أَزعَجَ اللَّيْلَ النَّدامى

أَزعَجَ اللَّيْلَ النَّدامى

قَطَعوا اللَّيْلَ هُيَامَا

قَطَعوا اللَّيْلَ هُيَامَا

The boon companions disturbed the night.

The sleepless reproached the night,

They passed the night in love's delirium.

They spent the night restless.

طالَ بالهجْرِ عليهِمْ

طالَ بالهجْرِ عليهِمْ

ليتَهُ دامَ ظَلامَا

ليتَهُ دامَ ظَلامَا

It grew long for them in separation.

Separation was prolonged for them,

Would that it had remained dark!

If only it had remained dark.

وبَغى جَهلاً عَذولٌ

وبَغى جَهلاً عَذولٌ

أَسمَعَ القَوْمَ مَلامَا

أَسمَعَ القَوْمَ مَلامَا

And a reproacher transgressed in ignorance,

An ignorant fool was wicked,

making the company hear his reproach.

And made the people hear blame.

قالَ حينَ القَوْمُ ناحوا

قالَ حينَ القَوْمُ ناحوا

فعَلى مَ وإِلى مَا

فعَلى مَ وإِلى مَا

He said, as the company wailed,

When the people complained, he said:

“So why, and to what end?”

"To whom and to what?"

مرَّ باللَّغْوِ وقَوْمي

مرَّ باللَّغْوِ وقَوْمي

بالهَوَى مرُّوا كِرَامَا

بالهَوَى مرُّوا كِرَامَا

He passed amid idle talk, while my people

He passed by ignoring my people,

passed nobly in love.

While they nobly passed away out of love.

أَصدَرَ اللَّوْمَ خِطاباً

أَصدَرَ اللَّوْمَ خِطاباً

وهُمُ قَالوا سَلامَا

وهُمُ قَالوا سَلامَا

He delivered reproach as a speech,

He issued blame in his speech,

while they said, “Peace.”

And they said, "Peace."

رَفْرَفَ اللَّيْلُ جَناحاً

رَفْرَفَ اللَّيْلُ جَناحاً

وبَنى العَتْمُ خِيَامَا

وبَنى العَتْمُ خِيَامَا

Night fluttered a wing,

The night fluttered its wings,

and darkness pitched its tents.

And darkness built tents.

وهُناكَ القَوْمُ أضحَتْ

وهُناكَ القَوْمُ أضحَتْ

ترقُبُ الحِبَّ قِيَامَا

ترقُبُ الحِبَّ قِيَامَا

And there the company was

There, at daybreak, the people

standing, awaiting the beloved.

Were expectantly awake for love.

قتَلَتْهُمْ زَفْرَةُ الشَّوْ

قتَلَتْهُمْ زَفْرَةُ الشَّوْ

قِ غَراماً واصْطِلامَا

قِ غَراماً واصْطِلامَا

A sigh of longing killed them

The roar of passion killed them,

in passion and utter annihilation.

Dying of love and burning.

هل سمِعْتُمْ غيرَنا من

هل سمِعْتُمْ غيرَنا من

ماتَ في الحُبِّ غَرَامَا

ماتَ في الحُبِّ غَرَامَا

Have you heard of anyone but us who

Have you heard of others besides us

died in love, consumed by passion?

Who died of fervent love?

يا نُجوماً بالدِّياجي

يا نُجوماً بالدِّياجي

أَعطَتِ العتمَ نِظَامَا

أَعطَتِ العتمَ نِظَامَا

O stars in the dark nights,

O stars in my night sky,

that gave the darkness an ordered pattern:

You brought order to the darkness.

قَمَرُ الحُبِّ تَوارَى

قَمَرُ الحُبِّ تَوارَى

لو زَوى عنهُ اللِّثَامَا

لو زَوى عنهُ اللِّثَامَا

the moon of love has hidden himself.

The moon of love hid away,

Had he drawn the veil away from himself,

As if a veil concealed it.

لصَعِقْنا وطَرَقْنا

لصَعِقْنا وطَرَقْنا

قُبَّةَ الأُفقِ اضْطِرَامَا

قُبَّةَ الأُفقِ اضْطِرَامَا

we would have been thunderstruck and knocked upon

We would have collapsed and knocked

the horizon's dome in a blaze.

On the dome of the horizon in distress.

يا لرَمْشٍ منهُ فينا

يا لرَمْشٍ منهُ فينا

مُصْلِتٍ جَهْراً حُسَامَا

مُصْلِتٍ جَهْراً حُسَامَا

Oh, that eyelash of his among us,

If but a wink from it at us

openly brandishing a sword!

Would set our swords ablaze openly.

يتَعالى عن دَلالٍ

يتَعالى عن دَلالٍ

وبِذُلٍّ نَتَرامى

وبِذُلٍّ نَتَرامى

He holds himself aloof out of coyness,

It avoids guides,

and we fling ourselves down in abasement.

And disdains humility.

أُعْذُروا باللهِ قَلباً

أُعْذُروا باللهِ قَلباً

عَشِقَ الحِبَّ فَهَامَا

عَشِقَ الحِبَّ فَهَامَا

For God's sake, pardon a heart

Excuse, for God's sake, a heart

that loved the beloved and went love-mad.

That fell passionately in love.

أَنا لا أسْطِيعُ فيه

أَنا لا أسْطِيعُ فيه

أَبَدَ الدَّهرِ اكْتِتَامَا

أَبَدَ الدَّهرِ اكْتِتَامَا

I cannot, where he is concerned,

I cannot conceal it

ever keep my love hidden, as long as time endures.

For all eternity.

