كَيفَ عَيناك يا عُمَر

كَيفَ عَيناك يا عُمَر

أَنا أَدماهما السَهر

أَنا أَدماهما السَهر

How are your eyes, O Umar?

How are your eyes, O Umar?

I—sleeplessness has made mine bleed,

As for me, sleeplessness has made them both bleed.

وَعصيّ مِن الدُمو

وَعصيّ مِن الدُمو

ع طَغى الهَم فَاِنهَمَر

ع طَغى الهَم فَاِنهَمَر

and an essence pressed from tears.

And a stubborn tear—

Grief overflowed, and it streamed down.

grief surged, and it streamed down.

وَخَيالٌ أَلَمَّ بي

وَخَيالٌ أَلَمَّ بي

مِن حَبيب لَدى السحر

مِن حَبيب لَدى السحر

A vision visited me—

And a phantom visited me,

of a beloved—toward dawn.

of a beloved, just before dawn.

طافَ حيناً بِمضجَعي

طافَ حيناً بِمضجَعي

وَتَوارى عَن النَظَر

وَتَوارى عَن النَظَر

It hovered awhile about my bed,

It circled my bed awhile,

then vanished from sight.

and vanished from sight.

أَتبَعتُهُ جَوانِحي

أَتبَعتُهُ جَوانِحي

مُهجَتي عِندَما نَفَر

مُهجَتي عِندَما نَفَر

My innermost heart followed it—

I sent my ribs after it—

my soul—when it fled.

my lifeblood—when it fled.

أَينَ لَيلىعَلى شَوا

أَينَ لَيلىعَلى شَوا

طئ بيروت يا عُمر

طئ بيروت يا عُمر

Where is Layla, upon the shores

Where is Layla on the

of Beirut, O Umar?

shores of Beirut, O Umar?

كانَ مِن فرعها الظَلا

كانَ مِن فرعها الظَلا

م وَمِن وَجهِها القَمَر

م وَمِن وَجهِها القَمَر

From her tresses came the darkness;

Darkness came from her hair,

and from her face, the moon.

and from her face, the moon.

وَسَميري مقبّلٌ

وَسَميري مقبّلٌ

طَيّب اللثم والسمر

طَيّب اللثم والسمر

And my evening companion, my kisser,

And my nighttime companion was a mouth to kiss,

sweet in kisses and evening talk;

sweet in kisses and evening conversation.

وَمدامي وَقَد ظَفَر

وَمدامي وَقَد ظَفَر

ت بِها نَشوةُ الظَفر

ت بِها نَشوةُ الظَفر

and my wine, already claimed

And my wine, once I had won

by the rapture of triumph.

her, was the intoxication of triumph.

أَين لَهوي وَشَرَّتي

أَين لَهوي وَشَرَّتي

وَالزَمانُ الَّذي غَبر

وَالزَمانُ الَّذي غَبر

Where are my revelry and wild high spirits,

Where are my merriment and my exuberance,

and that bygone age,

and the time that has passed,

حينَ لَم أَفتَكر بِهَج

حينَ لَم أَفتَكر بِهَج

ر وَلا الهاجر اِفتَكر

ر وَلا الهاجر اِفتَكر

when I gave no thought to separation,

when I gave no thought to

nor did the beloved who left me think of it?

parting, nor did the one who forsook me?

أَينَ لا أَين وَالحَيا

أَينَ لا أَين وَالحَيا

ة هِيَ اللَمح بِالبَصَر

ة هِيَ اللَمح بِالبَصَر

Where? No—where? And life

Where? Nowhere—and life

is but a fleeting glance of the eye.

is the blink of an eye.

هَكَذا يَذهب السُرور

هَكَذا يَذهب السُرور

سَريعاً إِذا حَضَر

سَريعاً إِذا حَضَر

Thus joy slips away,

Thus joy departs,

swiftly, the instant it arrives.

swiftly, once it arrives.