ليت الليالي تنسي قلبي الألما

ليت الليالي تنسي قلبي الألما

 و النجم ينبئها عني بما علما

و النجم ينبئها عني بما علما

If only the nights would make my heart forget the pain,

I wish the nights would make my aching heart forget

I wish the nights would make my heart forget the pain,

And the star would tell her what it knew of me.

And the stars would tell her about me and what they know

And the star would tell them of me what it knew.

لعينيك يا ليل سر لا تبوح به

لعينيك يا ليل سر لا تبوح به

 أغمضت عنه عيون الناس فانكتما

أغمضت عنه عيون الناس فانكتما

Your eyes, O night, hold a secret you do not disclose.

Your eyes, oh night, hold a secret they do not divulge

For your eyes, O Night, hold a secret you do not reveal,

You closed people's eyes to it, so it was concealed,

The people's eyes have turned away from it, so it is hidden

You closed people's eyes to it, so it was concealed.

إلا عيوني ما أغمضت ساهدها

إلا عيوني ما أغمضت ساهدها

 فبتن يرقبن منك النوء و الظلما

فبتن يرقبن منك النوء و الظلما

Except my eyes—you did not close their wakeful ones,

Except my eyes that did not close its lids

Except for my eyes, whose sleeplessness you did not close,

So they spent the night watching for your storm and darkness.

That watch for your misfortune and darkness

So they spent the night watching your storms and darkness.

قد اتقيت أذاها فاستثرت لها

قد اتقيت أذاها فاستثرت لها

 دمعا لهت فيه عما فيك منسجما

دمعا لهت فيه عما فيك منسجما

You guarded against their harm, and stirred up for them

I avoided its harm, so I drew for it

I feared its harm, so I stirred up for it,

Streaming tears that distracted them from what lies within you.

Tears that melted into you from what was harmonized in you

A tear in which it played, distracted from what flows in you.

صحبت فيك سرى الأحلام مفزعها

صحبت فيك سرى الأحلام مفزعها

 و عذبها فطويت الغور و الأكما

و عذبها فطويت الغور و الأكما

Through you I journeyed with dreams by night—the frightening ones

The dreams of my intimacy kept their refuge in you

I accompanied within you the journey of dreams, the frightening,

And the sweet ones—and crossed the lowlands and hills.

And tortured it, so I folded the depths and hills

And the sweet, traversing the valleys and the hills.

فما التقتيت بمن أهوى  أتحسبها

فما التقتيت بمن أهوى أتحسبها

 يقظى لديك فما أهدتها حلما

يقظى لديك فما أهدتها حلما

Yet I did not meet the one I love. Do you think her

Do you think she, whom I love, met with you

Yet I met not the one I love; do you reckon her

Awake beside you, so you have not given her a dream?

Awake at your side? So you did not show her a dream

Awake with you? For you did not gift her a dream.

و هل نعمت من الدنيا برؤيتها

و هل نعمت من الدنيا برؤيتها

 أما احترقت فأفزعت النجوم أما

أما احترقت فأفزعت النجوم أما

And have you found joy in this world at the sight of her?

Did she enjoy seeing her in life

Did you enjoy in this world the sight of her?

Did you not burn and frighten the stars—did you not?

Or did you burn her and startle the stars

Or did you burn and startle the stars?

ألم تخنك الدراري مذ شغفن بها

ألم تخنك الدراري مذ شغفن بها

 و كيف وارين غرب الدمع حين هما

و كيف وارين غرب الدمع حين هما

Have the brilliant stars not betrayed you since they fell in love with her?

Didn't the young women betray you when they were passionate about her

Did the glittering stars not betray you since they adored her?

And how did they conceal the torrent of tears when it flowed?

How could they satisfy the tear's homesickness when they worry

And how did they hide the flow of tears when they poured?

ترى هل الأرض مأواها و موطنها

ترى هل الأرض مأواها و موطنها

 أم السماء نمتها فهي بنت سما

أم السماء نمتها فهي بنت سما

Do you think the earth is her refuge and her homeland,

Do you see, is the earth her home and dwelling

I wonder, is the earth her shelter and her home?

Or did heaven nurture her, so she is heaven's daughter?

