يا لَيتَني لِصٌّ لِأَسرُقَ في الضُحى

يا لَيتَني لِصٌّ لِأَسرُقَ في الضُحى

سِرَّ اللَطافَةِ في النَسيمِ الساري

سِرَّ اللَطافَةِ في النَسيمِ الساري

Oh, if only I were a thief, to steal in the morning light

Oh, if only I were a thief to steal at dawn

Oh, would that I were a thief, to steal in the morning light,

The secret of gentleness in the drifting breeze,

The secret of gentleness in the passing breeze,

The secret of gentleness in the drifting breeze,

وَأَجُسَّ مُؤتَلَقَ الجَمالِ بِإِصبَعي

وَأَجُسَّ مُؤتَلَقَ الجَمالِ بِإِصبَعي

في زُرقَةِ الأُفقِ الجَميلِ العاري

في زُرقَةِ الأُفقِ الجَميلِ العاري

And feel beauty's radiance with my finger

And to touch with my fingers the beauty's adornment

And to touch the shimmer of beauty with my finger,

In the blue of the beautiful, bare horizon;

In the blueness of the beautiful bare horizon.

In the azure of the beautiful, naked horizon,

وَيَبينَ لي كَنَهُ المَهابَةِ في الرُبى

وَيَبينَ لي كَنَهُ المَهابَةِ في الرُبى

وَالسِرُّ في جَذَلِ الغَديرِ الجاري

وَالسِرُّ في جَذَلِ الغَديرِ الجاري

And the essence of majesty in the hills might become clear to me,

And to show me the essence of awe in the hillside,

That the essence of majesty in the hills might be revealed to me,

And the secret in the joy of the flowing brook,

And the secret in the flowing stream's babble.

And the secret in the joy of the flowing stream,

وَالسِحرُ في الأَلوان وَالأَنغام وَال

وَالسِحرُ في الأَلوان وَالأَنغام وَال

أَنداء وَالأَشذاء وَالأَذهارِ

أَنداء وَالأَشذاء وَالأَذهارِ

And the magic in colors and melodies, and in the

And the magic in colors, tunes and calls,

And the magic in the colors, the melodies, and the

dewdrops, fragrances, and flowers,

Echoes, warblers, and flowers.

Dews, the fragrances, and the flowers,

وَبَشاشَةُ المَرجِ الخَصيب وَوَحشَةُ

وَبَشاشَةُ المَرجِ الخَصيب وَوَحشَةُ

الوادي الكَئيب وَصَولَةُ التَيّارِ

الوادي الكَئيب وَصَولَةُ التَيّارِ

And the cheerfulness of the fertile meadow, and the loneliness of

And the cheer of the fertile meadow, and the loneliness

And the cheer of the fertile meadow, and the desolation

the gloomy valley, and the onrush of the current;

Of the gloomy valley, and the clamor of the currents.

Of the gloomy valley, and the might of the current,

وَإِذا الدُجى أَرخى عَلَيَّ سُدولُهُ

وَإِذا الدُجى أَرخى عَلَيَّ سُدولُهُ

أَدرَكتُ ما في اللَيلِ مِن أَسرارِ

أَدرَكتُ ما في اللَيلِ مِن أَسرارِ

And when night's darkness drew its curtains over me,

And when the darkness casts over me its mantles,

And when the darkness lowers its curtains upon me,

I would grasp the secrets within the night.

I realize what secrets the night possesses.

I would perceive what secrets lie within the night,

فَلَكَم نَظَرتُ إِلى الجَمالِ فَخِلتُهُ

فَلَكَم نَظَرتُ إِلى الجَمالِ فَخِلتُهُ

أَدنى إِلى بَصَري مِنَ الأَشفارِ

أَدنى إِلى بَصَري مِنَ الأَشفارِ

For how often I gazed at beauty and thought it

So how often have I looked upon beauty and felt it

For how often have I gazed at beauty and imagined it

Nearer to my sight than my lashes;

Nearer to my sight than the eyelashes!

Closer to my sight than my very eyelashes,

فَطَلَبتُهُ فَإِذا المَغالِقُ دونَهُ

فَطَلَبتُهُ فَإِذا المَغالِقُ دونَهُ

وَإِذا هُنالِكَ أَلفُ أَلفِ سِتارِ

وَإِذا هُنالِكَ أَلفُ أَلفِ سِتارِ

So I sought it—only to find locked doors before it,

I sought it but barriers were in my way to it,

Yet when I sought it, I found locks barring the way,

And behold, there were a thousand thousand veils.

With a thousand veils existing in that place.

And behold, there stood a thousand thousand veils,

وَباد وَيُعجِزُ خاطِري إِدراكَهُ

وَباد وَيُعجِزُ خاطِري إِدراكَهُ

وَفِتنَتي بِالظاهِرِ المُتَواري

وَفِتنَتي بِالظاهِرِ المُتَواري

And it is manifest, yet my mind cannot grasp it,

It disappears and frustrates my mind's reach,

It appears manifest, yet my mind fails to grasp it,

And I am enthralled by the visible yet hidden.

And my temptation for that hidden manifest.

And my fascination is with the visible that remains concealed.