وَرِداءِ لَيلٍ باتَ فيهِ مُعانِقي

وَرِداءِ لَيلٍ باتَ فيهِ مُعانِقي

طَيفٌ أَلَمَّ لِظَبيَةِ الوَعساءِ

طَيفٌ أَلَمَّ لِظَبيَةِ الوَعساءِ

And in a mantle of night, my companion in embrace was

A cloak of night embraced me

A visiting phantom of the gazelle of the soft sands.

A ghost that caused sorrow to a doe-eyed gazelle

فَجَمَعتُ بَينَ رُضابِهِ وَشَرابِهِ

فَجَمَعتُ بَينَ رُضابِهِ وَشَرابِهِ

وَشَرِبتُ مِن ريقٍ وَمِن صَهباءِ

وَشَرِبتُ مِن ريقٍ وَمِن صَهباءِ

So I brought together his sweet saliva and his wine,

I brought together his pillow and his drink

And I drank of saliva and of tawny wine.

And I drank from saliva and from a blonde

وَلَثَمتُ في ظَلماءِ لَيلَةِ وَفرَةٍ

وَلَثَمتُ في ظَلماءِ لَيلَةِ وَفرَةٍ

شَفَقاً هُناكَ لِوَجنَةٍ حَمراءِ

شَفَقاً هُناكَ لِوَجنَةٍ حَمراءِ

And in the dark night of thick hair I kissed

And I kissed in the darkness of a moonlit night

The twilight glow there of a red cheek.

A cheek there, red for a brunette

وَاللَيلُ مُشمَطُّ الذَوائِبِ كَبرَةً

وَاللَيلُ مُشمَطُّ الذَوائِبِ كَبرَةً

خَرِفٌ يَدُبُّ عَلى عَصا الجَوزاءِ

خَرِفٌ يَدُبُّ عَلى عَصا الجَوزاءِ

And night, its tresses grizzled with age,

The night combs its flowing hair

Senile, crept along on Orion's staff.

An old man creeping on the staff of withered wood

ثُمَّ انثَنى وَالسُكرُ يَسحَبُ فَرعَهُ

ثُمَّ انثَنى وَالسُكرُ يَسحَبُ فَرعَهُ

وَيَجُرُّ مِن طَرَبٍ فُضولَ رِداءِ

وَيَجُرُّ مِن طَرَبٍ فُضولَ رِداءِ

Then he turned, and drunkenness dragged his tresses,

Then he bent as drunkenness pulled its branch

And, in rapture, trailed the loose ends of a mantle.

And the excess of the cloak flowed from joy

تَندى بِفيهِ أُقحُوانَةُ أَجرَعٍ

تَندى بِفيهِ أُقحُوانَةُ أَجرَعٍ

قَد غازَلَتها الشَمسُ غِبَّ سَماءِ

قَد غازَلَتها الشَمسُ غِبَّ سَماءِ

A chrysanthemum of a sandy rise is dewy in his mouth;

The lips of a passionate one glistened

The sun has wooed it after rain.

As the setting sun had flirted with the horizon

وَتَميسُ في أَثوابِهِ رَيحانَةٌ

وَتَميسُ في أَثوابِهِ رَيحانَةٌ

كَرَعَت عَلى ظَمَإٍ بِجَدوَلِ ماءِ

كَرَعَت عَلى ظَمَإٍ بِجَدوَلِ ماءِ

And in his robes sways a sprig of basil,

And a sweet-basil breathed in his clothes

Having drunk thirstily from a stream of water,

Having drunk from a river for its thirst

نَفّاحَةُ الأَنفاسِ إِلّا أَنَّها

نَفّاحَةُ الأَنفاسِ إِلّا أَنَّها

حَذَرَ النَوى خَفّاقَةُ الأَفياءِ

حَذَرَ النَوى خَفّاقَةُ الأَفياءِ

Wafting fragrance in her breaths, yet she,

Breathing heavily except she

For fear of parting, has fluttering shadows.

Was wary of the meadows, fluttering

فَلَوَيتُ مَعطِفَها اِعتِناقاً حَسبُها

فَلَوَيتُ مَعطِفَها اِعتِناقاً حَسبُها

فيهِ بِقَطرِ الدَمعِ مِن أَنواءِ

فيهِ بِقَطرِ الدَمعِ مِن أَنواءِ

So I bent her side in an embrace; enough for her

If only I could embrace her cloak, it would suffice me

Within it, in place of rain showers, were drops of tears.

In it from the tears of sorrows

وَالفَجرُ يَنظُرُ مِن وَراءِ غَمامَةٍ

وَالفَجرُ يَنظُرُ مِن وَراءِ غَمامَةٍ

عَن مُقلَةٍ كُحِلَت بِها زَرقاءِ

عَن مُقلَةٍ كُحِلَت بِها زَرقاءِ

And dawn looks out from behind a cloud,

And dawn looks from behind a cloud

Through a blue eye lined with that cloud as kohl.

At an eyelid lined with kohl

فَرَغِبتُ عَن نورِ الصَباحِ لِنَورَةٍ

فَرَغِبتُ عَن نورِ الصَباحِ لِنَورَةٍ

أُغرى لَها بِبَنفسَجِ الظَلماءِ

أُغرى لَها بِبَنفسَجِ الظَلماءِ

So I turned from morning's light for a blossom,

I was more inclined to the light of the night for a radiance

For whose sake I am beguiled by the violet of darkness.

Than the light of dawn, for the violet of darkness