أَحسُّ بشيءٍ في الحشا يُشبه الجمرا

أَحسُّ بشيءٍ في الحشا يُشبه الجمرا

أَهذا غرامٌ هَيَّجَتْهُ لِيَ الذِّكْرى

أَهذا غرامٌ هَيَّجَتْهُ لِيَ الذِّكْرى

Within my breast I sense something resembling living embers.

I feel something in my breast that resembles embers.

Is this a passion that remembrance has stirred within me?

Is this a passion that memory has stirred in me?

أَبيتُ عَلى وِرْدٍ غزيرٍ وَمُصطلى

أَبيتُ عَلى وِرْدٍ غزيرٍ وَمُصطلى

فمنْ مُقْلةٍ عَبرى ومِنْ كَبِدٍ حرّى

فمنْ مُقْلةٍ عَبرى ومِنْ كَبِدٍ حرّى

I spend the night above a brimming spring and beside a kindled blaze—

I spend the night with abundant water and a hearth:

the spring’s flow from my tearful eye, the blaze’s heat from my liver.

one from a tearful eye, the other from a burning liver.

أَصيخُ لما يوحي الغرامُ لمسمعي

أَصيخُ لما يوحي الغرامُ لمسمعي

فأَنظُمهُ طَوْراً وَأَنثُرُهُ أُخرى

فأَنظُمهُ طَوْراً وَأَنثُرُهُ أُخرى

I listen to what passion whispers into my ear,

I listen intently to what passion imparts to my ear,

now stringing it as verse, now scattering it as prose.

then cast it now in verse, now in prose.

أَأُخْتَ الدُّمى قَلباً خلا ونُعومةً

أَأُخْتَ الدُّمى قَلباً خلا ونُعومةً

وَأُختَ الظِّبا طَرْفاً كَقلبيَ أَوْ نحرا

وَأُختَ الظِّبا طَرْفاً كَقلبيَ أَوْ نحرا

Are you sister to the statues in heart—empty though it is—and in softness,

O sister of the statues in an empty heart and in softness,

and sister to gazelles in gaze—a gaze for my heart, or for my throat?

and sister of gazelles in a gaze like my heart, or in your neck,

أَتدْرِينَ فوْقَ الحبِّ ما هوَ مِنْكُمُ

أَتدْرِينَ فوْقَ الحبِّ ما هوَ مِنْكُمُ

يُقَرِّبُني فالحبُّ جَرَّعني الهَجرا

يُقَرِّبُني فالحبُّ جَرَّعني الهَجرا

Do you know what else, beyond love, comes from you

do you know what it is about you, beyond love,

to draw me near? Love has made me drink the draught of desertion.

that draws me close? For love has made me drink estrangement.

فَعندَ هُبوبي أَنْتِ أَوَّلُ خاطِرٍ

فَعندَ هُبوبي أَنْتِ أَوَّلُ خاطِرٍ

وَآخِرُهُ واللهِ أنتِ إِذا أَكْرى

وَآخِرُهُ واللهِ أنتِ إِذا أَكْرى

Whenever I awaken, you are my first thought,

So when I wake, you are my first thought,

and, by God, you are my last when I fall asleep.

and, by God, you are my last as I grow drowsy.

أَمرُّ عَلَى الصَّخرِ الأَصمِّ تَعِلَّةً

أَمرُّ عَلَى الصَّخرِ الأَصمِّ تَعِلَّةً

فَألثمُه إِذْ قلبُها يشبِه الصَّخرا

فَألثمُه إِذْ قلبُها يشبِه الصَّخرا

I pass by the deaf, unfeeling rock, seeking consolation,

I pass by the solid rock, seeking consolation,

and kiss it, since her heart resembles stone.

and kiss it, since her heart resembles stone.

وَما كنتُ مِمَّنْ يُعجمُ الحبُّ عودَه

وَما كنتُ مِمَّنْ يُعجمُ الحبُّ عودَه

وَلكِنَّما يصبو الحليمُ لها خمرا

وَلكِنَّما يصبو الحليمُ لها خمرا

I was never one whose mettle love had to test,

Nor was I one whose stem love bites to test,

yet even the forbearing man yearns for her as he yearns for wine.

yet even the prudent man is drawn to her as to wine.

ولستُ كمنْ تهفو العقارُ بلبِّه

ولستُ كمنْ تهفو العقارُ بلبِّه

ولكنْ سَقَتني من نَواظِرها خمرا

ولكنْ سَقَتني من نَواظِرها خمرا

Nor am I one whose heart wine carries away;

Nor am I like one whose reason wine sweeps away,

rather, she poured me wine from her glances:

but she gave me wine to drink from her eyes.

فُتورٌ كَشعرِ الصَّبِّ بالهجرِ رِقَّةً

فُتورٌ كَشعرِ الصَّبِّ بالهجرِ رِقَّةً

إِذا هامَ وجداً أَو شعور الشَّجي المغرى

إِذا هامَ وجداً أَو شعور الشَّجي المغرى

a languor as delicate as the forsaken lover’s verse,

A languor as tender as a forsaken lover’s verse,

when I wander in rapture—or as the feeling of the sorrowful, love-enthralled man.

when he is lost in longing, or a heartbroken, enthralled man’s feelings.

فلو كان لي شيءٌ مِنَ الأمرِ بينَ مَنْ

فلو كان لي شيءٌ مِنَ الأمرِ بينَ مَنْ

همُ أَوْلياءُ الشعرِ عَرَّفْتُها شعرا

همُ أَوْلياءُ الشعرِ عَرَّفْتُها شعرا

Had I any authority among those

So, if I had any authority among those

who are the guardians of poetry, I would pronounce it poetry.

who are poetry’s guardians, I would define her as poetry.

