إنَّ عَيْناً مِنْكُمُ قَدء ظَمِئَتْ

إنَّ عَيْناً مِنْكُمُ قَدء ظَمِئَتْ

قَدْ سَقاها الدَّمْعُ حَتَّى رَوِيَتْ

قَدْ سَقاها الدَّمْعُ حَتَّى رَوِيَتْ

Indeed, an eye of yours has wronged me;

Indeed, an eye has grown thirsty for you;

tears watered it until it drank its fill.

tears have watered it until its thirst was quenched.

آهِ مِنْ وِجْدٍ حِديدٍ لَمْ يَزَلْ

آهِ مِنْ وِجْدٍ حِديدٍ لَمْ يَزَلْ

وَعِظامٍ ناحِلاتٍ بَلِيَتْ

وَعِظامٍ ناحِلاتٍ بَلِيَتْ

Ah, for a piercing passion that has never ceased,

Ah, for a piercing longing that has never ceased,

and wasted bones worn away!

and wasted bones that have worn away!

أنا وَالأظْعانُ مِنْ شَوْقٍ لَكُمْ

أنا وَالأظْعانُ مِنْ شَوْقٍ لَكُمْ

نَحْوَكُمُ أَعْناقُنا قَدْ ثُنِيَتْ

نَحْوَكُمُ أَعْناقُنا قَدْ ثُنِيَتْ

The departing camel-litters and I, for longing after you,

I and the caravan, out of longing for you—

have bent our necks toward you.

our necks have been turned toward you.

أَنْتُمُ الأَنْجُمُ مُذْ غُيِّبْتُمُ

أَنْتُمُ الأَنْجُمُ مُذْ غُيِّبْتُمُ

بِسِوَى أَنْوارِكُمْ ما هُدِيَتْ

بِسِوَى أَنْوارِكُمْ ما هُدِيَتْ

You are the stars; since you were hidden,

You are the stars; since you were hidden,

by no lights but yours have I been guided.

the caravan has been guided by no light but yours.

ساكِنِي الفُسْطاطِ لَو أَبْصَرْتُكُمْ

ساكِنِي الفُسْطاطِ لَو أَبْصَرْتُكُمْ

جُلِيَتْ مِرْآةُ عَيْنٍ صَدِيَتْ

جُلِيَتْ مِرْآةُ عَيْنٍ صَدِيَتْ

O dwellers of Fustat, if only I beheld you,

O dwellers of Fustat, if I beheld you,

the mirror of a tarnished eye would be polished.

the mirror of an eye gone rusty would be polished.

أَوْ أَعادَ اللَّهُ شَمْلي بِكُمُ

أَوْ أَعادَ اللَّهُ شَمْلي بِكُمُ

سَعِدَتْ آمالُ نَفْسِ شَقِيَتْ

سَعِدَتْ آمالُ نَفْسِ شَقِيَتْ

Or if God restored my scattered self through you,

Or if God reunited me with you,

the hopes of a wretched soul would be blessed.

the hopes of a suffering soul would rejoice.

إنَّ أَرْضاً أَنْتُمُ سُكَّانُها

إنَّ أَرْضاً أَنْتُمُ سُكَّانُها

غَنِيَتْ عَن أَن أَقولَ سُقِيَتْ

غَنِيَتْ عَن أَن أَقولَ سُقِيَتْ

Indeed, a land whose inhabitants are you

Indeed, a land whose inhabitants you are

needs no prayer from me that it be watered.

has no need for me to say, “May it be watered!”

فَوُجوهٌ كِرِياضٍ أَزْهَرَتْ

فَوُجوهٌ كِرِياضٍ أَزْهَرَتْ

وَرِياضُ كَوْجوهٍ جُلِيَتْ

وَرِياضُ كَوْجوهٍ جُلِيَتْ

For there are faces like gardens in bloom,

For there are faces like gardens in bloom,

and gardens like faces unveiled in radiance.

and gardens like faces unveiled.

