سَلامٌ عَلى من لا يردُّ جَوابي

سَلامٌ عَلى من لا يردُّ جَوابي

سَلامَ مشوق بِالفُراق مصابِ

سَلامَ مشوق بِالفُراق مصابِ

Peace upon the one who gives me no reply,

Peace be upon the one who does not answer my greeting,

The greeting of a yearning lover stricken by separation.

A longing peace, afflicted by parting.

سلام كَأَنفاس النَسيم بسُحرة

سلام كَأَنفاس النَسيم بسُحرة

سَرَت في رِياض منهم وَرحابِ

سَرَت في رِياض منهم وَرحابِ

A greeting like the breaths of the breeze before dawn,

A peace like the breeze's breaths in the magic of dawn,

That drifted through their gardens and spacious courts.

That blew through gardens and vast expanses.

سَلامٌ مُقيمٌ مِن مُعنّىً مسافر

سَلامٌ مُقيمٌ مِن مُعنّىً مسافر

تبدَّلَ من غزلانه بِذئابِ

تبدَّلَ من غزلانه بِذئابِ

An abiding greeting from a tormented traveler,

A permanent peace with a traveling meaning,

Who has exchanged his gazelles for wolves.

That changed its gazelles to wolves.

سَلام عَلى أَهلي وَداري وَجيرَتي

سَلام عَلى أَهلي وَداري وَجيرَتي

وَأُنسي وَقَلبي وَالكَرى وَشَبابي

وَأُنسي وَقَلبي وَالكَرى وَشَبابي

Peace upon my family, my home, and my neighbors,

Peace be upon my family and home and neighbors,

And my companionship, my heart, my sleep, and my youth;

And my companions and heart and friends and youth,

وَمنزلِ أَحبابي وَظِلِّ صحابَتي

وَمنزلِ أَحبابي وَظِلِّ صحابَتي

ومنزهِ أَترابي وَجُلِّ طلابي

ومنزهِ أَترابي وَجُلِّ طلابي

And my loved ones' dwelling, and the shade of my companions,

And the homes of my loved ones and the shade of my comrades,

And my peers' pleasure-ground, and most of what I seek.

And the meadows of my peers and the sum of my students—

مُصابي بسهمٍ وافِر من فراقهم

مُصابي بسهمٍ وافِر من فراقهم

سَريع فَقَلبي مِنهُ شرّ مصابِ

سَريع فَقَلبي مِنهُ شرّ مصابِ

A mighty arrow of parting from them wounds me

Afflicted am I by the ample arrow of parting from them;

Swiftly; my heart is the worst afflicted by it.

Swiftly did my heart become evil from it.

تركت شَراب النيل حُلواً وَبارِداً

تركت شَراب النيل حُلواً وَبارِداً

فَكَم خُدعَةٍ لي بَعدَه بِسَرابِ

فَكَم خُدعَةٍ لي بَعدَه بِسَرابِ

I left the water of the Nile, sweet and cool;

I left the Nile’s drink sweet and cold,

How often since has a mirage deceived me!

So how much deceit came to me after it like a mirage!

وَفارقت ما لا طاقَةً بفراقه

وَفارقت ما لا طاقَةً بفراقه

فَما طرَقَ السُلوانُ ساحَةَ بابي

فَما طرَقَ السُلوانُ ساحَةَ بابي

And I parted from what I could not bear to leave;

And I left what I had no strength to leave,

So solace has never visited the courtyard before my door.

So the porch knew not the striking of my sandal.

وَكَم قَطعَت عيسي وواصلت السرى

وَكَم قَطعَت عيسي وواصلت السرى

مهامه في البَيداء جِدَّ صعابِ

مهامه في البَيداء جِدَّ صعابِ

And how many have my pale camels crossed, pressing on by night—

How much did I traverse ‘Isa and connect with Sira

Wastes in the desert, exceedingly hard to traverse!

On its dangerous paths in the open desert!

مَجاهِلُ سَمّاها الجَهول مَعالِماً

مَجاهِلُ سَمّاها الجَهول مَعالِماً

نَعَم لسقامي بِالنَوى وَعَذابي

نَعَم لسقامي بِالنَوى وَعَذابي

Uncharted lands the ignorant man called landmarks—

The ignorant called ruins landmarks;

Yes—landmarks of my sickness from separation and my torment!

Yes, my sickness and torment were with purpose.

وَكَم عَقَباتٍ قَد تبدّل بعدَها

وَكَم عَقَباتٍ قَد تبدّل بعدَها

نَعيمي بِأَوطاني بطول عِقابِ

نَعيمي بِأَوطاني بطول عِقابِ

And how many steep passes, after which was exchanged

And after how many obstacles

My bliss in my homelands for prolonged punishment!

My bliss in my homelands changed to endless punishment!

وَقال خَليلي إِنّ في الدمع راحَة

وَقال خَليلي إِنّ في الدمع راحَة

وَكفّ دموع العين غيرُ صَوابِ

وَكفّ دموع العين غيرُ صَوابِ

And my friend said, 'There is relief in tears,

My beloved said, “There is comfort in tears—

And holding back the eye's tears is unwise.'

To restrain the eye’s tears is not right.”

