ماذا تُسَرُّ إِلى القمر

ماذا تُسَرُّ إِلى القمر

يا أَيُّها الطَيرُ السَجين

يا أَيُّها الطَيرُ السَجين

What do you confide to the moon,

What delights you to the moon,

O captive bird?

O you, the imprisoned bird!

هَل أَنتَ مِثلي في السَهر

هَل أَنتَ مِثلي في السَهر

تَشكو عَذابَكَ لِلسِّنين

تَشكو عَذابَكَ لِلسِّنين

Are you sleepless, like me,

Are you like me sleepless at night,

complaining of your torment to the years,

Complaining of your agony to the years?

أَم تَشتَكي ظُلمَ البَشَر

أَم تَشتَكي ظُلمَ البَشَر

في قَلبِكِ العاني الكَسير

في قَلبِكِ العاني الكَسير

or lamenting the injustice of humankind?

Or do you complain of the injustice of mankind

In your captive, broken heart

In your suffering, broken heart?

سِرٌّ تَوارى في الدُجى

سِرٌّ تَوارى في الدُجى

وَحَواجِزُ القَفصِ الصَغير

وَحَواجِزُ القَفصِ الصَغير

a secret lies hidden in the dark;

A secret hidden in the darkness,

and the bars of the little cage

And barriers of the small cage

قَد أَطفَأَت نورَ الرَجا

قَد أَطفَأَت نورَ الرَجا

لَمّا غَدَوتَ بِهِ أَسير

لَمّا غَدَوتَ بِهِ أَسير

have extinguished the light of hope

Have extinguished the light of hope

when you became a prisoner within it.

When you became a captive with it.

قَد كُنتَ حُرّاً مُطلَقا

قَد كُنتَ حُرّاً مُطلَقا

في جَوِّكَ الصافي الوَسيع

في جَوِّكَ الصافي الوَسيع

You once were free, unbound,

You were once free and unconstrained

in your clear, spacious sky,

In your pure, vast air,

تَشدو هِيامَك شَيِّقا

تَشدو هِيامَك شَيِّقا

لِأَريجِ زَهرِكَ في الرَبيع

لِأَريجِ زَهرِكَ في الرَبيع

singing your passion, full of longing,

Chirping your love songs merrily

for the fragrance of your flowers in spring,

To the fragrance of your flowers in spring,

وَتَؤُمُّ غُصناً مورِقا

وَتَؤُمُّ غُصناً مورِقا

قُل ما تُسَرُّ إِلى الظلام

قُل ما تُسَرُّ إِلى الظلام

and making for a leafy branch.

And sheltering on a leafy branch.

Say what you confide to the darkness,

Tell me, what delights you to the darkness?

وَالزَهرُ فيهِ سامِعه

وَالزَهرُ فيهِ سامِعه

وَالقَومُ كلُّهُم نِيام

وَالقَومُ كلُّهُم نِيام

while the flowers within it hear it,

While the flowers in it are dormant,

and all the people are asleep,

And all the people are asleep,

حَتّى الطَبيعَةُ هاجِعَه

حَتّى الطَبيعَةُ هاجِعَه

حَتّى فُؤادي المُستَهام

حَتّى فُؤادي المُستَهام

even nature lies slumbering,

Even nature is resting,

even my love-stricken heart.

Even my fervent heart I asked,

أَسألتهُ ماذا يَرى

أَسألتهُ ماذا يَرى

في ذلِكَ الغاب الكَثيف

في ذلِكَ الغاب الكَثيف

Have you asked it what it sees

What does it see

in that dense forest,

In that dense forest,

وَعَلى الهِضابِ وَفي الذَرى

وَعَلى الهِضابِ وَفي الذَرى

وَهناك في الحَقلِ اللَطيف

وَهناك في الحَقلِ اللَطيف

and upon the hills and amid the summits,

And on the meadows and in the land,

and there in the pleasant field,

And over there in the beautiful field,

حَيثُ النَسيمُ تكوثرا

حَيثُ النَسيمُ تكوثرا

أَسأَلتهُ هَل باقِيَه

أَسأَلتهُ هَل باقِيَه

where the breeze flowed abundantly?

Where the breeze is blowing?

Have you asked it whether there remain

I asked it, does that freshness remain

تِلكَ النَضارَةُ في الحُقول

تِلكَ النَضارَةُ في الحُقول

وَمِياه تِلكَ الساقيه

وَمِياه تِلكَ الساقيه

that freshness in the fields,

In the fields, and the water of those streams,

and the waters of that watercourse,

And the shapes of those hills,

وَرسوم هاتيك الطلول

وَرسوم هاتيك الطلول

وَزُهور تِلكَ الرابِيَه

وَزُهور تِلكَ الرابِيَه

and the traces of those ruined dwellings,

And the flowers of those plateaus,

and the flowers of that hill,

And the companions of my hours of torment,

وَرِفاق ساعاتي العِذاب

وَرِفاق ساعاتي العِذاب

سمّار قَلبي الشَيِّقِ

سمّار قَلبي الشَيِّقِ

and the companions of my sweet hours,

The healers of my ardent heart,

the night companions of my yearning heart?

Have they become tormented

هَل أَصبَحت قَيدَ العَذاب

هَل أَصبَحت قَيدَ العَذاب

في مِثلِ سِجني الضَيِّقِ

في مِثلِ سِجني الضَيِّقِ

Have they become bound to torment

Like me in my narrow prison,

in a prison like my narrow one,

Or are they still on the meadows?

