بَرِيقُ الحِبْرِ فِي حَرْفِي

بَرِيقُ الحِبْرِ فِي حَرْفِي

كَدَمْعٍ قَطرُهُ عَــذَبُ

كَدَمْعٍ قَطرُهُ عَــذَبُ

Love’s radiance gleams in my verse,

The gleam of ink in my letter

like a tear whose drop is sweet;

Is like tears whose drops are sweet,

كَلَمْعِ الطَّــلِّ فِي حََـــرٍّ

كَلَمْعِ الطَّــلِّ فِي حََـــرٍّ

سَقَاهُ الغَيْثُ والصَبُّ

سَقَاهُ الغَيْثُ والصَبُّ

like a child’s gleam in my lap,

Like the gleam of dew in the heat,

watered by rain and love,

Watered by rain and the ardent lover,

لِيَجْرِي سَيْـلُهُ مَــــدًّا

لِيَجْرِي سَيْـلُهُ مَــــدًّا

عَـلَى الأوراقِ يَنْصَبُّ

عَـلَى الأوراقِ يَنْصَبُّ

so that its torrent may flow onward,

So its torrent may flow in a swelling tide,

pouring down upon the pages,

Pouring down upon the pages,

فَيَكْسِي حَرْثَهَا زَرْعًـا

فَيَكْسِي حَرْثَهَا زَرْعًـا

ونَـبْتًا فَرْعُهُ هُـــدْبُ

ونَـبْتًا فَرْعُهُ هُـــدْبُ

clothing their tilled ground with crops

Thus clothing their tilled soil with crops

and growth whose bough is a fringe—

And growth whose branch is a fringe,

بِشِـعْرٍ نقْــشُهُ شَـــذْرٌ

بِشِـعْرٍ نقْــشُهُ شَـــذْرٌ

وَنَثْرٍ لُــبُّهُ حُـــــبُّ

وَنَثْرٍ لُــبُّهُ حُـــــبُّ

with poetry whose designs are sparks,

With poetry whose inscription is beads of gold,

and prose whose heart is love,

And prose whose essence is love,

وتََفْصيلٍ على نَظْــــــمٍ

وتََفْصيلٍ على نَظْــــــمٍ

مُقَفَّى سَجْعُهُ خَصْبٌ

مُقَفَّى سَجْعُهُ خَصْبٌ

and elaboration cast in verse,

And elaboration set in verse,

rhymed, its cadence richly fertile.

Rhymed, its cadences fertile.

بِنَفْسِي فَاضَ تَصْوِِيرِي

بِنَفْسِي فَاضَ تَصْوِِيرِي

بَيَانًا سِـحْرهُ عَــذْبُ

بَيَانًا سِـحْرهُ عَــذْبُ

From within my soul my imagery overflowed,

Within my soul, my imagery overflowed

in eloquence whose magic is a wonder;

As eloquence whose enchantment is sweet,

يغَذِّي الرُّوحَ مِنْ سَهْمٍ

يغَذِّي الرُّوحَ مِنْ سَهْمٍ

دَعَاهُ العَقْلُ و القَلْـبُ

دَعَاهُ العَقْلُ و القَلْـبُ

it nourishes the spirit from my own share,

Nourishing the soul from an arrow

summoned forth by reason and the heart,

Summoned by the mind and the heart,

بِِِِِِِـِريقٍ مِنْ لِسَانِــي فِي

بِِِِِِِـِريقٍ مِنْ لِسَانِــي فِي

مَقَـالِي ذِكْرُهُ رَطْـــبُ

مَقَـالِي ذِكْرُهُ رَطْـــبُ

with moisture from my tongue, within

With saliva from my tongue; in

my discourse, where its mention remains fresh.

My speech, its mention is moist.

فَإِنْ خِبْتُ فَمِنْ نَفْسِي

فَإِنْ خِبْتُ فَمِنْ نَفْسِي

وَشَيْطَانِي لَهُ الحَرْبُ

وَشَيْطَانِي لَهُ الحَرْبُ

If it should fade, that comes from myself—

So if I fail, it comes from myself

and my devil: against him is the war!

And my devil—for him there is war.

وإِنْ وُفِّقْتُ فـالمَعْـنَى

وإِنْ وُفِّقْتُ فـالمَعْـنَى

صَوَابٌ سَاقَهُ الـــرَّبُ

صَوَابٌ سَاقَهُ الـــرَّبُ

But if I am granted success, then the meaning

And if I am granted success, then the meaning

is true, conveyed by the Lord.

Is right, brought by the Lord.