صَدرٌ بِهِ سَعةٌ وَشَوقٌ أَوسَعُ

صَدرٌ بِهِ سَعةٌ وَشَوقٌ أَوسَعُ

فَالحِلمُ يُعطي والبلِيَّةُ تمنَعُ

فَالحِلمُ يُعطي والبلِيَّةُ تمنَعُ

A breast holds ample room, and longing wider still;

A heart spacious with yearning yet vaster,

for forbearance grants, while affliction withholds.

Dreams grant while waking denies;

وَحُشاشةٌ مَسلوبَةٌ وَلَعَلَّها

وَحُشاشةٌ مَسلوبَةٌ وَلَعَلَّها

ذَهَبَت عَلى أَثَرِ الفُؤادِ تُودِّعُ

ذَهَبَت عَلى أَثَرِ الفُؤادِ تُودِّعُ

And a remnant of life is stolen away; perhaps it

A forlorn nightingale—perhaps she

has gone in the heart's wake to bid farewell.

Went after my heart, bidding adieu.

يا راحلاً رَحَلَت إِلَيهِ قُلوبُنا

يا راحلاً رَحَلَت إِلَيهِ قُلوبُنا

وَأَظُنُّها مِن شَوقِها لا تَرجِعُ

وَأَظُنُّها مِن شَوقِها لا تَرجِعُ

O departing one, our hearts have journeyed to you,

O you who left, to whom our hearts migrated

and I think that, in their longing, they will not return.

And I think not to return, obsessed with longing.

مالي أَرى الدَّارَ الَّتي فارَقَتها

مالي أَرى الدَّارَ الَّتي فارَقَتها

مَأهولةً وَكَأَنَّما هِيَ بَلقَعُ

مَأهولةً وَكَأَنَّما هِيَ بَلقَعُ

Why do I see the house you left

Why do I see the abode you left

inhabited, yet as though it were a barren waste?

Inhabited, as if a ruin patched anew?

قَد فَرَّقَ البينُ المُشتِّتُ شَملَنا

قَد فَرَّقَ البينُ المُشتِّتُ شَملَنا

وَالشَّملُ لَفظٌ مُفردٌ لا يُجمَعُ

وَالشَّملُ لَفظٌ مُفردٌ لا يُجمَعُ

Separation, that scatterer, has sundered our union,

Separation, the disjoiner, split our company—

and 'union' is a singular word that cannot be made plural.

Company’s a single noun that cannot be made plural.

كانَ اللِّسانُ رَسولَ قَلبي فَاِنثَنى

كانَ اللِّسانُ رَسولَ قَلبي فَاِنثَنى

قَلبي الرَسولَ عَنِ اللِّسانِ يُشيِّعُ

قَلبي الرَسولَ عَنِ اللِّسانِ يُشيِّعُ

The tongue was my heart's messenger; then, turning,

My tongue was my heart’s messenger but doubled back—

my heart saw the messenger off in the tongue's stead.

My heart, from sending tongue, grew ever more shy.

ما كانَ أَقصَرَ مُدَّةً لَكَ بَينَنا

ما كانَ أَقصَرَ مُدَّةً لَكَ بَينَنا

كَالحُلمِ تُبصِرُهُ العُيون الهُجَّعُ

كَالحُلمِ تُبصِرُهُ العُيون الهُجَّعُ

How brief was your time among us,

How brief was the time you spent among us,

like a dream beheld by sleeping eyes!

Like a dream the waking eye beholds, then sleeps.

وَكَذا الزَّمانُ يَمُرُّ مُختَلِفاً بِنا

وَكَذا الزَّمانُ يَمُرُّ مُختَلِفاً بِنا

وَألسُّوءُ فيهِ وَالسُّرورُ يُضَيَّعُ

وَألسُّوءُ فيهِ وَالسُّرورُ يُضَيَّعُ

And so time passes, bringing changes upon us,

Thus time passes, bringing us its different days—

and within it is adversity, while joy is squandered.

The worst in it is wasted, the joy forlorn.

ما كُنتُ أَرضى بِالحَياةِ وَكُلُّها

ما كُنتُ أَرضى بِالحَياةِ وَكُلُّها

عِلَلٌ وَلَكنْ صَرفُها لا يُمنَعُ

عِلَلٌ وَلَكنْ صَرفُها لا يُمنَعُ

I was not content with life, for all of it

I’d not be pleased by life, nothing but illnesses,

is ailments; yet its vicissitudes cannot be averted.

Yet diverting them cannot be denied.

إِن لم يَكُنْ بَينُ النُّفوسِ مُروِّعاً

إِن لم يَكُنْ بَينُ النُّفوسِ مُروِّعاً

فَغُرابُ بَينٍ لِلنُفوسِ مروِّعُ

فَغُرابُ بَينٍ لِلنُفوسِ مروِّعُ

If the parting of souls is not terrifying,

If there were no terrors between souls,

then the crow of parting is terrifying to souls.

