لياليَّ قَلّت إن عَدَدت اللياليا

لياليَّ قَلّت إن عَدَدت اللياليا

فرُبَّ ليالٍ لم يكن طيبُها ليا

فرُبَّ ليالٍ لم يكن طيبُها ليا

My nights are few, if you count the nights,

My nights were few if I count the nights,

For many a night's sweetness was not mine.

For many a night was not pleasant for me.

سأشرَبُها في كأسِ وهمي مدامةً

سأشرَبُها في كأسِ وهمي مدامةً

وأنظُمُها في سلكِ شِعري لآليا

وأنظُمُها في سلكِ شِعري لآليا

I shall drink them as wine from the cup of my fancy,

I will drink it in the cup of my illusion as wine,

And string them as pearls on the thread of my verse.

And compose it in the thread of my poetry as pearls.

فخُذ وَصفَها منَّي كما شاءهُ الهوى

فخُذ وَصفَها منَّي كما شاءهُ الهوى

وما زلتُ بالغالي النّفِيسِ مُغاليا

وما زلتُ بالغالي النّفِيسِ مُغاليا

So take their portrayal from me, as passion willed it;

So take its description from me as the passion dictated,

And I have always prized the dear and precious beyond measure.

And I was still with the expensive, the precious, precious.

تولَّت فأولاني جميلاً جَمالُها

تولَّت فأولاني جميلاً جَمالُها

ولكِنَّهُ قد بزَّ منِّي جلاليا

ولكِنَّهُ قد بزَّ منِّي جلاليا

They passed, and their beauty bestowed a kindness on me,

It turned, so its beauty made me beautiful,

But it had stripped me of my majesty.

But its majesty surpassed me gloriously.

فَيا لكِ بيضاً من لياليَّ بَعدَها

فَيا لكِ بيضاً من لياليَّ بَعدَها

غَدوتُ لزهدي لا أعدُّ اللياليا

غَدوتُ لزهدي لا أعدُّ اللياليا

Ah, how white were my nights after them!

So oh for you white from the nights after it!

Through my detachment, I came to count the nights no more.

I became ascetic to my pleasure, not counting the nights.

بَذَلتُ لها نومي ومالي وصحتي

بَذَلتُ لها نومي ومالي وصحتي

وكانَ حَرامي في غَرامي حَلاليا

وكانَ حَرامي في غَرامي حَلاليا

I gave them my sleep, my wealth, and my health,

I wasted my sleep, money and health on it,

And in my passion, what was forbidden to me was lawful to me.

And my passion for it made the unlawful lawful to me.

وجرَّرتُ أذيالاً يُبلِّلها النَّدى

وجرَّرتُ أذيالاً يُبلِّلها النَّدى

لألقى خَيالاتٍ تُناجي خياليا

لألقى خَيالاتٍ تُناجي خياليا

And I trailed hems that the dew moistened,

I dragged tails dampened by the dew,

To meet phantoms that whispered to my imagination.

To meet imaginations conversing with my imagination.

فمن غيرِ ما سهدٍ أرى النَّومَ مُتعباً

فمن غيرِ ما سهدٍ أرى النَّومَ مُتعباً

ومن غيرِ ما حبٍّ أرى العيشَ خاليا

ومن غيرِ ما حبٍّ أرى العيشَ خاليا

For without sleeplessness, I find sleep wearisome,

So without any insomnia I see sleep as tired,

And without love, I find life empty.

And without any love I see life as empty.

رَعى الله في شَطِّ الجزيرةِ ليلةً

رَعى الله في شَطِّ الجزيرةِ ليلةً

نسيتُ بها مَجدي وعلمي وماليا

نسيتُ بها مَجدي وعلمي وماليا

May God preserve a night on the island's shore,

May God pasture on the shore of the peninsula a night,

In it I forgot my glory, my learning, and my wealth.

In which I forgot my glory, my knowledge and my money.

صفا الفَلكُ الأبهى يبينُ هلالهُ

صفا الفَلكُ الأبهى يبينُ هلالهُ

وأطلعَ فلكي من يَديَّ هلاليا

وأطلعَ فلكي من يَديَّ هلاليا

The most resplendent firmament grew clear, its crescent showing,

The sky of splendor became clear showing its crescent,

And my firmament brought my crescent forth from my two hands.

And my starry sky rose from my hand crescent-shaped.

فأحبَبتُها حباً لمن عطرت فمي

فأحبَبتُها حباً لمن عطرت فمي

وثوبي فأفشى الطيبُ سرَّ وصاليا

وثوبي فأفشى الطيبُ سرَّ وصاليا

So I loved it, out of love for her who perfumed my mouth

So I fell in love with her, with love for her who scented my mouth

And my robe; the perfume betrayed the secret of my union.

And clothes, so perfume spread the secret of our union.