Or is the sky her sleep, for she is the daughter of heaven

Or did the sky raise her, so she is a daughter of the sky?

من السنا و الندى و الزهر منزلها

من السنا و الندى و الزهر منزلها

 على الثرى من ندي الغيم قد رسما

على الثرى من ندي الغيم قد رسما

Her dwelling, of radiance and dew and blossoms,

Her house is of brilliance, dew and flowers

Of radiance, dew, and flowers is her abode,

Has been drawn upon the earth with the clouds' dew.

On the ground outlined by the rain cloud's dew

Traced on the soil by the moisture of the clouds.

إن الأهلية شيء من أرائكها

إن الأهلية شيء من أرائكها

 و الفجر مرآتها ما رف مبتسما

و الفجر مرآتها ما رف مبتسما

Indeed, the crescents are part of her couches,

The ornaments are something of her coaches

The crescent moons are but some of her couches,

And dawn is her mirror whenever it shimmers, smiling.

And dawn is her mirror that never smiled

And the dawn is her mirror whenever it flutters smiling.

و ساءلتك و غرب الدمع سامرها

و ساءلتك و غرب الدمع سامرها

 عني فألفتك قد أوليتها صمما

عني فألفتك قد أوليتها صمما

And she asked you, with a torrent of tears as her night-companion,

I asked you when the tears bid her farewell

She asked you, with flowing tears as her companion,

About me, and found you had turned a deaf ear to her.

About me but I found you had made her deaf

About me, but she found you had turned a deaf ear.

فردت الطرف نحو الغيم حائرة

فردت الطرف نحو الغيم حائرة

 فارتد بارقة يجلو لها الظلما

فارتد بارقة يجلو لها الظلما

So she turned her gaze toward the clouds, bewildered,

I turned my eyes toward the confused clouds

So she turned her gaze toward the clouds in bewilderment,

And it returned as a lightning flash, dispelling the darkness for her.

So lightning flashed to lighten the darkness for her

And it returned as lightning clearing the darkness for her.

وهزت الأفق السهران باحثة عني

وهزت الأفق السهران باحثة عني

 وبت أهز القلب مضطرما

وبت أهز القلب مضطرما

And she shook the sleepless horizon, searching for me,

I shook the sleepless horizon searching for me

She shook the sleepless horizon searching for me,

And I spent the night shaking my blazing heart.

And spent the night shaking my flaming heart

And I spent the night shaking a burning heart.

فما نجومك و هي النيرات سوى

فما نجومك و هي النيرات سوى

 آثار أقدامها تروي لك الألما

آثار أقدامها تروي لك الألما

So your stars, radiant as they are, are nothing but

For your stars and her brilliance are only

For your stars, bright as they are, are nothing but

Her footprints, recounting the pain to you.

Traces of her steps that tell you of the pain

Her footprints recounting the pain to you.

و ما أغانيك و هي الخالدات سوى

و ما أغانيك و هي الخالدات سوى

أشتات قلبي تروي حبه نغما  

أشتات قلبي تروي حبه نغما

And your songs, immortal as they are, are nothing but

And your songs and her eternity are only

And your songs, immortal as they are, are nothing but

The scattered fragments of my heart, recounting its love in melody.

Scattered parts of my heart that sing my love a melody

Fragments of my heart telling its love in melody.

أما سئمت من الآهات نرسلها

أما سئمت من الآهات نرسلها

 نارا و قلبك من قلبي أما سئما

نارا و قلبك من قلبي أما سئما

Have you not tired of the sighs we send forth

Haven't you tired of the sighs we send her

Are you not tired of the sighs we send

As fire? And has your heart not tired of mine?

As fire and your heart from mine, haven't you tired

As fire? And has your heart not tired of mine?

ضم الفؤادين لم تبق النوى بهما

ضم الفؤادين لم تبق النوى بهما

 ما يستطيع حياة إن هما انصرما

ما يستطيع حياة إن هما انصرما

Unite the two hearts; separation has not left within them

The two hearts gathered, no intention remained in them

Embrace the two hearts; separation has left in them

Anything that can live if they are sundered.

That can bear life if they passed away

Nothing that can sustain life if they are cut apart.