طال انتظارُكَ في الظلام ولم تَزَلْ

طال انتظارُكَ في الظلام ولم تَزَلْ

عينايَ ترقب كلَّ طيف عابرٍ

عينايَ ترقب كلَّ طيف عابرٍ

My wait for you in the darkness has grown long, and still

Long has been your wait in the dark, while

My eyes watch for every passing apparition.

My eyes still watch every passing shadow

ويطير سمعي صوبَ كلِّ مُرِنَّةٍ

ويطير سمعي صوبَ كلِّ مُرِنَّةٍ

في الأفق تخفقُ عن جَناحيْ طائِرِ

في الأفق تخفقُ عن جَناحيْ طائِرِ

And my hearing flies toward every ringing sound

And my hearing flies towards every murmur

Fluttering on the horizon from a bird's two wings.

In the horizon, fluttering with the wings of a bird

وترفُّ روحي فوق أنفاسِ الرُّبَا

وترفُّ روحي فوق أنفاسِ الرُّبَا

فلعلَّها نَفَسُ الحبيبِ الزائرِ

فلعلَّها نَفَسُ الحبيبِ الزائرِ

And my soul flutters above the breaths of the hills,

And my soul hovers above the breaths of the breeze

For perhaps they are the breath of the visiting beloved.

Perhaps it is the breath of my beloved visitor

ويَخِفُّ قلبي إثرَ كل شُعاعةٍ

ويَخِفُّ قلبي إثرَ كل شُعاعةٍ

في الليلِ تومض عن شهابٍ غائرِ

في الليلِ تومض عن شهابٍ غائرِ

And my heart grows light in the wake of every ray

And my heart trembles at every glimmer

Flashing in the night from a plunging meteor.

In the night, flashing from a fading star

فلعلَّ من لمحات ثغرِكَ بارقٌ

فلعلَّ من لمحات ثغرِكَ بارقٌ

ولعلَّه وضحُ الجبينِ الناضرِ

ولعلَّه وضحُ الجبينِ الناضرِ

For perhaps it is a flash from the glints of your lips,

Perhaps from the glances of your smile a lightning bolt

And perhaps it is the brightness of your radiant brow.

Perhaps it is the brightening of the splendid forehead

ليلٌ من الأوهام طالَ سهادُه

ليلٌ من الأوهام طالَ سهادُه

بين الجوى المضني وهجسِ الخاطرِ

بين الجوى المضني وهجسِ الخاطرِ

A night of illusions, its sleeplessness prolonged,

A night of fantasies, prolonged is its slumber

Between consuming longing and the mind's whispers.