هنالكَ فوقَ الموجِ بتنا لحبِّنا

هنالكَ فوقَ الموجِ بتنا لحبِّنا

نرى الحبَّ للآفاقِ والأرض ماليا

نرى الحبَّ للآفاقِ والأرض ماليا

There above the waves we spent the night; through our love

There, above the wave, we for our love,

We saw love filling the horizons and the earth.

See love as the horizons and the earth inclined.

فقلتُ لها إني مليكٌ وفارسٌ

فقلتُ لها إني مليكٌ وفارسٌ

فلستُ بما حَولي لديكِ مباليا

فلستُ بما حَولي لديكِ مباليا

So I told her, “I am indeed a king and a knight,

So I said to her, “I am a king and a knight,

So with you I care nothing for what surrounds me.”

So I don’t care about what’s around you.”

وليلةَ بتنا بينَ أغصانِ دَوحةٍ

وليلةَ بتنا بينَ أغصانِ دَوحةٍ

كإلفينِ في عشٍّ تراوحَ عاليا

كإلفينِ في عشٍّ تراوحَ عاليا

And a night we spent among the boughs of a great tree,

And a night we spent between the branches of a palm tree,

Like two mates in a nest that swayed on high.

Like two entwined in a nest roosting on high.

نميلُ مع الأغصانِ كيفَ تميّلت

نميلُ مع الأغصانِ كيفَ تميّلت

ويُمنايَ حولَ الخصرِ تَلقى شماليا

ويُمنايَ حولَ الخصرِ تَلقى شماليا

We swayed with the branches whichever way they swayed,

We sway with the branches however they swayed,

And my right hand, around her waist, met my left.

And my right arm circles her waist to meet my left.

تمنَّيتُ أن أكسو الجمالَ أشِعَّةً

تمنَّيتُ أن أكسو الجمالَ أشِعَّةً

وأجعَلَ ذاكَ الجيدَ بالنَّجمِ حاليا

وأجعَلَ ذاكَ الجيدَ بالنَّجمِ حاليا

I wished to clothe beauty in rays,

I wished to adorn beauty with rays,

And adorn that neck with stars.

And make that neck with the stars my state.

فآخذُ مِنهُ عقدَها وكِساءَها

فآخذُ مِنهُ عقدَها وكِساءَها

ويَهوي إليها ما بدا مُتَعاليا

ويَهوي إليها ما بدا مُتَعاليا

Then take her necklace and her cloak from them,

So I take her necklace and gown from it,

And whatever seemed lofty would fall down to her.

And what seemed high falls down to her.

نَعِمتُ بها مثلَ النّعامى حَديثُها

نَعِمتُ بها مثلَ النّعامى حَديثُها

وقد كملت حُسناً لحُسنِ كماليا

وقد كملت حُسناً لحُسنِ كماليا

I found bliss with her; her speech was like the south wind,

I enjoyed her conversation like ostriches’ conversation,

And she was perfect in beauty, gracing my own perfection.

And she was perfected in beauty by the perfection of perfection.

فما أبصَرت عَيني ولا لمسَت يَدي

فما أبصَرت عَيني ولا لمسَت يَدي

ولا سمِعَت أذني ولا خالَ باليا

ولا سمِعَت أذني ولا خالَ باليا

For never had my eye seen, nor my hand touched,

So neither did my eye see, nor did my hand touch,

Nor my ear heard, nor my mind imagined,

Nor did my ear hear, nor did my mind think of it.

كتِلكَ التي حَلّت لديَّ وِشاحَها

كتِلكَ التي حَلّت لديَّ وِشاحَها

وقالت لقد أرخصتَ ما كان غاليا

وقالت لقد أرخصتَ ما كان غاليا

Anyone like her who unfastened her sash before me,

Just like her who let down her face veil for me,

And said, “You have indeed cheapened what was precious.

And said "You made cheap what had been expensive."

تمتّع من الدُّنيا التي أنا طيبُها

تمتّع من الدُّنيا التي أنا طيبُها

فما نيلُها إِلا بنيلِ جماليا

فما نيلُها إِلا بنيلِ جماليا

Take pleasure in the world, whose sweetness I am,

Enjoy from this life whose goodness is me,

For it is gained only by gaining my beauty.”

For attaining it is only by attaining my beauty.

على قدرِ ذاكَ الحبّ قد كان مَطمعي

على قدرِ ذاكَ الحبّ قد كان مَطمعي

فما كنتُ يوماَ راضياً بنواليا

فما كنتُ يوماَ راضياً بنواليا

My desire was as great as that love,

According to that love my ambition had been,

So I was never, for a single day, content with what I received.

So I was never satisfied with my share.

بكيتُ عَليها في الحياةِ فليتَها

بكيتُ عَليها في الحياةِ فليتَها

إذا متُّ تَبكيني دَفيناً وباليا

إذا متُّ تَبكيني دَفيناً وباليا

I wept for her in life; if only she,

I cried over her in life, so would that

When I die, would weep for me, buried and mouldering.

When I die, she would cry over me buried and destroyed.