ذكرتُ والقلبُ أَسيرُ الذِّكْرِ

ذكرتُ والقلبُ أَسيرُ الذِّكْرِ

ليلَةَ وَصْلٍ سَلَفَتْ مِنْ عمْرِي

ليلَةَ وَصْلٍ سَلَفَتْ مِنْ عمْرِي

I remembered, my heart captive to remembrance,

I remembered, while my heart was captive to remembrance,

a night of union gone by in my life,

A night of union that slipped away from my life,

أَقْصَرُ من تجلُدي وصَبْري

أَقْصَرُ من تجلُدي وصَبْري

رقَّت فكادت رقَّةً أَن تَجْرِي

رقَّت فكادت رقَّةً أَن تَجْرِي

shorter than my fortitude and my patience.

Shorter than my patience and composure,

It grew delicate, almost flowing from sheer delicacy,

It softened until it almost melted away,

كأَنَها مخلوقةٌ من شِعْرِي

كأَنَها مخلوقةٌ من شِعْرِي

تفضُلُ عِنْدِي أَلْفَ أَلِف شَهْر

تفضُلُ عِنْدِي أَلْفَ أَلِف شَهْر

as though it were created from my poetry.

As if it was created from my poetry,

To me, it surpasses a thousand thousand months;

It exceeds with me a thousand months,

ما هي إِلاَّ خالُ وجْهِ الدَّهْرِ

ما هي إِلاَّ خالُ وجْهِ الدَّهْرِ

فَضَحْتُ فيها بَدْرَها ببَدْرِي

فَضَحْتُ فيها بَدْرَها ببَدْرِي

it is but a beauty spot on the face of time.

It was nothing but the mole on the cheek of time,

In it, I shamed its full moon with my own full moon,

In it I sacrificed its full moon with my full moon,

وبان فيها عذرُها وعُذْرِي

وبان فيها عذرُها وعُذْرِي

وبعْتُ فيها صحْوَتِي بسُكْرِي

وبعْتُ فيها صحْوَتِي بسُكْرِي

and in it, its excuse and mine became clear.

And in it her excuse and my excuse became clear,

And in it I traded my sobriety for my intoxication,

And in it I sold my sobriety for my intoxication,

منْ خَصِر الريق رقيقُ الخَصْرِ

منْ خَصِر الريق رقيقُ الخَصْرِ

أَحسنَ من سلْمَى وأُم عمرو

أَحسنَ من سلْمَى وأُم عمرو

from one with cool saliva and a slender waist,

From the waist of delicate slenderness,

more beautiful than Salma and Umm Amr,

More beautiful than Salma and Umm Amro,

ذي مُقْلةٍ مل فترَتْ من فَتَرٍ

ذي مُقْلةٍ مل فترَتْ من فَتَرٍ

قد عُوضت من إِثْمِدٍ بالسِّحرِ

قد عُوضت من إِثْمِدٍ بالسِّحرِ

with an eye whose languor is [not?] from weariness,

With languid eyes that turned away from turning away,

given magic in place of antimony kohl.

She was recompensed for Ethmid with magic,

واللهِ لو كانَ إِليَّ أَمْري

واللهِ لو كانَ إِليَّ أَمْري

رميتُ كَسْرَ جَفْنِهَا بِجَبْرِ

رميتُ كَسْرَ جَفْنِهَا بِجَبْرِ

By God, if my affairs were up to me,

By Allah, if my matter was up to me,

I would counter its eyelid's brokenness with mending,

I would have healed the brokenness of her eyelids with healing,

لعلَّ أَن تَجْبُر مِني كَسْري

لعلَّ أَن تَجْبُر مِني كَسْري

وبتُ أُخْفِي ضوءَ ذاك الثَّغْر

وبتُ أُخْفِي ضوءَ ذاك الثَّغْر

in hopes that it might mend my own brokenness.

Perhaps it would heal my brokenness,

And I spent the night concealing the light of that mouth,

And I would hide the light of that smile,

كي لا أَرُوعَ لَيْلَتي بفَجْرِي

كي لا أَرُوعَ لَيْلَتي بفَجْرِي

يا ليلةً قد أَسرفتْ في بِرِّي

يا ليلةً قد أَسرفتْ في بِرِّي

so as not to frighten my night with my dawn.

So I don’t startle my night with my own dawn,

O night that was extravagant in kindness to me,

Oh night, you were excessive in blessing me,

مضَتْ ولم يمض عليها شُكْرِي

مضَتْ ولم يمض عليها شُكْرِي

رُزِئت منها اليومَ خيرَ ذُخْرِي

رُزِئت منها اليومَ خيرَ ذُخْرِي

it passed, but my gratitude for it has not passed away.

You passed and my gratitude to you did not pass,

Today, in losing it, I was bereft of my finest treasure;

Today I was deprived of my best provision,

فأَعْظَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهَا أَجْرِي

فأَعْظَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهَا أَجْرِي

so may God magnify my reward for its loss.

So may Allah increase your reward over me.