أكاتب خط الوصل حرر لي الضبطا

أكاتب خط الوصل حرر لي الضبطا

عسى مالكي في الحب أن يثبت الخطا

عسى مالكي في الحب أن يثبت الخطا

O scribe of union's script, set down its precise wording for me.

I write the line of connection, dictate to me the dots

Perhaps my master in love will ratify the writing.

May my Master in love make the line steadfast

فنسخة خدي اليوم بالسقم قوبلت

فنسخة خدي اليوم بالسقم قوبلت

ألم تر فيها الدمع قد أوضح الكشطا

ألم تر فيها الدمع قد أوضح الكشطا

So today the manuscript of my cheek was collated with sickness.

So the copy of my cheek today was met with illness

Have you not seen how tears have made its erasure plain?

Did you not see in it the tears made clear the erasure

على الروح قد شارطت في الحب مهجتي

على الروح قد شارطت في الحب مهجتي

فلم تأب في شرع الهوى ذلك الشرطا

فلم تأب في شرع الهوى ذلك الشرطا

In love I made a pact with my heart, with my life at stake;

On the soul I made a condition in love, my innermost being

and under passion's law, it did not refuse that condition.

So it did not refuse in the law of passion that condition

فسهدي ونومي حين بانوا احبتي

فسهدي ونومي حين بانوا احبتي

فهذا دنا مني وهذاك قد شطا

فهذا دنا مني وهذاك قد شطا

So my sleeplessness and my sleep, when my beloveds departed—

So my slumber and sleep when my loved ones appeared

this drew near to me, while that went far away.

So this one came near me and that one had departed

فان كان ذلي في الغرام رضاهم

فان كان ذلي في الغرام رضاهم

فاني ارى عزي بغيرهم سخطا

فاني ارى عزي بغيرهم سخطا

If my abasement in passion is their pleasure,

So if that was their pleasure in passion, their approval

then I regard my honor without them with displeasure.

Then I see my pride without them as displeasure

فهم أينما حلوا عليهم تربطي

فهم أينما حلوا عليهم تربطي

ولم أستطع حلّا لديهم ولا ربطا

ولم أستطع حلّا لديهم ولا ربطا

For wherever they settle, my attachment is to them;

For wherever they settled, my bonds are upon them

and in their presence I could neither loose nor bind.

And I was not able to release or bind near them

نثرت على سفح المحاجر ادمعي

نثرت على سفح المحاجر ادمعي

عقيقا ومنها قد نظمت لهم سمطا

عقيقا ومنها قد نظمت لهم سمطا

I scattered my tears upon the slopes of my eye-sockets,

I scattered my tears upon the slope of the rocks

as carnelian, and from them I strung a necklace for them.

Carnelians, and from them I stringed for them a necklace

نسيت بهم آرام غزلان رامة

نسيت بهم آرام غزلان رامة

وكثبان نعمان وبانتها الوسطى

وكثبان نعمان وبانتها الوسطى

Through them I forgot the white gazelles of Rama,

I forgot in them the tranquility of the shy, fleet gazelles

and Nu'man's dunes and its middle ban-tree.

And the sand dunes of Nu'man and its middle parts

ولو لم يكن سقط اللوى منزلا لهم

ولو لم يكن سقط اللوى منزلا لهم

لما اشتقت حي العامرية والسقطا

لما اشتقت حي العامرية والسقطا

And had Siqt al-Liwa not been a dwelling for them,

And if the falling of passion were not a dwelling for them

I would not have longed for al-'Amiriyya's camp or Siqt.

I would not have longed for Hay al-Amariyyah and its plains

عريب بذكراهم اهيم صبابة

عريب بذكراهم اهيم صبابة

كأني نشوان وما ذقت إسفنطا

كأني نشوان وما ذقت إسفنطا

A little Arab band—remembering them, I wander in yearning,

In remembering them I wander confused

as though I were drunk, though I have tasted no wine.

As if I were drunk and never tasted Ispand

بهم صار عقد الشمل منتظما ولم

بهم صار عقد الشمل منتظما ولم

نجد برسول الله يوما لهم فرطا

نجد برسول الله يوما لهم فرطا

Through them the necklace of unity was strung in order, and we never

With them the necklace of unity was strung orderly and I did not

found any scattering among them, thanks to the Messenger of God.

Find in the Messenger of God a day for them to be abandoned

هو العاقب الماحي محا الكفر سيفه

هو العاقب الماحي محا الكفر سيفه

كذا قلم الشرك انبرى وبه انقطا

كذا قلم الشرك انبرى وبه انقطا

He is al-'Aqib, al-Mahi; his sword erased unbelief.

He is the ending, the Eraser, erasing unbelief is His sword

Likewise, the pen of idolatry was pared and cut off by him.

Thus the pen of idolatry revolted and by it was severed

كذاك حروف الخط قد نطقت له

كذاك حروف الخط قد نطقت له

وقد كان لا يدري الهجاء ولا الخطا

وقد كان لا يدري الهجاء ولا الخطا

Likewise, the letters of writing spoke to him,

Thus the letters of the script spoke to him

though he knew neither spelling nor writing.

And he did not know satire or poetry

ومن اصبعيه الماء فاض وقد جرى

ومن اصبعيه الماء فاض وقد جرى

ممينا فروّى الجيش واليلد القطحا

ممينا فروّى الجيش واليلد القطحا

And from his two fingers water welled up and flowed

And from his two fingers the water overflowed and flowed

as a spring, watering the army and the parched land.

To the right, so he watered the army and the smooth plain

يمينا به لم تدر قبضا يمينه

يمينا به لم تدر قبضا يمينه

فديت بدا شهوى السماحة والبطسا

فديت بدا شهوى السماحة والبطسا

I swear by him: his right hand never knew withholding.