Between the pressing nostalgia and the whims of thought

حتى إذا هتفتْ بمقدمكَ المُنى

حتى إذا هتفتْ بمقدمكَ المُنى

وأصختُ أسترعي انتباهَةَ حائِرِ

وأصختُ أسترعي انتباهَةَ حائِرِ

Until, when hopes hailed your arrival,

Until when wishes called for your arrival

And I listened intently, seeking to rouse a bewildered one's attention,

And I shouted to get the attention of the perplexed

وسَرَى النسيمُ من الخمائِلِ والرُّبى

وسَرَى النسيمُ من الخمائِلِ والرُّبى

نشوانَ يعبِقُ من شذاكَ العاطِرِ

نشوانَ يعبِقُ من شذاكَ العاطِرِ

And the breeze drifted from the groves and hills,

And the breeze blew from the meadows and hills

Intoxicated, redolent of your fragrant scent,

Exhilarated, fragrant with your sweet scent

وترنَّم الوادي بسلسلِ مائه

وترنَّم الوادي بسلسلِ مائه

وتَلَتْ حمائِمُهُ نشيدَ الصافرِ

وتَلَتْ حمائِمُهُ نشيدَ الصافرِ

And the valley sang with the smooth flow of its water,

And the valley sang with chains of its water

And its doves recited the whistler's song,

And its doves trilled the song of the whistler

وأطلَّتِ الأزهارُ من وَرَقاتِها

وأطلَّتِ الأزهارُ من وَرَقاتِها

حيرى تَعَجَّبُ للربيعِ الباكِرِ

حيرى تَعَجَّبُ للربيعِ الباكِرِ

And the flowers peered out from their leaves,

And the flowers peered from their leaves

Bewildered, marveling at the early spring,

My bewilderment wondering at the early spring

وجرى شعاعُ البدر حولَكَ راقصًا

وجرى شعاعُ البدر حولَكَ راقصًا

طربًا على المرح النضيرِ الزاهرِ

طربًا على المرح النضيرِ الزاهرِ

And the full moon's beam ran dancing around you,

And the beam of the moon danced around you

In rapture at the fresh, radiant merriment,

Delighted by the splendid, flourishing cheer

وتجلَّتِ الدنيا كأبهج ما رأتْ

وتجلَّتِ الدنيا كأبهج ما رأتْ

عينٌ وصوَّرَها خيالُ الشاعِرِ

عينٌ وصوَّرَها خيالُ الشاعِرِ

And the world appeared as the most delightful sight ever seen

And the world appeared as beautiful as an eye has seen

By an eye and pictured by a poet's imagination,

And a poet's imagination portrayed

ومضت تكذبني الظنونُ فأَنْثَنِي

ومضت تكذبني الظنونُ فأَنْثَنِي

مُتَسَمِّعًا دقاتِ قلبي الثائِرِ

مُتَسَمِّعًا دقاتِ قلبي الثائِرِ

And conjectures kept deceiving me, so I turned back,

The suspicions kept deceiving me, so I leaned

Listening intently to the beats of my turbulent heart.

Listening to the beats of my raging heart

أَقْبَلْتَ بالبسماتِ تملأ خاطري

أَقْبَلْتَ بالبسماتِ تملأ خاطري

سحرًا وأملأُ من جمالِك ناظري

سحرًا وأملأُ من جمالِك ناظري

You came with smiles, filling my mind

You came with smiles filling my mind

With enchantment, while I filled my eyes with your beauty.

With magic and filling my sight with your beauty

وأظلَّنَا الصمتُ الرهيبُ ونحن في

وأظلَّنَا الصمتُ الرهيبُ ونحن في

شَكٍّ من الدنيا وحلمٍ ساحرِ

شَكٍّ من الدنيا وحلمٍ ساحرِ

And an awe-inspiring silence overshadowed us, while we were in

And frightening silence shadowed us while we were in

Doubt about the world and an enchanting dream.

Doubt about the world and a magical dream

حتى إذا حانَ الرحيلُ هتفتَ بي

حتى إذا حانَ الرحيلُ هتفتَ بي

فوقفتُ واستبقتْ خطاك نواظري

فوقفتُ واستبقتْ خطاك نواظري

Until, when the time for departure came, you called to me,

Until when it was time to leave you called me

So I stood, and my eyes raced ahead of your footsteps.

So I stood up and my eyes followed your steps

وصرختُ بالليلِ المودِّع باكيًا

وصرختُ بالليلِ المودِّع باكيًا

ويداكَ تمسك بي وأنتَ مغادري

ويداكَ تمسك بي وأنتَ مغادري

And I cried out, weeping, to the night that bade farewell,

And I cried to the departing night

And your hands held onto me as you were leaving me.

While your hands held me as you were leaving

يا ليتنا لم نَصْحُ منكَ وليتها

يا ليتنا لم نَصْحُ منكَ وليتها

ما أعجلتكَ رحَى الزمانِ الدائرِ

ما أعجلتكَ رحَى الزمانِ الدائرِ

Ah, if only we had not awakened from you, and if only

Oh, if only we never bid farewell

The millstone of revolving time had not hurried you away.

If only the cycle of time didn't rush you

ولقد أتت بعدُ الليالي وانقضت

ولقد أتت بعدُ الليالي وانقضت

وكأننا في الدهر لم نتزاوَرِ

وكأننا في الدهر لم نتزاوَرِ

And indeed the nights have since come and gone,

And after that the nights came and went

And as though we had never visited one another in all of time.

As if we never visited each other in life

بُدِّلْتُ من عطفٍ لديك ورِقَّةٍ

بُدِّلْتُ من عطفٍ لديك ورِقَّةٍ

بحنين مهجورٍ وقسوةِ هاجرِ

بحنين مهجورٍ وقسوةِ هاجرِ

In place of your affection and tenderness, I was given

I was changed from a petal of your affection

The longing of one forsaken and the cruelty of one who forsakes.

To abandoned longing and the cruelty of departure

وكأنني ما كنتُ إلفَكَ في الصِّبَا

وكأنني ما كنتُ إلفَكَ في الصِّبَا

يومًا ولا كنتَ الحياةَ مشاطرِي

يومًا ولا كنتَ الحياةَ مشاطرِي

And as though I had never been your close companion in youth,

As if I was never your companion in youth

Even for a day, nor had you shared life with me.

And never your life partner

ونسيتَ أنتَ، وما نسيتُ، وإِنَّنِي

ونسيتَ أنتَ، وما نسيتُ، وإِنَّنِي

لأعيشُ بالذكرى … لعلَّكَ ذاكرِي!!

لأعيشُ بالذكرى ... لعلَّكَ ذاكرِي!!

And you—you forgot; I did not, and indeed I

You forgot, while I didn't forget

Live on memory—perhaps you remember me!

And I still live with the memory...maybe you still remember me!