رَكَّبَ القولَ مُفيدي

رَكَّبَ القولَ مُفيدي

فغَدا فيهِ كَلامَا

فغَدا فيهِ كَلامَا

My benefactor composed the utterance,

My love composed words,

and it became speech within him.

And it became eloquent speech.

فِعْلُهُ في القلبِ ماضٍ

فِعْلُهُ في القلبِ ماضٍ

ضارِعوني يا نَدامَى

ضارِعوني يا نَدامَى

His action pierces the heart.

Its actions in my heart persist,

Be like me, O boon companions!

Compete with me, O critics!

أخَذَ الحالُ ابْتِدائي

أخَذَ الحالُ ابْتِدائي

خَبَراً صارَ اخْتِتَامَا

خَبَراً صارَ اخْتِتَامَا

The state took my beginning

The present took my beginning

as a predicate that became an ending.

As news that became a conclusion.

يا أُصولِيَّ غَرامي

يا أُصولِيَّ غَرامي

بحرُ دَمعي منكَ عَامَا

بحرُ دَمعي منكَ عَامَا

O legal theorist of my passion,

O my passionate origin,

the sea of my tears swam because of you.

My tears' sea has been stormy because of you.

خذْ بفِقْهٍ إنَّ قَتْلي

خذْ بفِقْهٍ إنَّ قَتْلي

كانَ في الشَّرْعِ حَرَامَا

كانَ في الشَّرْعِ حَرَامَا

Apply jurisprudence: surely killing me

Take wisely, for my murder

was forbidden under sacred law.

Would be unlawful in religion.

فَسِّرِ الأَشْجانَ منِّي

فَسِّرِ الأَشْجانَ منِّي

واشْبِعِ الخصمَ انْتِقَامَا

واشْبِعِ الخصمَ انْتِقَامَا

Interpret the sorrows that come from me,

Explain my sorrows,

and sate the adversary with vengeance.

And satisfy the adversary's revenge.

واسْتَعِرْ نصَّ المَعاني

واسْتَعِرْ نصَّ المَعاني

وامْلِها جاماً فَجَامَا

وامْلِها جاماً فَجَامَا

And borrow the text of meanings,

Review the essence of meanings,

and dictate them, goblet after goblet.

And fill the cup again and again.

وعلى رَقِّ بَياني

وعلى رَقِّ بَياني

يَمَناً سرْ بي وشَامَا

يَمَناً سرْ بي وشَامَا

And on the parchment of my eloquence,

Grace my eloquence gently,

travel with me to Yemen and al-Sham.

Move toward me and toast.

جَدَلِيُّ العذلِ أوْهَى

جَدَلِيُّ العذلِ أوْهَى

قولَهُ والغَيُّ دَامَا

قولَهُ والغَيُّ دَامَا

The dialectician of reproach weakened

My censurer's disputation weakened

his argument, while error endured.

His words while the separation remained.

منهُ جُبَّائِيُّ وعْدٍ

منهُ جُبَّائِيُّ وعْدٍ

أَخلَفَ القَصْدَ مَرَامَا

أَخلَفَ القَصْدَ مَرَامَا

From him, a Jubba'i of promise

He broke his promise,

failed to attain the intended goal.

Deviating from his aim.

عِلَلُ العشقِ كَثيرا

عِلَلُ العشقِ كَثيرا

تٌ وكم أبْدَتْ سِقَامَا

تٌ وكم أبْدَتْ سِقَامَا

The afflictions of love are many,

Numerous are love's ailments,

and how often they have revealed sickness!

And how much illness they showed.

ودَواعي الوَصْلِ بالأَرْ

ودَواعي الوَصْلِ بالأَرْ

واحِ كم أحيَتْ عِظَامَا

واحِ كم أحيَتْ عِظَامَا

And the calls to union through souls—

The reasons for union with the soulmate -

how many bones they have brought to life!

How many bones they revived.

هبَّتِ النَّارُ بقلبي

هبَّتِ النَّارُ بقلبي

أجَّجَتْ فيهِ أُوَامَا

أجَّجَتْ فيهِ أُوَامَا

Fire flared in my heart

The fire blazed in my heart,

and kindled a burning thirst within it.

Igniting embers within it.

قلْ لها يا حِبُّ صِيري

قلْ لها يا حِبُّ صِيري

بِيَ برداً وسَلامَا

بِيَ برداً وسَلامَا

Tell it, O beloved: “Become

Say to it, "O Love, make me

coolness and peace within me.”

Cool and safe."

واكْفيني ما أَنا فيهِ

واكْفيني ما أَنا فيهِ

واحْجُرِ العينَ انْسِجَامَا

واحْجُرِ العينَ انْسِجَامَا

And spare me what I am enduring,

Save me from what I am in,

and keep the eye from streaming.

And harmonize my gaze.

ثمَّ عِدْني بوِصالٍ

ثمَّ عِدْني بوِصالٍ

وامْطُلَنْ عاماً فَعَامَا

وامْطُلَنْ عاماً فَعَامَا

Then promise me union,

Then return me to union,

and put me off year after year.

And let years go by, year after year.

وارْشُقْنَ بالوعدِ قلبي

وارْشُقْنَ بالوعدِ قلبي

من تَجَنِّيكَ سِهَامَا

من تَجَنِّيكَ سِهَامَا

And with your promise shoot at my heart

Revive my heart with promises,

arrows of your unjust cruelty.

From your arrows piercing it.

وترَقَّبْ آنَ موتي

وترَقَّبْ آنَ موتي

واجْعَلِ الوصلَ خِتَامَا

واجْعَلِ الوصلَ خِتَامَا

And watch for the moment of my death,

Await the moment of my death,

and make union the ending.

And make the union the conclusion.