حيّ طيفاً زارَ من سعدي لِماما

حيّ طيفاً زارَ من سعدي لِماما

لم يزوّد صبّها إلاَّ غراما

لم يزوّد صبّها إلاَّ غراما

Greet a phantom from Suʿdā that paid a fleeting visit,

A specter of Sa'di visited me at night

Bringing her lovesick lover nothing but passion.

Bringing with him only passion and desire

طارقاً ما أسأرت زورته

طارقاً ما أسأرت زورته

في حنايا أضلعي إلاَّ ضراما

في حنايا أضلعي إلاَّ ضراما

A night visitor whose visit left nothing

O you late night visitor

In the hollows of my ribs but flame.

You have left nothing in my ribs except agony

هوّمَ الركب فحيَّا مضجعي

هوّمَ الركب فحيَّا مضجعي

بعد لأيٍ مُهدياً عنها السلاما

بعد لأيٍ مُهدياً عنها السلاما

The caravan dozed, and it greeted my bed,

The caravan bid farewell to my bed

After much effort, bearing greetings from her.

After a night that brought me only greetings of peace

وكما شاءَ الهوى علّلني

وكما شاءَ الهوى علّلني

بحديثٍ بلَّ من قلبي الأُواما

بحديثٍ بلَّ من قلبي الأُواما

And, as love willed, it beguiled me

And as the whim of passion willed

With talk that quenched my heart's burning thirst.

It sickened me with a talk that filled my heart with sorrow

زادني سُكراً إلى سكر الكرى

زادني سُكراً إلى سكر الكرى

فكأَنِّي منه عاقرتُ مداما

فكأَنِّي منه عاقرتُ مداما

It added drunkenness to the drunkenness of my sleep,

It increased my drunkenness on top of the intoxication of the wine

So it was as though I had drunk wine from it.

As if I had gulped down a whole barrel

كلَّما مثّل لي قامتها

كلَّما مثّل لي قامتها

زدتُه ضمًّا لصدري والتزاما

زدتُه ضمًّا لصدري والتزاما

Whenever it pictured her figure for me,

Whenever he described her stature to me

I clasped it tighter to my breast and held it close.

I held him tighter to my chest in embrace

أو ثناياه لعيني وصفت

أو ثناياه لعيني وصفت

ثغرَها استشفيت فيهنَّ التثاما

ثغرَها استشفيت فيهنَّ التثاما

Or when its front teeth portrayed to my eye

Or her cheeks to my eyes I likened

Her mouth, I sought healing by kissing them.

And her lips I imagined as a sealed draught

لم أزل ألهو به حتَّى غدت

لم أزل ألهو به حتَّى غدت

أنجمُ الشرق إلى الغرب تَرامى

أنجمُ الشرق إلى الغرب تَرامى

I kept delighting in it until

I lingered with him until the eastern stars

The eastern stars began drifting toward the west.

Stretched out toward the western horizon

فرغت من سهر الليل وأومت

فرغت من سهر الليل وأومت

بعيون آذنتنا أن تناما

بعيون آذنتنا أن تناما

They finished their night's vigil and signaled

I finished the night's vigil and lamented

With eyes that told us they were going to sleep.

With eyes that told us it was time for sleep

يا لها من زورةٍ كاذبةٍ

يا لها من زورةٍ كاذبةٍ

أعقبت وجداً بقلبي واحتداما

أعقبت وجداً بقلبي واحتداما

Ah, what a deceptive visit it was,

Oh what a false visitation it was

Leaving longing and burning turmoil in my heart!

That left my heart burning with sadness and turmoil