أَشكوI complain of لَيالِيَّmy nights غَيرَwithout مَعتَبَةٍreproach
أَشكو لَيالِيَّ غَيرَ مَعتَبَةٍ
إِمّاeither مِنَbecause of الطَولِlength أَوor مِنَbecause of القِصَرِbrevity
إِمّا مِنَ الطَولِ أَو مِنَ القِصَرِ
I complain of my nights, without reproach,
I complain of sleepless nights
whether for their length or their brevity.
Whether too long or too short
تَطولُthey lengthen فيduring هَجرِكُمyour estrangement وَتَقصُرُand they shorten فيduring الوَصreunion (word continues)
تَطولُ في هَجرِكُم وَتَقصُرُ في الوَص
لِ(completes “reunion”) فَماso not نَلتَقيwe meet عَلىaccording to قَدَرِa fitting measure
لِ فَما نَلتَقي عَلى قَدَرِ
They lengthen when you forsake me and shorten in reunion;
They seem long in your absence
so we never meet for a fitting length of time.
And too short to fulfill my hopes
يالَيلَةًO night! كادَnearly مِنbecause of تَقارُبِهاits compressed span
يالَيلَةً كادَ مِن تَقارُبِها
يَعثُرُstumbles فيهاwithin it العِشاءُevening بِالسَحرِover the hour before dawn
يَعثُرُ فيها العِشاءُ بِالسَحرِ
O night, whose span was so brief that
Oh night that almost
evening nearly stumbled over the hour before dawn within it.
Tripped morning over into evening
Sol 6.1