أَبيتُ أُمَنّيَ النَفسَ مِن لاعِجِ الهَوى

أَبيتُ أُمَنّيَ النَفسَ مِن لاعِجِ الهَوى

إِذا كادَ بَرحُ الشَوقِ يُتلِفُها وَجدا

إِذا كادَ بَرحُ الشَوقِ يُتلِفُها وَجدا

I spend the night consoling my soul with hopes against love’s burning ache,

I spend the night consoling my soul with hopes against love’s burning pain,

whenever longing’s torment nearly consumes it with passion.

when longing’s anguish almost destroys it with lovesick grief.

مُنىً إِن تَكُن حَقّاً تَكُن أَحسَنَ المُنى

مُنىً إِن تَكُن حَقّاً تَكُن أَحسَنَ المُنى

وَإِلّا فَقَد عِشنا بِها زَمَناً رَغدا

وَإِلّا فَقَد عِشنا بِها زَمَناً رَغدا

Hopes that, if they prove true, will be the fairest of hopes;

Hopes that, if they prove true, will be the finest of hopes;

and if not, we have still lived by them awhile in ease.

and if not, we have lived through them a while in ease.

أَمانِيُّ مِن سُعدى عِذابٌ كَأَنَّما

أَمانِيُّ مِن سُعدى عِذابٌ كَأَنَّما

سَقَتنا بِها سُعدى عَلى ظَمَإٍ بَردا

سَقَتنا بِها سُعدى عَلى ظَمَإٍ بَردا

Hopes from Su‘da are sweet draughts, as though

Sweet hopes from Suʿdā, as though

through them Su‘da gave us cool water in our thirst.

through them Suʿdā had given us cool water in our thirst.

أَلَ حَبَّذا سُعدى عَلى فَرطِ بُخلِها

أَلَ حَبَّذا سُعدى عَلى فَرطِ بُخلِها

وَإِخلافِها بَعدَ المِطالِ لَنا الوَعدا

وَإِخلافِها بَعدَ المِطالِ لَنا الوَعدا

Ah, how lovely Su‘da is, despite her utter withholding,

Ah, how dear Suʿdā is, despite her excessive stinginess,

and her breaking, after long delay, the promise she made us.

and her breaking her promise to us after long delay.