Then the strangeness of estrangement terrifies souls.

ما أَغفلَ الإِنسانَ عَن نُصَحائِهِ

ما أَغفلَ الإِنسانَ عَن نُصَحائِهِ

وَأَشَدَّ صَبوَتهُ إِلى مَن يَخدَعُ

وَأَشَدَّ صَبوَتهُ إِلى مَن يَخدَعُ

How heedless man is of his advisers,

How neglect made man forget his trusted friends

and how intense his longing for one who deceives!

And poured his poison to those who deceive!

يَرعى الكَواكبَ في السَّماءِ ضَئيلَةً

يَرعى الكَواكبَ في السَّماءِ ضَئيلَةً

وَالنَّفسُ أَقرَبُ مِنهُ لَو يَتَطَلَّعُ

وَالنَّفسُ أَقرَبُ مِنهُ لَو يَتَطَلَّعُ

He watches the stars, tiny in the sky,

He keeps watch over faint stars in the sky

while the soul is nearer to him, if he would only look.

While the soul, closer to him, he fails to see.

أَخذ الطَّبيبُ بِأَن يُداويَ غَيرَهُ

أَخذ الطَّبيبُ بِأَن يُداويَ غَيرَهُ

وَنَسِي الطَّبيبُ فُؤادَهُ يَتَوَجَّعُ

وَنَسِي الطَّبيبُ فُؤادَهُ يَتَوَجَّعُ

The physician began to treat another,

The doctor busied healing others

and the physician forgot his own aching heart.

Forgetting his own heart, suffering, diseased.

وَالعِلمُ مَصلَحةُ النُّفوسِ فَإِن يَكُنْ

وَالعِلمُ مَصلَحةُ النُّفوسِ فَإِن يَكُنْ

لا نفعَ فيهِ فَالجَهالةُ أَنفَعُ

لا نفعَ فيهِ فَالجَهالةُ أَنفَعُ

And knowledge serves the good of souls; so if there is

Knowledge benefits souls so if it lacks

no benefit in it, then ignorance is more beneficial.

Any use, ignorance would be more useful.

بَأَبي الذي اُنحَنَتِ المَفارِقُ بَعدهُ

بَأَبي الذي اُنحَنَتِ المَفارِقُ بَعدهُ

وَتَقوَّمَت وَجداً عَلَيهِ الأَضلُعُ

وَتَقوَّمَت وَجداً عَلَيهِ الأَضلُعُ

May my father be ransom for him after whose departure heads bowed,

By my father, for whom ribs bent after he left,

and ribs straightened with longing for him.

And, missing him, grew straight with sadness.

أَنتَ المنزَّهُ عَن مَظِنَّةِ جاهِلٍ

أَنتَ المنزَّهُ عَن مَظِنَّةِ جاهِلٍ

وَصِفاتِ مَن بِطِباعهِ يَتَطَبَّعُ

وَصِفاتِ مَن بِطِباعهِ يَتَطَبَّعُ

You are above an ignorant man's suspicions,

You're far above any fool's suspicions

and the traits of one who adopts his nature.

And the attributes of those ruled by caprice.

يا ساكِناً قَلبي المُتيَّمَ إنَّهُ

يا ساكِناً قَلبي المُتيَّمَ إنَّهُ

بَيتٌ وَلَكن في هَواكَ مُصرَّعُ

بَيتٌ وَلَكن في هَواكَ مُصرَّعُ

O dweller in my love-stricken heart, it is

O you who lodged my orphaned heart—it is

a house, yet laid low by love for you.

A home, designed with love for you, embellished.

يا طالَما أَنشَدتُ فيكَ قَوافِياً

يا طالَما أَنشَدتُ فيكَ قَوافِياً

وَحَشاشَتي كَعُروضها تَتَقطَّعُ

وَحَشاشَتي كَعُروضها تَتَقطَّعُ

Oh, how often I have recited rhymes about you,

How often have I recited, for your sake, verses

while my life's last remnant breaks apart like their meter.

Whose meters, like my longing, tatter and tear.

نَفسي مُجرَّدَةٌ إِليكَ عَن الوَرى

نَفسي مُجرَّدَةٌ إِليكَ عَن الوَرى

وَلَعَلَّ ذَلِكَ في المَحَبَةِ يَرفَعُ

وَلَعَلَّ ذَلِكَ في المَحَبَةِ يَرفَعُ

My soul is devoted to you alone, detached from all mankind,

My soul is spare, stripped of all but you

and perhaps that exalts me in love.

Perhaps in love this raises one above.

إِن كانَ قَد مُنِعَ التَقَرُّبُ بَينَنا

إِن كانَ قَد مُنِعَ التَقَرُّبُ بَينَنا

فَأَحَبُّ شَيءٍ عِندَنا ما يُمنَعُ

فَأَحَبُّ شَيءٍ عِندَنا ما يُمنَعُ

If closeness between us has been denied,

If being close is denied between us

then what is denied is dearest to us.

I love most what, between us, is denied.