بِأَبي مِنْكُمْ غَزالُ مُهْجَتي

بِأَبي مِنْكُمْ غَزالُ مُهْجَتي

بِظُبى أَلْحاظِهِ قَدْ غُزِيَتْ

بِظُبى أَلْحاظِهِ قَدْ غُزِيَتْ

May my father ransom the gazelle among you—the life of my soul—

May my father be ransom for the gazelle among you; my heart

by the blades of whose glances I have been conquered.

has been assailed by the blades of his glances.

ساحِرُ الأجْفانِ أَلْوَى وَعْدَهُ

ساحِرُ الأجْفانِ أَلْوَى وَعْدَهُ

فَهْوَ كالأصْداغِ لَمَّا لُوِيَتْ

فَهْوَ كالأصْداغِ لَمَّا لُوِيَتْ

An enchanter of eyelids has broken his promise,

He of enchanting eyelids has twisted his promise;

so it is like temple-locks when they are curled.

so it is like temple-locks when they are curled.

بَلِّغِيهِ يا نَسيمَ الرِّيحِ عَنْ

بَلِّغِيهِ يا نَسيمَ الرِّيحِ عَنْ

مُهْجَةِ الْمُشْتاقِ مإِذْا لَقِيَتْ

مُهْجَةِ الْمُشْتاقِ مإِذْا لَقِيَتْ

Tell him, O breeze, on behalf of

Tell him, O breeze of the wind, on behalf of

the yearning lover’s heart, what it has suffered.

the yearning heart, what it has suffered:

إنَّ أَسْرارَ الْهَوَى ما نُشِرَتْ

إنَّ أَسْرارَ الْهَوَى ما نُشِرَتْ

وَمَلابِيسَ الضَّنى ما طُوِيَتْ

وَمَلابِيسَ الضَّنى ما طُوِيَتْ

Indeed, I have never divulged the secrets of love,

indeed, the secrets of love have not been divulged,

nor folded away the garments of wasting sickness.

and the garments of wasting sickness have not been folded away.

وَلَقَدْ كانَ لِنَفْسي جَلَدٌ

وَلَقَدْ كانَ لِنَفْسي جَلَدٌ

وَأراها اليَوْمَ فِيهِ دُهِيَتْ

وَأراها اليَوْمَ فِيهِ دُهِيَتْ

Once my soul possessed endurance,

And indeed my soul once had fortitude;

but today I see it stricken by this love.

yet today I see it stricken in that very strength.

لِيَ عُذْرٌ فِي النَّوَى عَنْ أَرْضِكُمْ

لِيَ عُذْرٌ فِي النَّوَى عَنْ أَرْضِكُمْ

فَسَقَتْها أَدْمُعي إِنْ رَضِيَتْ

فَسَقَتْها أَدْمُعي إِنْ رَضِيَتْ

I have an excuse for dwelling far from your land;

I have an excuse for being far from your land;

my tears watered it, if it was pleased to receive them.

so may my tears water it, if it is pleased.

إِنَّما خِدْمَةُ مُوسى جَنَّةٌ

إِنَّما خِدْمَةُ مُوسى جَنَّةٌ

عِنْدَها أَوْطَانُنا قَدْ نُسِيَتْ

عِنْدَها أَوْطَانُنا قَدْ نُسِيَتْ

Serving him—Musa alone—is my paradise;

Service to Musa is sheer paradise,

there, our homelands have been forgotten.

beside which our homelands have been forgotten.

مَلِك مُذْ جُرِّدَتْ هَيْبَتُهُ

مَلِك مُذْ جُرِّدَتْ هَيْبَتُهُ

أَغْمَدَ الأسْيافَ حَتَّى صَدِيَتْ

أَغْمَدَ الأسْيافَ حَتَّى صَدِيَتْ

A king whose majesty, once unsheathed,

A king who, since his fearsome majesty was unsheathed,

sheathed the swords until they rusted.

has sheathed the swords until they rusted.

