

And what is the House's rank beside a human being's worth?

And where is the station of the temple compared to the worth of a human?

فَكَم عَهِدَت أَن لا تَحولَ وَأَقسَمَت

فَكَم عَهِدَت أَن لا تَحولَ وَأَقسَمَت

وَلَيسَ لِمَخضوبٍ وَفاءٌ بِأَيمانِ

وَلَيسَ لِمَخضوبٍ وَفاءٌ بِأَيمانِ

How often she pledged not to change, and swore!

How often she vowed not to change and swore,

Yet one dyed with henna keeps no faith with oaths.

Yet the oath of a painted one has no loyalty,

وَمَن عَجَبِ الأَشياءِ ظَبيٌ مُبَرقَعٌ

وَمَن عَجَبِ الأَشياءِ ظَبيٌ مُبَرقَعٌ

يُشيرُ بِعُنّابٍ وَيَومي بِأَجفانِ

يُشيرُ بِعُنّابٍ وَيَومي بِأَجفانِ

And among the wonders of things is a veiled gazelle,

And the one astonished at things is a foolish simpleton,

pointing with jujube-red fingertips and signaling with eyelids.

Who gestures with a finger and hints with eyelids,

وَمَرعاهُ ما بَينَ التَرائِبِ وَالحَشا

وَمَرعاهُ ما بَينَ التَرائِبِ وَالحَشا

وَيا عَجَباً مِن رَوضَةٍ وَسطَ نيرانِ

وَيا عَجَباً مِن رَوضَةٍ وَسطَ نيرانِ

Its pasture lies between the breastbones and the entrails;

And his pasture is between superstitions and nonsense,

and oh, the wonder of a garden amid fires!

Strange indeed is a garden amidst fires!

لَقَد صارَ قَلبي قابِلاً كُلَّ صورَةٍ

لَقَد صارَ قَلبي قابِلاً كُلَّ صورَةٍ

فَمَرعىً لِغِزلانٍ وَدَيرٌ لِرُهبانِ

فَمَرعىً لِغِزلانٍ وَدَيرٌ لِرُهبانِ

My heart has indeed become receptive to every form:

My heart has become receptive to every form,

a pasture for gazelles and a monastery for monks,

A pasture for gazelles, a monastery for monks,

وَبَيتٌ لِأَوثانٍ وَكَعبَةُ طائِفٍ

وَبَيتٌ لِأَوثانٍ وَكَعبَةُ طائِفٍ

وَأَلواحُ تَوراةٍ وَمُصحَفُ قُرآنِ

وَأَلواحُ تَوراةٍ وَمُصحَفُ قُرآنِ

and a house for idols, and a pilgrim's Kaaba,

A house for idols, and Ka'ba of a pilgrim,

and the tablets of the Torah, and the book of the Quran.

Tablets of Torah and pages of Qur’an,

أَدينُ بِدَينِ الحُبِّ أَنّي تَوَجَّهَت

أَدينُ بِدَينِ الحُبِّ أَنّي تَوَجَّهَت

رَكائِبُهُ فَالحُبُّ دَيني وَإيماني

رَكائِبُهُ فَالحُبُّ دَيني وَإيماني

I follow the religion of Love: wherever

I profess the religion of love - my spirit

its riding camels turn, Love is my religion and my faith.

Turned to its rites, so love is my religion and faith,

لَنا أُسوَةٌ في بِشرِ هِندٍ وَأُختِها

لَنا أُسوَةٌ في بِشرِ هِندٍ وَأُختِها

وَقَيسٍ وَلَيلى ثُمَّ مَيٍّ وَغَيلانِ

وَقَيسٍ وَلَيلى ثُمَّ مَيٍّ وَغَيلانِ

We have an example in Bishr, Hind and her sister,

We have an exemplar in an Indian man and his sister,

and Qays and Layla, then Mayy and Ghaylan.

And Qays and Layla, then Mayya and Ghaylan.