أَجِزني أَميرَ الشِّعرِ بالشِّعرِ إِنَّني

أَجِزني أَميرَ الشِّعرِ بالشِّعرِ إِنَّني

أَرانيَ لم أسلكْ به مسلكاً وعرا

أَرانيَ لم أسلكْ به مسلكاً وعرا

Grant me authorization through verse, Prince of Poetry, for I

Reward me with verse, O Prince of Poetry, for I

believe I have taken no rugged path in it.

see myself as having taken no rugged path in it.

رَدَدْتَ عليه حسنَه بعد ما زوى

رَدَدْتَ عليه حسنَه بعد ما زوى

قروناً فأَضحى غصنُهُ بك مخضرّا

قروناً فأَضحى غصنُهُ بك مخضرّا

You restored its beauty after it had withered

You restored its beauty after it had withered

for centuries, until through you its branch grew green.

for centuries; through you its bough has turned green.

أَعدْتَ لنا عصرَ (النَّواسي) و (مسلمٍ)

أَعدْتَ لنا عصرَ (النَّواسي) و (مسلمٍ)

فبوركْتَ يا عصرَ القريضِ به عصرا

فبوركْتَ يا عصرَ القريضِ به عصرا

You brought back for us the age of al-Nawasi and Muslim;

You restored for us the age of al-Nuwasi and Muslim.

through him be blessed, O age of verse—an age indeed.

So blessed are you through him, O age of verse!

فَمَنْ مبلغ (شيخَ المعرَّةِ) شيخنا

فَمَنْ مبلغ (شيخَ المعرَّةِ) شيخنا

(وأَحمدَ) و (الطائيَّ) مَنْ نظموا الدّرا

(وأَحمدَ) و (الطائيَّ) مَنْ نظموا الدّرا

Who will carry word to the Shaykh of al-Ma‘arra, our shaykh,

Who, then, will tell the Sheikh of al-Ma‘arrah, our sheikh,

and to Ahmad and al-Ta’i, those stringers of pearls,

and Ahmad and al-Ta’i, those who strung pearls,

بِأَنّا رأَيناهم جميعاً بشخصِه

بِأَنّا رأَيناهم جميعاً بشخصِه

فقرّوا عيوناً فالقريضُ لقد فرّا

فقرّوا عيوناً فالقريضُ لقد فرّا

that we have seen them all united in his person?

that we have seen them all in his person?

Let their eyes rest content, for poetry has indeed wrought wonders.

So let your eyes be at peace, for poetry has indeed fled

إليه فتاةُ الشعرِ أَلقتْ قيادَها

إليه فتاةُ الشعرِ أَلقتْ قيادَها

ولم تتَّخذْ إلاّ روائَعه خِدْرا

ولم تتَّخذْ إلاّ روائَعه خِدْرا

To him Poetry’s maiden surrendered her reins,

to him; the maiden of poetry has surrendered her reins.

and took none but his masterpieces for her bridal chamber.

and has chosen only his masterpieces as her secluded chamber.

بأَكنافِه العليا تلوذُ صيانةً

بأَكنافِه العليا تلوذُ صيانةً

لقد كان والرحمن في صوتها أَحرى

لقد كان والرحمن في صوتها أَحرى

Within his lofty sanctuary she seeks refuge, guarding her honor;

In his lofty shelter she takes refuge for safekeeping.

by the All-Merciful, he was indeed the worthiest to safeguard her.

Indeed, by the Merciful, he was worthier of her voice.

بإِحدى يديه السَّيفُ يقطرُ من دمٍ

بإِحدى يديه السَّيفُ يقطرُ من دمٍ

وأُخرى يديه ينفثُ القلمُ السحرا

وأُخرى يديه ينفثُ القلمُ السحرا

In one of his hands, the sword drips with my blood;

In one of his hands, the sword drips blood,

in his other hand, the pen breathes magic.

and in the other, the pen breathes out magic.

إليكَ أَميرَ السَّيفِ والقلمِ انتهتْ

إليكَ أَميرَ السَّيفِ والقلمِ انتهتْ

كرام خصالٍ قد تجاوزتِ الحصرا

كرام خصالٍ قد تجاوزتِ الحصرا

In you, Prince of the Sword and Pen, culminate

In you, O Prince of the Sword and the Pen, culminate

noble qualities that have surpassed all reckoning:

noble qualities that have surpassed all counting:

عَفافٌ وإِقدامٌ وَحَزمٌ ومِنْعَةٌ

عَفافٌ وإِقدامٌ وَحَزمٌ ومِنْعَةٌ

وَمجدٌ تسامى ردَّ عينَ العُلى حسرى

وَمجدٌ تسامى ردَّ عينَ العُلى حسرى

chastity, valor, resolve, and unassailable strength,

chastity, courage, resolve, and might,

and glory risen so high that loftiness itself returns exhausted.

and glory that soared, sending eminence’s eye back exhausted.

إلى ظِلِّكَ العالي زَففتُ خريدةً

إلى ظِلِّكَ العالي زَففتُ خريدةً

إِجازة شِعرٍ مِنكُمُ أَبتغي مهْرا

إِجازة شِعرٍ مِنكُمُ أَبتغي مهْرا

Into your lofty shade I have led a sheltered maiden in bridal procession,

To your lofty shade I have brought a maiden bride;

seeking from you a poetic authorization as her dowry.

a reward in verse from you I seek as her dowry.