هُوَ فِي الْهَيْجاء نارٌ تَلْتَظِي

هُوَ فِي الْهَيْجاء نارٌ تَلْتَظِي

وَهُوَ فِي السَّلْمِ جِنانٌ جُنِيَتْ

وَهُوَ فِي السَّلْمِ جِنانٌ جُنِيَتْ

In battle he is a fiercely blazing fire,

In battle he is a blazing fire,

and in peace, gardens ripe for gathering.

and in peace he is gardens whose fruit is harvested.

لا يُبالِي أنْ خَلَتْ أكْياسُهُ

لا يُبالِي أنْ خَلَتْ أكْياسُهُ

وَلَهُ الأرْضُ بِشُكْرٍ مُلِئَتْ

وَلَهُ الأرْضُ بِشُكْرٍ مُلِئَتْ

He cares nothing that his purses have emptied,

He cares not that his purses have emptied,

while the earth has been filled with gratitude to him.

while the earth is filled with gratitude to him.

خُذْ أحاديثَ عُلاهُ إِنَّها

خُذْ أحاديثَ عُلاهُ إِنَّها

بِأسانِيدِ مَديحِي رُوِيَتْ

بِأسانِيدِ مَديحِي رُوِيَتْ

Receive the traditions of his grandeur—for they

Take the accounts of his greatness, for indeed they

have been transmitted through the chains of my praise.

have been narrated through my praise's chains of transmission.

قامَ بِالدُّنْيا وَبِالأُخرَى مَعاً

قامَ بِالدُّنْيا وَبِالأُخرَى مَعاً

فَهْيَ ضَرَّاٌت بِهِ قَد رَضِيَتْ

فَهْيَ ضَرَّاٌت بِهِ قَد رَضِيَتْ

He upholds this world and the Hereafter together;

He has cared for this world and the next together;

thus even adversity is content with him.

so they are rival wives, content with him.

حَسَنُ الظَّاهِرِ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِلَّ

حَسَنُ الظَّاهِرِ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِلَّ

هِ مِنْهُ حَسَناتٌ خَفِيَتْ

هِ مِنْهُ حَسَناتٌ خَفِيَتْ

Fair in outward bearing toward men—and before God,

Fair in his outward conduct toward people, and for

he has virtues hidden from sight.

God he has good deeds kept hidden.

يَخْضَعُ الجَبَّارُ مِنْ هَيْبَتِهِ

يَخْضَعُ الجَبَّارُ مِنْ هَيْبَتِهِ

وَالرَّعَايَا فِي حِمىً قَدْ رُعِيَتْ

وَالرَّعَايَا فِي حِمىً قَدْ رُعِيَتْ

The tyrant bows in awe of him,

The tyrant bows in awe of him,

and his subjects are tended within a sheltering fold.

and the subjects have been tended within his protection.

يا مَليكَ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيا وَيا

يا مَليكَ الدِّينِ وَالدُّنْيا وَيا

صَفْوَةَ المَجْدِ الّتي قَد بَقِيَتْ

صَفْوَةَ المَجْدِ الّتي قَد بَقِيَتْ

O sovereign of the faith and of this world, O

O sovereign of faith and the world, and O

choicest essence of glory that endures!

purest essence of glory, which has endured!

وَيْحَ أَعْدائِكَ بَل وَيْلٌ لَهُمْ

وَيْحَ أَعْدائِكَ بَل وَيْلٌ لَهُمْ

مَعْشَرٌ أَبْصَارُهُمْ قَد عَمِيَتْ

مَعْشَرٌ أَبْصَارُهُمْ قَد عَمِيَتْ

Woe to your enemies—nay, doom upon them:

Alas for your enemies—rather, woe to them!

a company whose eyes have gone blind.

A people whose eyes have gone blind.

كُلَّ يَوْمٍ لَكَ فِي أَكْبادِهِمْ

كُلَّ يَوْمٍ لَكَ فِي أَكْبادِهِمْ

بِمعالِيكَ جِراحٌ دَمِيَتْ

بِمعالِيكَ جِراحٌ دَمِيَتْ

Every day, within their very livers, you have

Every day, within their livers, you leave

wounds that your lofty deeds have made bleed.

wounds bleeding from your lofty deeds.