وصادحٍ في ذُرَى الأغصانِ نَبهَّني

وصادحٍ في ذُرَى الأغصانِ نَبهَّني

من غَفْوةٍ كان فيها الطَّيْفُ قد طَرَقا

من غَفْوةٍ كان فيها الطَّيْفُ قد طَرَقا

And a songbird atop the branches awakened me

A bird startled me out of a slumber

from a doze in which the dream-vision had come to visit.

In which the phantom had come knocking

فكان بين تَلاقينا وفُرْقَتنا

فكان بين تَلاقينا وفُرْقَتنا

كما تَبسَّم برق غازَلَ الأُفُقا

كما تَبسَّم برق غازَلَ الأُفُقا

So the interval between our meeting and our parting was

So between our meeting and parting

like lightning's smile as it flirted with the horizon.

Was like a smile of lightning flirting with the horizon

فقلتُ لاصِحْتَ إلا في يَدَىْ قَرِمٍ

فقلتُ لاصِحْتَ إلا في يَدَىْ قَرِمٍ

غَرْثان يُورِد فيكَ المُدْيَة العَلَقْا

غَرْثان يُورِد فيكَ المُدْيَة العَلَقْا

So I said, 'May you never cry out save in the hands of one craving meat,

I said, you sing only in the hands of a vintner

famished, who makes the knife drink your blood!'

Who makes the tavern flow into you, intoxicated

وقمتُ أنتزِع الأوكار من حَنقٍ

وقمتُ أنتزِع الأوكار من حَنقٍ

مني وأستلبُ الأغصانَ والورقا

مني وأستلبُ الأغصانَ والورقا

And I rose, wrenching out the nests in my fury,

And I got up to snatch the nests away in anger

and stripping away the branches and the leaves.

Of me, and seize the branches and the leaves

لو ناح للشوقِ مثلي كنتُ أَعذِره

لو ناح للشوقِ مثلي كنتُ أَعذِره

لكنّه مَوَّه الدعوى وما صَدَقا

لكنّه مَوَّه الدعوى وما صَدَقا

Had he wailed with longing as I do, I would have excused him;

If one had longed like I do, I'd empathize

but he made a deceptive claim and did not speak the truth.

But he disguised the claim and didn't prove honest

عَهْدِى به في أمانٍ منه مقترِبا

عَهْدِى به في أمانٍ منه مقترِبا

مُطَرِّبا فوق غُصْنَىْ بانةٍ سَمَقا

مُطَرِّبا فوق غُصْنَىْ بانةٍ سَمَقا

I once knew him, safe from his harm, as he drew near,

My pact with him was safe from him drawing near

trilling atop two towering boughs of a bān tree.

Cheerful above my branch, conspicuously perching

لولا ليالٍ لنا بالبانِ سالفةٌ

لولا ليالٍ لنا بالبانِ سالفةٌ

كررتُ من زَفراتي فيه فاحترقا

كررتُ من زَفراتي فيه فاحترقا

Were it not for bygone nights of ours among the bān trees,

If not for nights we had at the tavern past

I would have sent my sighs into it again and again, and it would have burned.

I'd repeat my sighs in it, so it caught fire