تُذكِّرُهُ أحبَابَه الأنجُم الزّهرُ

تُذكِّرُهُ أحبَابَه الأنجُم الزّهرُ

فيَا وَيحَه ماذَا به صنعَ الذِكرُ

فيَا وَيحَه ماذَا به صنعَ الذِكرُ

The radiant stars remind him of his loved ones.

His friends remind him, the stars and flowers,

Ah, woe to him—what has remembrance done to him!

Alas, what has remembrance done to him?

همُ مثلُها بُعداً ونوراً ورفعةً

همُ مثلُها بُعداً ونوراً ورفعةً

ولكنْ لَها إذْ شُبّهت بهِمُ الفَخْرُ

ولكنْ لَها إذْ شُبّهت بهِمُ الفَخْرُ

They are like the stars in distance, light, and loftiness,

They are like him in remoteness, light and loftiness,

yet it is the stars' honor to be likened to them.

But to them belongs pride when compared to him.

وقد كنتُ أشكُو هجرَهُم في دُنوّهم

وقد كنتُ أشكُو هجرَهُم في دُنوّهم

فمن ليَ لَو دام التّدانِي والهجرُ

فمن ليَ لَو دام التّدانِي والهجرُ

And I used to lament their estrangement when they were near;

And I used to complain of their estrangement in their nearness,

if only that nearness and estrangement had endured for me!

So who do I have if proximity and estrangement persist?

سَقَى مصرَ جودُ الصّالِح الملْكِ إنّه

سَقَى مصرَ جودُ الصّالِح الملْكِ إنّه

هُو الوابلُ المُحيِي البريّةِ لا القَطرُ

هُو الوابلُ المُحيِي البريّةِ لا القَطرُ

May the bounty of al-Salih, the king, water Egypt; indeed, he

The generosity of the virtuous king has watered Egypt,

is the downpour that revives creation, not mere raindrops.

He is the reviving rain, not drizzle.

ففيها كرامٌ أسْعَرُوا بِجَوانِحي

ففيها كرامٌ أسْعَرُوا بِجَوانِحي

ببعْدِهُمُ جمراً به يُحرَق الجَمرُ

ببعْدِهُمُ جمراً به يُحرَق الجَمرُ

For noble men there have kindled within my ribs,

In it are generous souls who have kindled my being,

through their distance, embers by which even embers are burned.

With their distance, embers with which ashes are burnt.

ومِن عادتِي اُلصَّبرُ الجميلُ ولَيس لِي

ومِن عادتِي اُلصَّبرُ الجميلُ ولَيس لِي

عَلَى بُعدِهِم لا درَّ درُّ النّوى صَبرُ

عَلَى بُعدِهِم لا درَّ درُّ النّوى صَبرُ

And gracious patience is my habit, yet I have no

It is my habit, beautiful patience, and I have

patience with their distance—may separation yield no blessing!

No tears to shed for their distance, the rolling of stars is patience.

إذا ما أمينُ الدّينِ عنَّ ادِّكارُهُ

إذا ما أمينُ الدّينِ عنَّ ادِّكارُهُ

ذُهِلتُ كأنّي خَامَرَتْ لُبِّيَ الخمرُ

ذُهِلتُ كأنّي خَامَرَتْ لُبِّيَ الخمرُ

Whenever remembrance of Amin al-Din comes to mind,

When the Trustee of the Faith is recalled,

I am dazed, as though wine had permeated my reason.

I am confounded, as if wine has intoxicated my heart.

يذكّرُنِيهِ الفاضلُون وإن غَدَوْا

يذكّرُنِيهِ الفاضلُون وإن غَدَوْا

جَداوِلَ إن قِيسُوا به وهو البحرُ

جَداوِلَ إن قِيسُوا به وهو البحرُ

Men of excellence remind me of him, though they become

The virtuous remind me of him, though they come

streams if compared with him, while he is the sea.

As streams, if compared to him who is the sea.

إذا حضَر النّادِي فَرضْوَى رجاحَةً

إذا حضَر النّادِي فَرضْوَى رجاحَةً

وإن قَال فالدّرّ المنظّمُ والسّحرُ

وإن قَال فالدّرّ المنظّمُ والسّحرُ

When he attends the assembly, he is Radwa in gravity;

When he attends the club, excellence radiates,

and when he speaks, his words are strung pearls and magic.

And if he speaks, it is pearls and magic.

ويعجِبُنِي منه تدفّقُ عِلمِه

ويعجِبُنِي منه تدفّقُ عِلمِه

وأعجبُ منه كيف يجمعهُ صَدرُ

وأعجبُ منه كيف يجمعهُ صَدرُ

And the outpouring of his knowledge amazes me,

And I admire the flow of his knowledge,

and more astonishing still is how a breast contains it.

And I admire more how his heart can contain it.

تناءت بنا الدّارَانِ والوُدُّ مُصْقِبٌ

تناءت بنا الدّارَانِ والوُدُّ مُصْقِبٌ

فللقُربِ شطرٌ والبِعادُ له شطرُ

فللقُربِ شطرٌ والبِعادُ له شطرُ

Our two homes have carried us far apart, while affection remains close;

The two abodes have pulled us apart and affection has declined,

so nearness has one half, and distance has the other.

So for proximity there is a share, and for remoteness a share.

كأنّ الليالِي إذْ قضَت بِفِراقِنا

كأنّ الليالِي إذْ قضَت بِفِراقِنا

قَضى جَورُها أن ليس تَجمعنا مِصرُ

قَضى جَورُها أن ليس تَجمعنا مِصرُ

It is as though the nights, in decreeing our parting,

It is as if when the nights passed in our separation,

had unjustly decreed that Egypt should not bring us together.

Their injustice decreed we will not reunite in Egypt.

أُحِلُّ بها إن غابَ عنها وإن أَغِبْ

أُحِلُّ بها إن غابَ عنها وإن أَغِبْ

يحِلُّ بها فاعجبْ لما صنعَ الدّهرُ

يحِلُّ بها فاعجبْ لما صنعَ الدّهرُ

I dwell there if he is absent from it; and if I am away,

I dream of him when absent from it and when absent,

he dwells there—so marvel at what time has done!

He dreams of it, so wonder at what fate has done.

فليت تلاقِينا ولو بعضَ سَاعةٍ

فليت تلاقِينا ولو بعضَ سَاعةٍ

يُحَمُّ وشِيكاً قبل أن ينفَدَ العمرُ

يُحَمُّ وشِيكاً قبل أن ينفَدَ العمرُ

If only our meeting, even for part of an hour,

Would that we meet even for an hour,

might be decreed soon, before life runs out,

It would be boiling shortly before life runs out.

لأحظَى بِرؤياهُ وأشكرَ مَنَّهُ

لأحظَى بِرؤياهُ وأشكرَ مَنَّهُ

وإن لم يقُم عَنّي بواجِبِه الشُّكرُ

وإن لم يقُم عَنّي بواجِبِه الشُّكرُ

so I might delight in seeing him and give thanks for his favor,

I would be blessed by seeing him and thank his grace,

even if gratitude fails to render him his due on my behalf.

Even if gratitude does not fulfil its duty to him.