زارَ الصَباحُ فَكَيفَ حالُكَ يا دُجى

زارَ الصَباحُ فَكَيفَ حالُكَ يا دُجى

قُم فَاِستَذمَّ بِفَرعِهِ أَو فَالنَجَا

قُم فَاِستَذمَّ بِفَرعِهِ أَو فَالنَجَا

Morning has paid a visit—how fare you, then, O darkness?

Morning dawned, so how fare you, O dusk?

Rise and seek refuge in his tresses—or else flee!

Arise, and kindle yourself with its branch, or do without.

رَأَتِ الغُصونُ قَوامَهُ فَتَأَوَّدَت

رَأَتِ الغُصونُ قَوامَهُ فَتَأَوَّدَت

وَالرَوضُ آنَسَ نَشرَهُ فَتَأَرَّجا

وَالرَوضُ آنَسَ نَشرَهُ فَتَأَرَّجا

The branches saw his stature and swayed;

The boughs saw his slender shape, so they leaned affectionately,

and the garden sensed his fragrance and grew fragrant.

And the garden, espying his bloom, turned verdant.

يا زائِري مِن بَعدِ يَأسٍ رُبَّما

يا زائِري مِن بَعدِ يَأسٍ رُبَّما

تُمنى المُنى مِن بَعدِ إِرجاءِ الرَجا

تُمنى المُنى مِن بَعدِ إِرجاءِ الرَجا

O my visitor after despair, sometimes

O you whose visit followed long despair,

wishes are granted after hope has been deferred.

Wished-for wishes may come after hopes are deferred.

أَتَرى الهِلالَ رَكِبتَ مِنهُ زَورَقاً

أَتَرى الهِلالَ رَكِبتَ مِنهُ زَورَقاً

أَو لا فَكَيفَ قَطَعتَ بَحراً مِن دُجى

أَو لا فَكَيفَ قَطَعتَ بَحراً مِن دُجى

I wonder: did you ride a skiff made from the crescent moon?

Do you see the new moon? Did you board it like a boat,

Or, if not, how did you cross a sea of darkness?

Or not? How then did you cross a sea of gloom?

أَم زُرتَني وَمِنَ النُجومِ رَكائِبٌ

أَم زُرتَني وَمِنَ النُجومِ رَكائِبٌ

فَأَرى ثُرَيّاها تُريني هَودَجا

فَأَرى ثُرَيّاها تُريني هَودَجا

Or did you visit me with stars for mounts,

Or did you visit me, with stars for your mounts,

so I see their Pleiades showing me a howdah?

So I see their Pleiades showing me flashes of lightning?

لَعِبَت جُفونُكَ بِالقُلوبِ وَحَبِّها

لَعِبَت جُفونُكَ بِالقُلوبِ وَحَبِّها

وَالخَدُّ مَيدانٌ وَصُدغُكَ صَولَجا

وَالخَدُّ مَيدانٌ وَصُدغُكَ صَولَجا

Your eyelids played with hearts and their cores;

Your eyelids toyed with hearts and their love,

and the cheek is a playing field, and your sidelock a polo mallet.

While your cheek is a race-course and your temple a cudgel.

لا أَرتَجي إِلّا الكَرامَةَ وَحدَها

لا أَرتَجي إِلّا الكَرامَةَ وَحدَها

فَالمالُ قَد أَعجَلتَهُ أَن يُرتَجى

فَالمالُ قَد أَعجَلتَهُ أَن يُرتَجى

I hope for nothing but honor alone;

I hope for nobility alone,

for you have already bestowed wealth before it could be hoped for.

While wealth, you hastened to hope for.

تَتلو اللَيالي سورَةً مِن فَضلِكُم

تَتلو اللَيالي سورَةً مِن فَضلِكُم

فَتُقيمُها شُعَراؤُكُم أُنموذَجا

فَتُقيمُها شُعَراؤُكُم أُنموذَجا

The nights recite a surah of your bounty;

Nights recite a surah of your bounty,

so your poets set it forth as a model.

Which your poets shape into a paradigm.

نارانِ نارُ قِرىً وَنارُ وَقائِعٍ

نارانِ نارُ قِرىً وَنارُ وَقائِعٍ

لِلَهِ دَرُّكَ مُطفِئاً وَمُؤَجِّجا

لِلَهِ دَرُّكَ مُطفِئاً وَمُؤَجِّجا

Two fires: the fire of hospitality and the fire of battles.

Two fires: a fire for dwellings and a fire for battlefields.

God bless you, quenching and kindling!

For God's sake, your organization extinguishes or kindles them.

باشَرتُ بِشرَكَ لا بِمِنَّةِ شافِعٍ

باشَرتُ بِشرَكَ لا بِمِنَّةِ شافِعٍ

فَغَنيتُ يا شَمسَ الضُحى أَن أُسرِجا

فَغَنيتُ يا شَمسَ الضُحى أَن أُسرِجا

I met your smiling face directly, not through an intercessor's favor;

I attained your company not through a mediator's favor,

so, O midmorning sun, I had no need to light a lamp.

So I've become rich, O sun of morning, without having to pay.