أَلا فَضَلَت ذَيلَها لَيلَةٌ

أَلا فَضَلَت ذَيلَها لَيلَةٌ

تَجُرُّ الرَبابُ بِها هَيدَبا

تَجُرُّ الرَبابُ بِها هَيدَبا

Ah, a night let down its train,

Oh, a night has trailed its skirt,

in which the clouds dragged a trailing fringe.

while the dew is dragged by it sluggishly.

وَقَد بَرقَعَ الثَلجُ وَجهَ الثَرى

وَقَد بَرقَعَ الثَلجُ وَجهَ الثَرى

وَأَلحَفَ غُصنَ النَقا فَاِحتَبى

وَأَلحَفَ غُصنَ النَقا فَاِحتَبى

And snow had veiled the face of the earth,

The frost has patched the face of the earth,

and cloaked the dune's bough, which sat hugging its knees.

and the bough of growth has clung miserably.

فَشابَت وَراءَ قِناعِ الظَلامِ

فَشابَت وَراءَ قِناعِ الظَلامِ

نُواصي الغُصونِ وَهامُ الرُبى

نُواصي الغُصونِ وَهامُ الرُبى

So behind the veil of darkness grew gray

So the tips of the branches behind the veil of darkness

the forelocks of the boughs and the crowns of the hills.

and the wild animals’ beddings have turned gray.

فَمَهما تَيَمَّمتُ خَمّارَةً

فَمَهما تَيَمَّمتُ خَمّارَةً

رَكِبتُ إِلى أَشقَرٍ أَشهَبا

رَكِبتُ إِلى أَشقَرٍ أَشهَبا

So whenever I made for a wine-seller,

Thus, whenever I have wrapped a turban,

I rode a gray steed toward tawny wine.

and ridden towards blondish-grayish Ashqar,

وَحَيَّيتُ جانِبَها طارِقاً

وَحَيَّيتُ جانِبَها طارِقاً

فَقالَت تُجيبُ أَلا مَرحَبا

فَقالَت تُجيبُ أَلا مَرحَبا

And I greeted her quarters as a visitor by night;

and greeted its side in the dark,

she answered, saying, “Ah, welcome!”

it has responded saying: Welcome!

وَقامَت بِأَجيَدَ مِن كَأسِها

وَقامَت بِأَجيَدَ مِن كَأسِها

لِأَوقَصَ مِن دَنِّها أَحدَبا

لِأَوقَصَ مِن دَنِّها أَحدَبا

And she rose with her long-necked goblet,

And it has stood up with more generous wine,

toward her short-necked, humpbacked wine jar.

to the one with a more bending-of-the-head from its closeness.

فَجاءَت بِحَمراءَ وَقّادَةٍ

فَجاءَت بِحَمراءَ وَقّادَةٍ

تَلَهَّبُ في كاسِها كَوكَبا

تَلَهَّبُ في كاسِها كَوكَبا

Then she came with fiery red wine,

So it has come with red overwhelmingly leading,

blazing in her goblet like a star.

inflaming in its cup like a planet.

عَثَرتُ بِذَيلِ الدُجى دونَها

عَثَرتُ بِذَيلِ الدُجى دونَها

فَأَضحَكتُ ثَغراً لَها أَشنَبا

فَأَضحَكتُ ثَغراً لَها أَشنَبا

I stumbled over the train of darkness before her,

I have stumbled on the tail of darkness near it,

so I set her white-toothed mouth laughing.

so I have smiled with a thick-lipped mouth.

وَقَد مَسَحَ الصُبحُ كُحلَ الظَلامِ

وَقَد مَسَحَ الصُبحُ كُحلَ الظَلامِ

وَأَطلَعَ فَودُ الدُجى أَشيَبا

وَأَطلَعَ فَودُ الدُجى أَشيَبا

And dawn had wiped away the kohl of darkness,

And the dawn has wiped the kohl of the darkness,

and the temple of darkness emerged gray-haired.

and the morning of darkness has risen white-haired.