ليلي بتنيس ليل الخائف العاني

ليلي بتنيس ليل الخائف العاني

تفنى الليالي وليلي ليس بالفاني

تفنى الليالي وليلي ليس بالفاني

My night in Tinnīs is the night of a fearful, suffering captive;

My night in Tinnis is the night of a fearful captive.

nights pass away, but my night never passes.

Nights pass away, but my night does not pass away.

أقول إذ لج ليلي في تطاوله

أقول إذ لج ليلي في تطاوله

يا ليل أنت وطول الدهر سيان

يا ليل أنت وطول الدهر سيان

I say, as my night persists in stretching on:

I say, as my night persists in lengthening:

“O night, you and all eternity are the same.”

O night, you and the whole span of time are alike.

لم يكف أني في تنيس مطرح

لم يكف أني في تنيس مطرح

مخيم بين أشجان وأحزان

مخيم بين أشجان وأحزان

Was it not enough that I lie cast away in Tinnīs,

It was not enough that I was cast aside in Tinnis,

encamped amid anguish and sorrows,

Encamped amid grief and sorrow:

حتى بليت بفقدان المنام فما

حتى بليت بفقدان المنام فما

للنوم إذ بعدوا عهد بأجفاني

للنوم إذ بعدوا عهد بأجفاني

that I must also be afflicted by the loss of sleep? Since

I was also afflicted with sleeplessness; no longer

they departed, sleep has had no acquaintance with my eyelids.

Has sleep, since they departed, known my eyelids.

ما صاعد البرق من تلقاء أرضهم

ما صاعد البرق من تلقاء أرضهم

إلا تذكرت أيامي بنعمان

إلا تذكرت أيامي بنعمان

Whenever lightning rises from the direction of their land,

No lightning rose from the direction of their land

I remember my days at Nuʿmān;

Without my recalling my days in Nu'man.

ولا حننت إلى نجران من طرب

ولا حننت إلى نجران من طرب

إلا تكنفني شوق لنجران

إلا تكنفني شوق لنجران

and whenever yearning moves me toward Najrān,

Nor did I yearn for Najran in rapture

a longing for Najrān enfolds me.

Without longing for Najran enfolding me.

لا تكذبن فما مصر وإن بعدت

لا تكذبن فما مصر وإن بعدت

إلا مواطن أطرابي وأشجاني

إلا مواطن أطرابي وأشجاني

Make no mistake: Egypt, however far away, is nothing

Do not deny it: Egypt, though far away,

but the homeland of my delights and my sorrows.

Is the home of my joys and sorrows.

ليالي النيل لا أنساك ما هتفت

ليالي النيل لا أنساك ما هتفت

ورق الحمام على دوح وأغصان

ورق الحمام على دوح وأغصان

O nights of the Nile, I shall not forget you so long as coo

Nights of the Nile, I will not forget you as long as

the gray doves among great trees and branches.

Gray doves coo upon spreading trees and branches.

أصبو إلى هنوات فيك لي سلفت

أصبو إلى هنوات فيك لي سلفت

قطعتهن وعين الدهر ترعاني

قطعتهن وعين الدهر ترعاني

I yearn for little pleasures of mine that passed there with you,

I long for little escapades I once had in you,

which I enjoyed while the eye of Fate watched over me,

Which I spent while Time's eye watched over me,

مع سادة نجب غر غطارفة

مع سادة نجب غر غطارفة

في ذروة المجد من ذهل بن شيبان

في ذروة المجد من ذهل بن شيبان

among noble, illustrious, radiant lords,

With noble lords, radiant, highborn chiefs,

at the summit of glory—men of Dhuhl ibn Shaybān—

At glory's summit, of Dhuhl ibn Shayban,

وذي دلال إذا ما شئت أنشدني

وذي دلال إذا ما شئت أنشدني

وإن أردت غناءً منه غناني

وإن أردت غناءً منه غناني

and a coquettish beauty who, whenever I wished, recited to me,

And with a coy companion who, whenever I wished, recited to me;

and, when I wanted song from him, sang to me.

And if I wanted a song from him, he sang to me.

سقيته وسقاني فضل ريقته

سقيته وسقاني فضل ريقته

وجاد لي طرفه عفواً ومناني

وجاد لي طرفه عفواً ومناني

I gave him drink, and he gave me the nectar left by his lips;

I gave him drink, and he gave me the remainder of his saliva;

his glance freely bestowed its bounty upon me and granted my wish.

And his gaze gave freely to me and filled me with hopes.

ما زلت أجني بلحظي ورد وجنته

ما زلت أجني بلحظي ورد وجنته

وأستغير على تفاح لبنان

وأستغير على تفاح لبنان

I kept plucking with my gaze the roses of his cheek,

I kept plucking, with my glance, the rose of his cheek,

and longing to raid the apples of Lebanon.

And raiding the apples of Lebanon.

ما زال يأخذها صفراء صافية

ما زال يأخذها صفراء صافية

حتى توسد يسراه وخلاني

حتى توسد يسراه وخلاني

He kept drinking the clear golden wine

He kept drinking it, yellow and clear,

until he pillowed his head upon his left hand and left me.

Until he pillowed his head on his left hand and left me alone.

