من لِلَيل يَتَأَلّى

من لِلَيل يَتَأَلّى

أَنَّهُ لا يَتَجَلّى

أَنَّهُ لا يَتَجَلّى

Who can help with a night that swears

He who complains of the night

that it will not brighten,

That it does not unveil itself

وَلِنَومٍ بالثُّريَّا

وَلِنَومٍ بالثُّريَّا

لجَّ أَلا يَتدَلّى

لجَّ أَلا يَتدَلّى

and with sleep up by the Pleiades,

And of sleep, adorned with stars,

stubbornly refusing to descend?

That it does not let down its tresses

بِتُّ أَرعاها نُجوماً

بِتُّ أَرعاها نُجوماً

كَوُجوهِ الغيدِ تُجلى

كَوُجوهِ الغيدِ تُجلى

All night I watched them—stars

I housed its stars as faces

like the faces of graceful maidens being unveiled.

That unveil and display themselves

كلَّما عُطِّلَ نَجمٌ

كلَّما عُطِّلَ نَجمٌ

لاح لي نجمٌ محلّى

لاح لي نجمٌ محلّى

Whenever a star was stripped of adornment,

Whenever a star wanes

an adorned star shone forth for me.

A dear new star appears

أيُّها المَدفون في التُّر

أيُّها المَدفون في التُّر

ب وفي قَلبِيَ أَولى

ب وفي قَلبِيَ أَولى

O you buried in the earth,

O you buried in soil

and more fittingly in my heart:

And in my heart even more so

غَيرُ إِحسانِكَ يُسلى

غَيرُ إِحسانِكَ يُسلى

وَسِوى حُبِّكَ يَبلى

وَسِوى حُبِّكَ يَبلى

all but your kindness is forgotten,

Nothing consoles but your kindness

and all but love for you wears away.

And nothing persists but your love

إِنَّما دَهريَ نَجوى

إِنَّما دَهريَ نَجوى

بكَ لا تَنفَكُّ تُملى

بكَ لا تَنفَكُّ تُملى

My life is nothing but whispered talk

My life is but whispers with you

about you, ceaselessly dictated.

That do not cease to be recited

وَأَمَرُّ العَيشِ عِندي

وَأَمَرُّ العَيشِ عِندي

مَعَ تذكارِكَ أَحلى

مَعَ تذكارِكَ أَحلى

And life's bitterest part, to me,

And the sweetest living to me

is sweeter with remembrance of you.

Is remembering you

رَخُصت نَفسي وَكانَت

رَخُصت نَفسي وَكانَت

من نفوسِ النّاسِ أَغلى

من نفوسِ النّاسِ أَغلى

My life has grown cheap, though it was

I cheapened myself and was

dearer than the lives of others.

More precious than other souls

أيُّها العاذِلُ عُوفِي

أيُّها العاذِلُ عُوفِي

تَ فَعَيَّرتَ المُبَلّى

تَ فَعَيَّرتَ المُبَلّى

O reproacher, you were spared—

O you who blame the afflicted

so you taunted the afflicted.

And reproach the worn down

أَنتَ ذو قَلبٍ سَلِيمٍ

أَنتَ ذو قَلبٍ سَلِيمٍ

فاحمَدِ اللَهَ وَإِلَّا

فاحمَدِ اللَهَ وَإِلَّا

You have an unharmed heart,

You have an intact heart

so praise God—or else...

So thank God, or else...