سُوَيجعَ النيلِ رِفقاً بِالسُوَيداءِ

سُوَيجعَ النيلِ رِفقاً بِالسُوَيداءِ

فَما تُطيقُ أَنينَ المُفرَدِ النائي

فَما تُطيقُ أَنينَ المُفرَدِ النائي

Little songbird of the Nile, be gentle with my heart’s dark core;

Little songster of the Nile, be gentle with my heart's core;

for it cannot bear the moaning of one alone and far away.

For it cannot bear the moaning of the lonely one far away.

لِلَّهِ وادٍ كَما يَهوى الهَوى عَجَبٌ

لِلَّهِ وادٍ كَما يَهوى الهَوى عَجَبٌ

تَرَكتَ كُلَّ خَلِيٍّ فيهِ ذا داءِ

تَرَكتَ كُلَّ خَلِيٍّ فيهِ ذا داءِ

God, what a valley—wondrous, just as passion would wish!

God's is a wondrous valley, just as love would wish!

You have left every carefree soul within it afflicted.

You have left every carefree soul in it afflicted.

وَأَنتَ في الأَسرِ تَشكو ما تُكابِدُهُ

وَأَنتَ في الأَسرِ تَشكو ما تُكابِدُهُ

لِصَخرَةٍ مِن بَني الأَعجامِ صَمّاءُ

لِصَخرَةٍ مِن بَني الأَعجامِ صَمّاءُ

While captive, you lament all that you endure

And you, in captivity, complain of what you endure

to a deaf rock sprung from foreign peoples.

To a deaf rock among the sons of non-Arabs.

اللَهُ في فَنَنٍ تَلهو الزَمانَ بِهِ

اللَهُ في فَنَنٍ تَلهو الزَمانَ بِهِ

فَإِنَّما هُوَ مَشدودٌ بِأَحشائي

فَإِنَّما هُوَ مَشدودٌ بِأَحشائي

For God’s sake, have mercy in the strain with which you beguile time;

For God's sake, spare the bough where you while away your time,

for it is tethered to my very entrails,

For it is bound to my very entrails.

وَفي جَوانِحِكَ اللاتي سَمَحتَ بِها

وَفي جَوانِحِكَ اللاتي سَمَحتَ بِها

فَلَو تَرَفَّقتَ لَم تَسمَح بِأَعضائي

فَلَو تَرَفَّقتَ لَم تَسمَح بِأَعضائي

and to those wings of yours which you have freely spread.

And spare your ribs, which you have given so freely;

Had you dealt gently, you would have spared my limbs.

For had you been gentle, you would not have given away my limbs.

ماذا تُريدُ بِذي الأَنّاتِ في سَهَري

ماذا تُريدُ بِذي الأَنّاتِ في سَهَري

هَذي جُفوني تَسقي عَهدَ إِغفائي

هَذي جُفوني تَسقي عَهدَ إِغفائي

What do you seek by all these moans throughout my sleeplessness?

What do you seek with these moans in my sleeplessness?

Here are my eyelids, watering the memory of my slumber.

These eyelids of mine water the memory of my slumber.

حَسبُ المَضاجِعِ مِنّي ما تُعالِجُ مِن

حَسبُ المَضاجِعِ مِنّي ما تُعالِجُ مِن

جَنبي وَمِن كَبِدٍ في الجَنبِ حَرّاءِ

جَنبي وَمِن كَبِدٍ في الجَنبِ حَرّاءِ

My couches have suffered enough of what they must endure

The beds have enough to bear from me—from

from my side—and from a liver burning within that side.

My side, and from a burning liver within that side.

أُمسي وَأُصبِحُ مِن نَجواك في كَلَفٍ

أُمسي وَأُصبِحُ مِن نَجواك في كَلَفٍ

حَتّى لَيَعشَقُ نُطقي فيكِ إِصغائي

حَتّى لَيَعشَقُ نُطقي فيكِ إِصغائي

Evening and morning, I am enamored of your secret converse,

I pass evening and morning enraptured by your whispers,

until my listening falls in love with my speech of you.

Till my words about you fall in love with my listening.

اللَيلُ يُنهِضُني مِن حَيثُ يُقعِدُني

اللَيلُ يُنهِضُني مِن حَيثُ يُقعِدُني

وَالنَجمُ يَملَأُ لي وَالفِكرُ صَهبائي

وَالنَجمُ يَملَأُ لي وَالفِكرُ صَهبائي

Night lifts me from the very place where it seats me;

Night raises me from the very place where it seats me,

the stars pour for me, and thought is my tawny wine.

And the star and thought pour me my tawny wine.

آتي الكَواكِبَ لَم أَنقُل لَها قَدَماً

آتي الكَواكِبَ لَم أَنقُل لَها قَدَماً

لا يَنقَضي سَهَري فيها وَإِسرائي

لا يَنقَضي سَهَري فيها وَإِسرائي

I reach the stars without moving a foot toward them;

I reach the stars without moving a foot toward them;

my vigil among them—my night journeying—never ends.

My vigil among them and my night journey never end.

وَأَلحَظُ الأَرضَ أَطوي ما يَكونُ إِلى

وَأَلحَظُ الأَرضَ أَطوي ما يَكونُ إِلى

ما كانَ مِن آدَمٍ فيها وَحَوّاءِ

ما كانَ مِن آدَمٍ فيها وَحَوّاءِ

I behold the earth, folding all that is yet to be into

And I behold the earth, folding what is to be back to

all that has been upon it since Adam and Eve.

What has been upon it since Adam and Eve.

مُؤَيَّداً بِكَ في حِلّي وَمُرتَحَلي

مُؤَيَّداً بِكَ في حِلّي وَمُرتَحَلي

وَما هُما غَيرُ إِصباحي وَإِمسائي

وَما هُما غَيرُ إِصباحي وَإِمسائي

Sustained by you whether I stay or set forth,

Sustained by you in my staying and my journeying,

though these are nothing but my mornings and my evenings.

And the two are no more than my morning and my evening.

توحي إِلَيَّ الَّذي توحي وَتَسمَعُ لي

توحي إِلَيَّ الَّذي توحي وَتَسمَعُ لي

وَفي سَماعِكَ بَعدَ الوَحيِ إِغرائي

وَفي سَماعِكَ بَعدَ الوَحيِ إِغرائي

You inspire in me what you inspire, and you listen to me;

You reveal to me what you reveal, and you listen to me;

and in your listening, after inspiration, lies the lure that urges me on.

And your listening, after the revelation, is what entices me.