أَما لَكَ في أَمري إِلى العَدلِ مَصرَفٌ

أَما لَكَ في أَمري إِلى العَدلِ مَصرَفٌ

حَكَمتَ فَما أُعطيتَ عَدلاً وَلا صَرفا

حَكَمتَ فَما أُعطيتَ عَدلاً وَلا صَرفا

Have you no recourse to justice in my case?

Is there no justice in your affairs when you judge?

You have judged, yet neither justice nor redress was granted.

You ruled but gave neither justice nor fairness.

يَقولُ أَتَشكو المَيلَ مِنّي وَنَفرَتي

يَقولُ أَتَشكو المَيلَ مِنّي وَنَفرَتي

وَبُعدي أَلَستُ البَدَرَ وَالغُصنَ وَالخِشفا

وَبُعدي أَلَستُ البَدَرَ وَالغُصنَ وَالخِشفا

He says, 'Do you complain of my swaying and my shying away,

He says, do I complain of your disinterest and aloofness,

And my distance? Am I not the full moon, the bough, and the fawn?'

And your distance, when you are the moon, the branch, and the pillow?

تَحِنُّ إِلى الخَيرِيِّ نَفسي وَيَغتَدي

تَحِنُّ إِلى الخَيرِيِّ نَفسي وَيَغتَدي

نَسيبِيَ في تَصحيفِهِِ يَمَلأُ الصُحفا

نَسيبِيَ في تَصحيفِهِِ يَمَلأُ الصُحفا

My soul yearns for the wallflower, and at dawn

My soul yearns for the virtuous one though he wrongs me,

My love verse fills the pages with its altered lettering.

My kinsman fills volumes with his misspelling.

وَما أَسهَرُ الظَلماءَ إِلّا لَعَلَّهُ

وَما أَسهَرُ الظَلماءَ إِلّا لَعَلَّهُ

يُنَشِّقُني الخَيرِيُّ مِن نَشرِهِ عَرفا

يُنَشِّقُني الخَيرِيُّ مِن نَشرِهِ عَرفا

And I keep vigil through the dark night only in hope

I only stay up late to see if my beloved

That the wallflower may let me breathe a waft of its fragrance.

Will gratify me with his fragrance at dawn.

كَأَنَّ خَيالي لَيسَ يُظهِرُ غَيرَهُ

كَأَنَّ خَيالي لَيسَ يُظهِرُ غَيرَهُ

وَلا مُنصِفي يَدري خِلافَ اِسمِهِ حَرفا

وَلا مُنصِفي يَدري خِلافَ اِسمِهِ حَرفا

As though my imagination reveals no one but him,

It seems my image shows no other but him,

Nor does my vindicator know a letter beyond his name.

And none who knows me realizes I differ from his name by a letter.

يُمَثَّلُ لي في كُلِّ شَيءٍ رَأَيتُهُ

يُمَثَّلُ لي في كُلِّ شَيءٍ رَأَيتُهُ

وَإِن سَأَلوا جاوَبتُهُم بِاِسمِهِ عُرفا

وَإِن سَأَلوا جاوَبتُهُم بِاِسمِهِ عُرفا

He is pictured to me in everything I have seen,

He is represented to me in everything I see,

And if they ask, I answer them with his name out of habit.

And if asked, I answer them with his name.

وَلَولا حَيائي وَاِتِّقاءُ مَحَلَّهُ

وَلَولا حَيائي وَاِتِّقاءُ مَحَلَّهُ

لَقَبَّلتُ نَعلَيهِ بِرَغمِ العِدا أَلفا

لَقَبَّلتُ نَعلَيهِ بِرَغمِ العِدا أَلفا

And were it not for my shyness and reverence for his rank,

If not for my shyness and reverence for his status,

I would have kissed his two sandals a thousand times, despite the foes.

I would kiss his shoes in spite of those who blame.

تَأَوَّلتُ فيهِ الذُلَّ قُلتُ تَواضُعٌ

تَأَوَّلتُ فيهِ الذُلَّ قُلتُ تَواضُعٌ

وَحَسَّنتُ تَركَ الصَونِ سَمَّيتُهُ ظَرفا

وَحَسَّنتُ تَركَ الصَونِ سَمَّيتُهُ ظَرفا

I reinterpreted abasement for his sake, saying, 'Humility';

I interpreted his humility as modesty,

And made abandoning self-respect seem fair, calling it refinement.

And called his lack of self-protection, refinement.

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري مَن بِآخِرِ سَبِّحِ

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري مَن بِآخِرِ سَبِّحِ

وَمَن هُوَ في التَنزيلِ قَبلَ الَّذي وَفّى

وَمَن هُوَ في التَنزيلِ قَبلَ الَّذي وَفّى

Ah, would that I knew who is at the end of 'Glorify',

If only I knew who at the end of praising

And who, in Revelation, comes before 'the one who fulfilled'.

And who he is in the Revelation before the one who fulfilled.