فقلت فقدتُ العَينَ إِن لَم أَجد بِها

فقلت فقدتُ العَينَ إِن لَم أَجد بِها

جفانَ جُفون للدموع جَوابي

جفانَ جُفون للدموع جَوابي

So I said, 'May I lose my eye if I do not find in it

I said, “I lose my eye if I do not find in it

Eyelid-bowls, great basins for tears.'

Eyelids to answer the tears.”

إِذا ما شَياطينُ السلوّ تعرّضت

إِذا ما شَياطينُ السلوّ تعرّضت

فَإِن بعيني أَيَّ رَجمِ شِهابِ

فَإِن بعيني أَيَّ رَجمِ شِهابِ

If ever the devils of forgetfulness intrude,

When the devils of labyrinths come upon me,

Then my eye holds a shooting star to stone them fiercely.

My eyes have the repelling of meteors.

حُبيّبتا إِن لَم يُراجِع لَنا اللقا

حُبيّبتا إِن لَم يُراجِع لَنا اللقا

فَهَل لَكِ أَن تصغي لرجع خطابي

فَهَل لَكِ أَن تصغي لرجع خطابي

My little beloved, if reunion does not return to us,

My two loves, if our meeting does not return to us,

Then will you listen to the echo of my words?

Do you have it in you to listen to the echo of my address?

صبا لك قَلبي وَهوَ بِاللَه مؤمن

صبا لك قَلبي وَهوَ بِاللَه مؤمن

فَيا عجباً مِن مؤمن لك صابي

فَيا عجباً مِن مؤمن لك صابي

My heart yearns for you, though it believes in God;

My heart inclined to you while believing in God,

How wondrous—a believer, yet a 'Sabian' in yearning for you!

So wonder at a believer who inclines to you!

وَصالحتُ بَين السهد والطرف وَالبكا

وَصالحتُ بَين السهد والطرف وَالبكا

وَذاكَ بِناءٌ مؤذِنٌ بِخَرابِ

وَذاكَ بِناءٌ مؤذِنٌ بِخَرابِ

And I made peace between sleeplessness, the eye, and weeping;

I made peace between wakefulness and sleep and tears,

And that is a building that heralds ruin.

A building that signals ruin.

وَعشَّشَ نسرٌ للمشيب بِلِمَّتي

وَعشَّشَ نسرٌ للمشيب بِلِمَّتي

وَطار ببَيني والشباب غرابي

وَطار ببَيني والشباب غرابي

And gray hair's vulture has nested in my locks,

An eagle nested gray hairs upon my temples

And my raven flew away at my parting from youth.

And flew away with my youth like a crow.

أَبيتُ سَميرَ الأَنجم الزهر عَلَّها

أَبيتُ سَميرَ الأَنجم الزهر عَلَّها

تَنوب عليكم في السَلام مَنابي

تَنوب عليكم في السَلام مَنابي

I keep the bright stars company through the night, hoping they

I refused the stars of Suhayl though they shine,

Will take my place in sending greetings to you.

That they may take your place in greeting me.

وَأَضرب أَخماسي بأَسداس حسرتي

وَأَضرب أَخماسي بأَسداس حسرتي

لفقد حَبيب لَم يَكُن بِحسابي

لفقد حَبيب لَم يَكُن بِحسابي

And I multiply my fifths by the sixths of my anguish,

I multiply my five by six of longing

For losing a beloved—a loss I had not reckoned on.

For a beloved who was not mine to claim.

وأَشهد بِالتذكارِ رَوضة أَرضهم

وأَشهد بِالتذكارِ رَوضة أَرضهم

فتهمي عَلَيها مُقلَتي كَسَحابِ

فتهمي عَلَيها مُقلَتي كَسَحابِ

And in remembrance I behold the garden of their land,

I testify to remembering their land’s meadow,

Then my eye rains upon it like a cloud.

So my weeping spills upon it like clouds.

وَأُظهِرُ للأَعداء فَرطَ تَجَلُّدٍ

وَأُظهِرُ للأَعداء فَرطَ تَجَلُّدٍ

وَأُبطِنُ أَنّي بِالسقام لما بي

وَأُبطِنُ أَنّي بِالسقام لما بي

And I display immense fortitude before my enemies,

I show my enemies an excess of endurance,

And I conceal that I am ill because of what afflicts me.

While I conceal that sickness is in me.

وَكانَ اللقا يَدعو وَلست أجيبُهُ

وَكانَ اللقا يَدعو وَلست أجيبُهُ

فَها أَنا إِذ أَدعوه غَيرُ مَجابِ

فَها أَنا إِذ أَدعوه غَيرُ مَجابِ

And reunion used to call, but I would not answer it;

Reunion called me, and I did not answer,

So here I am: when I call it, I go unanswered.

Now here I call without response.

فَمبدأُ بَيني كان آخرَ راحَتي

فَمبدأُ بَيني كان آخرَ راحَتي

وَآخرُ عَيشي كانَ بَدءَ ذَهابي

وَآخرُ عَيشي كانَ بَدءَ ذَهابي

So the beginning of my separation was the end of my ease,

My solace was the start of my torment,

And the end of my life was the beginning of my departure.

And the end of my life was the start of my loss.