To the right, by it his right hand was not known to withhold

May I be ransomed for a hand eager for generosity and openhanded giving.

So I ransom the appearance of generosity and open-handedness

فمن قاس بالانواء نائل جوده

فمن قاس بالانواء نائل جوده

فقد زاد حدا في القياس وقد خطا

فقد زاد حدا في القياس وقد خطا

Whoever compares his generous bounty with the rain-stars

Whoever compares the favor of attaining his generosity

has added a term to the comparison, and has erred.

Then he has exceeded the limit in analogy and was mistaken

اجل الورى قدرا واكرمهم يدا

اجل الورى قدرا واكرمهم يدا

واعظمهم زهدا واكثرهم إعطا

واعظمهم زهدا واكثرهم إعطا

The noblest of mankind in rank, the most generous of hand,

He is the most judicious of creation and their most generous hand

and the greatest in renunciation, the most lavish in giving.

And greatest in asceticism and most abundant in giving

واصحابه الرهط الكرام أولو التقى

واصحابه الرهط الكرام أولو التقى

فاكرم بهم صحبا واكرم بهم رهطا

فاكرم بهم صحبا واكرم بهم رهطا

And his companions are the noble band, possessors of piety;

And his companions are the honorable group, foremost in piety

how noble they are as companions, how noble as a band!

So honor the companionship through them and honor the group through them

اسودٌ ترى في كل يوم كتيبة

اسودٌ ترى في كل يوم كتيبة

لبيضهم شكلا وسمرهم نهقطا

لبيضهم شكلا وسمرهم نهقطا

Lions—on every day of battle you see

Dark complexioned you see in them every day a battalion

vowel-marks from their bright swords and dots from their dusky spears.

White in form and brown in skin

لهم شاد في العلياء مجدا ورفعة

لهم شاد في العلياء مجدا ورفعة

ووطأ لهم بالانيق الزهر ما وطا

ووطأ لهم بالانيق الزهر ما وطا

For them he raised glory and eminence on high,

For them glory was erected and nobility in the high places

and paved with lovely flowers whatever he laid out for them.

And the flowers were trampled gently by their sandals

وفي المهد قد ارضعت يدي مديحه

وفي المهد قد ارضعت يدي مديحه

وهمت به من قبل ان اودع القمطا

وهمت به من قبل ان اودع القمطا

And in the cradle I already nursed my hand on his praise,

And in the cradle I suckled praise of him with my hands

and was love-struck by him before I was laid in swaddling bands.

And intended before depositing the cotton wool

وما زلت مشغول الفؤاد بمدحه

وما زلت مشغول الفؤاد بمدحه

لعلي ارىا لي من شفاعته قسطا

لعلي ارىا لي من شفاعته قسطا

And my heart has remained engrossed in his praise,

And I have not ceased with my heart busy in his praise

hoping to see a share of his intercession fall to me.

Hoping to see for me through his intercession a portion

تصرح شوقا بنت فكري بذكره

تصرح شوقا بنت فكري بذكره

لعل يد الاعذار تمشطها مشطا

لعل يد الاعذار تمشطها مشطا

The daughter of my thought speaks openly of him in longing.

My longing openly declares in remembering him

Perhaps the hand of excuses will comb her well,

Perhaps the hand of apology will comb it with a comb

وتكتب في سوق الرقيق رقيقة

وتكتب في سوق الرقيق رقيقة

وتلبس من وشي القبول لها مرطا

وتلبس من وشي القبول لها مرطا

and she will be registered as a slave-girl in the slave-market,

And write in the market of slaves as a delicate slave girl

and wear for herself a mantle of acceptance's brocade.

And dress it in the garment of acceptance a gown

وعيش هواكم لا تغزلت بعدها

وعيش هواكم لا تغزلت بعدها

ولا عدت خلخالا ذكرت ولا قرطا

ولا عدت خلخالا ذكرت ولا قرطا

By the life of my love for you, I shall write no love-verse after her,

And live your passion after it twisted

nor shall I again mention an anklet or an earring.

And no longer count a bracelet mentioned or earrings

فيا سيد الكونين انت وسيلتي

فيا سيد الكونين انت وسيلتي

اذا ضاق بي ذرعا واوسعني قمطا

اذا ضاق بي ذرعا واوسعني قمطا

So, master of the two worlds, you are my means of approach

So O master of the two worlds, you are my means

when I am hard-pressed and tightly bound.

When the course is too narrow, then expand it for me as a portion

فقد ضاع عمري وانقضى زمن الصبا

فقد ضاع عمري وانقضى زمن الصبا

ولم اتعظ جهلا بلمتي الشمطا

ولم اتعظ جهلا بلمتي الشمطا

For my life has been wasted, and the time of youth has passed,

For my life is lost and the days of youth are ended

and, in my ignorance, I took no warning from my graying locks.

And I was not admonished in my ignorance by my defects

ولكن بك الغفران ارجو تكرما

ولكن بك الغفران ارجو تكرما

اذا ضبطت اعمال اهل الشقا ضبطا

اذا ضبطت اعمال اهل الشقا ضبطا

But through you I hope for forgiveness as a gracious favor,

But in you I hope for grace and generosity

when the deeds of the wretched are recorded with precision.

When the deeds of the people of corruption are corrected

عليك سلام الله ما سح وابل

عليك سلام الله ما سح وابل

من المزن وانهلّت سحائبه سقطا

من المزن وانهلّت سحائبه سقطا

God's peace be upon you as long as heavy rain pours

Upon you is the peace of God as long as dusk scattered

from the rainclouds, and its clouds pour down showers.

From the clouds and its downpours poured forth