الله يعلم ما بي من صبابته

الله يعلم ما بي من صبابته

وما علي جناه طرفه الجاني

وما علي جناه طرفه الجاني

God knows what passion for him possesses me,

God knows the longing for him that fills me,

and what his transgressing glance has wrought against me.

And what his guilty gaze has inflicted upon me.

كم بالجزيرة من يوم نعمت به

كم بالجزيرة من يوم نعمت به

على تصاخب نايات وعيدان

على تصاخب نايات وعيدان

How many a day on the Island did I enjoy

How many a day in al-Jazira I spent in bliss,

amid the clamor of flutes and lutes!

To the mingled clamor of flutes and lutes.

سقياً لليلتنا من يوم نعمت به

سقياً لليلتنا من يوم نعمت به

على تصاخب نايات وعيدان

على تصاخب نايات وعيدان

May rain bless that night of ours—that day I enjoyed

May rain bless our night—from a day I spent in bliss,

amid the clamor of flutes and lutes!

To the mingled clamor of flutes and lutes.

سقياً لليلتنا بالدير بين رباً

سقياً لليلتنا بالدير بين رباً

باتت تجود عليها سحب نيسان

باتت تجود عليها سحب نيسان

May rain bless our night at the monastery among the hills,

May rain bless our night at the monastery amid hills,

upon which the clouds of April poured their bounty through the night.

On which April's clouds poured generously all night.

والطل منحدر والروض مبتسم

والطل منحدر والروض مبتسم

عن أصفر فاقع أو أحمر قان

عن أصفر فاقع أو أحمر قان

The dew streamed down, and the garden smiled forth

The dew was falling, and the garden smiled,

in brilliant yellow or deep crimson.

Revealing brilliant yellow or deep red.

والنرجس الغض منهل مدامعه

والنرجس الغض منهل مدامعه

كأن أجفانه أجفان وسنان

كأن أجفانه أجفان وسنان

The tender narcissus overflowed with tears,

And the tender narcissus, its tears streaming,

as though its eyelids were the eyelids of one drowsing.

As though its eyelids were the eyelids of one half asleep.

أستغفر الله من عقل نطقت به

أستغفر الله من عقل نطقت به

ما لي وللعقل ليسس العقل من شاني

ما لي وللعقل ليسس العقل من شاني

I ask God’s forgiveness for speaking with reason!

I ask God's forgiveness for the sense I have uttered;

What have I to do with reason? Reason is no concern of mine.

What have I to do with reason? Reason is not my concern.

لا والذي دون هذا الخلق صيرني

لا والذي دون هذا الخلق صيرني

أحدوثة وبحب الحمق أغراني

أحدوثة وبحب الحمق أغراني

No—by Him who, beneath all creation, made me

No, by Him who made me, alone among these people,

a byword and enticed me with love of folly!

A byword, and enticed me into loving folly:

ما للشذائي من مثل يقاس به

ما للشذائي من مثل يقاس به

ولا له في اصطناع العرف من ثان

ولا له في اصطناع العرف من ثان

Al-Shadhāʾī has no peer against whom he might be measured,

Al-Shadha'i has no peer to whom he can be compared,

nor any rival in the doing of kindness.

Nor does he have a rival in bestowing kindness.

مهذب الرأي محمود خلائقه

مهذب الرأي محمود خلائقه

رحب المكارم سمح غير منان

رحب المكارم سمح غير منان

His judgment is refined, his character praiseworthy;

Refined in judgment, praised for his character,

vast in noble virtues, generous, and never reproachful of his gifts.

Rich in noble deeds, generous, never reminding others of his favors.

من كان في الجود والإفضال لذته

من كان في الجود والإفضال لذته

لم يخله الجود من فضل وإحسان

لم يخله الجود من فضل وإحسان

He whose delight lies in generosity and munificence

Whoever finds his pleasure in generosity and bounty,

is never left by generosity without virtue and beneficence.

Generosity will not leave him without bounty and kindness.

وجملة الأمر فيه أنه رجل

وجملة الأمر فيه أنه رجل

يراقب الله في سر وإعلان

يراقب الله في سر وإعلان

The sum of the matter is that he is a man

The sum of the matter is that he is a man

who is mindful of God in private and in public.

Who is mindful of God in secret and in public.

إن كنت قلت سوى ما فيه أعرفه

إن كنت قلت سوى ما فيه أعرفه

إذا كفرت بمعبودي ودياني

إذا كفرت بمعبودي ودياني

If I have said anything of him other than what I know to be true,

If I have said anything other than what I know of him,

then may I have denied the God I worship and who judges me.

Then I have disbelieved in my God and my Judge.

إذا جرت يده في الطرس كاتبه

إذا جرت يده في الطرس كاتبه

تبلج الطرس عن در وعقيان

تبلج الطرس عن در وعقيان

When his hand, writing, moves across the page,

When his hand runs over the parchment, writing,

the page shines forth with pearls and pure gold.

The parchment gleams with pearls and pure gold.

وإن تكلم جاءته براعته

وإن تكلم جاءته براعته

بكل ما شاء من فهم وتبيان

بكل ما شاء من فهم وتبيان

And when he speaks, his eloquence brings him

And when he speaks, his eloquence brings him

whatever understanding and lucid expression he desires.

All he wishes of understanding and clear exposition.