أَم لا تَزالُ عَلى الهِضاب

أَم لا تَزالُ عَلى الهِضاب

أَسَأَلتهُ عَن طائِرِ

أَسَأَلتهُ عَن طائِرِ

or are they still upon the hills?

I asked it about a bird

Have you asked it about a bird

That in every night or morning

في كُلِّ لَيلٍ أَو صَباح

في كُلِّ لَيلٍ أَو صَباح

فَوقَ النَسيمِ السائِرِ

فَوقَ النَسيمِ السائِرِ

that, every night or morning,

Over the passing breeze,

above the drifting breeze,

Carried food on its wing

حَملَ الطَعامَ عَلى الجناح

حَملَ الطَعامَ عَلى الجناح

وَأَتى بِهِ لِأَصاغِرِ

وَأَتى بِهِ لِأَصاغِرِ

carried food upon its wing

And brought it to its little ones.

and brought it to the little ones?

Those little ones, daisies,

تِلكَ الصغار شَقائِقُ

تِلكَ الصغار شَقائِقُ

لَكَ يا شَبيهي في المحن

لَكَ يا شَبيهي في المحن

Those little ones are siblings

Are like you, my fellow sufferer,

of yours, O my likeness in hardship;

You, the fluttering captive,

أَنتَ الأَسيرُ الخافِقُ

أَنتَ الأَسيرُ الخافِقُ

كَخفوقِ قَلبي في البَدن

كَخفوقِ قَلبي في البَدن

you are the fluttering captive,

Like the fluttering of my heart in the body.

like the beating of my heart within my body;

The only difference is that I am a lover.

وَالفَرقُ أَنّي عاشِقُ

وَالفَرقُ أَنّي عاشِقُ

يا طَيرُ إِنَّك في الأَلَم

يا طَيرُ إِنَّك في الأَلَم

and the difference is that I am a lover.

O bird! You, in pain,

O bird, in suffering you are

Are a symbol for this purposeful one

رَمزٌ لِهذا المرقمِ

رَمزٌ لِهذا المرقمِ

يبكي وَينحبُ بِالنَغَم

يبكي وَينحبُ بِالنَغَم

a symbol of this pen,

Who cries and moans with melody,

which weeps and sobs in melody,

And with a tear of grief,

وَبِمَدمَعٍ من عَندمِ

وَبِمَدمَعٍ من عَندمِ

وَفُؤاد ظالِمِه أَصم

وَفُؤاد ظالِمِه أَصم

and with tears of crimson dye,

While the heart of his oppressor is deaf.

while its oppressor's heart is deaf.

So the birds of your nest sleep

فَطُيورِ عِشِّكَ تَرقدُ

فَطُيورِ عِشِّكَ تَرقدُ

حَتّى يُفاجِئَها الصباح

حَتّى يُفاجِئَها الصباح

For the birds of your nest sleep

Until the morning surprises them,

until morning surprises them,

And they awaken singing and chirping.

وَلَدُن تَفيقُ تغرَّدُ

وَلَدُن تَفيقُ تغرَّدُ

يا طَيرُ ما تَستَنظِرُ

يا طَيرُ ما تَستَنظِرُ

and when they awaken, they sing.

O bird! Why do you wait

O bird, what are you waiting for

In the field, and it is a winter day?

في الحَقلِ وَاليَوم الشتاء

في الحَقلِ وَاليَوم الشتاء

أَتُراكَ لا تَستأسرُ

أَتُراكَ لا تَستأسرُ

in the field, now that it is winter?

Do I see you never impatient

Do you think you would not become captive,

Even if you have what you want?

وَلَو أَنَّ عِندَك ما تَشاء

وَلَو أَنَّ عِندَك ما تَشاء

وَتُحِبُّ مَن يَتَحَرَّرُ

وَتُحِبُّ مَن يَتَحَرَّرُ

even if you had whatever you wished,

And you love whoever liberates himself?

and loved someone who becomes free?

And when you see we have nothing left for us

وَلما تَرى أَبقى لَنا

وَلما تَرى أَبقى لَنا

من ريش حُسنِك جانِحاك

من ريش حُسنِك جانِحاك

And why, do you think, have we been left

Of your beautiful plumage, your wings,

some of your lovely plumage by your two wings?

Perhaps to remind us of song,

أَلكي يذكِّرنا الغِنا

أَلكي يذكِّرنا الغِنا

ءَ لَعَلَّنا نبكي غناك

ءَ لَعَلَّنا نبكي غناك

Is it to remind us of song?

Perhaps we may weep for your singing,

Is it that perhaps we might weep for your song?

And perhaps, and perhaps!

وَلعَلَّنا وَلَعَلَّنا

وَلعَلَّنا وَلَعَلَّنا

يا طَيرُ إِنَّكَ صادِقُ

يا طَيرُ إِنَّكَ صادِقُ

And perhaps we... and perhaps we...

O bird! You are sincere,

O bird, you are truthful,

While man is treacherous and lying.

وَالمَرءُ غَدّارٌ كَذوب

وَالمَرءُ غَدّارٌ كَذوب

فَإِذا عَشِقتَ فَعاشِقُ

فَإِذا عَشِقتَ فَعاشِقُ

while man is treacherous and deceitful.

So if you love, you are a lover

So when you love, you are a lover;

Who puts friendship in hearts,

تَضع الصَداقَةَ في القُلوب

تَضع الصَداقَةَ في القُلوب

وَالمَرءُ باغٍ فاسِقُ

وَالمَرءُ باغٍ فاسِقُ

you place friendship in hearts,

While man is an unfair sinner.

while man is oppressive and corrupt.