بدالي الحبيب ولاح القمر

بدالي الحبيب ولاح القمر

فجئ يا سمير وهئ يا سمر

فجئ يا سمير وهئ يا سمر

The beloved appeared to me, and the moon shone.

My heart's beloved, the moon shone bright,

So come, O night-companion, and get ready, O night-time talk.

Come O Samir, come O dark beauty.

وخلف السياج الزهى احتفى

وخلف السياج الزهى احتفى

بنا الروض لما ازدهى وازدهر

بنا الروض لما ازدهى وازدهر

And behind the splendid fence, we were welcomed

Behind the fence, delight did reign,

By the garden, as it grew splendid and blossomed.

As the garden, lit up, became yet more bright.

عفا الزهر عنا بأنظاره

عفا الزهر عنا بأنظاره

لننعم من بعضنا بالنظر

لننعم من بعضنا بالنظر

The flowers pardoned us with their glances,

The flowers forgave us with their gaze,

So we might delight in looking at one another.

So we could feast our eyes upon each other.

فكان الحبيب نصيب العيون

فكان الحبيب نصيب العيون

وكان المحب حديد البصر

وكان المحب حديد البصر

Thus the beloved was the eyes' portion,

My love became the apple of my eyes,

And the lover was keen of sight.

While I was captive to his vision.

نظرت الجمال على وجهه

نظرت الجمال على وجهه

فطالعت أجمل خلق الصور

فطالعت أجمل خلق الصور

I gazed at the beauty upon his face,

I looked upon his face and saw,

And beheld the loveliest of fashioned forms.

The most beautiful of all creation.

وطالع مني الأليف الحنيف الذي

وطالع مني الأليف الحنيف الذي

ما عصى إلفه ما أمر

ما عصى إلفه ما أمر

And in me he beheld the upright companion who

And from me emerged my gentle, loving friend,

Never disobeyed his beloved, whatever he commanded.

Who never disobeyed a command.

فما قال في مرة لفظةً

فما قال في مرة لفظةً

تجر العتاب وتقضى الحذر

تجر العتاب وتقضى الحذر

So he never once uttered a word

Never did he in anger utter,

That invited reproach and called for caution.

A phrase that would end our love or caution.

فطابت لنا جلسة في الهوى

فطابت لنا جلسة في الهوى

تحيط بنا مورقات الشجر

تحيط بنا مورقات الشجر

So sweet was our sitting in love,

So a meeting of love was bliss for us,

With leafy branches of trees surrounding us.

Under trees with shimmering leaves.

تعرض إحدى وريقاتها

تعرض إحدى وريقاتها

تنصف صورة وجه القمر

تنصف صورة وجه القمر

One of their little leaves came between,

A single leaf would part to reveal,

Halving the image of the moon's face.

The face of the moon in its contours.

فعاد هلالا وذاك العجيب أمن مد

فعاد هلالا وذاك العجيب أمن مد

حسن الحبيب انجزر

حسن الحبيب انجزر

So it became a crescent—how strange! Did the tide

It became a crescent, that wondrous thing,

Of the beloved's beauty make it ebb?

Dimmed by my love's splendor it seems.

ولسنا إلى الخمر في حاجةٍ

ولسنا إلى الخمر في حاجةٍ

وخمر الصبابة فينا اختمر

وخمر الصبابة فينا اختمر

And we have no need of wine,

No need for wine were we,

And the wine of longing has fermented within us.

Love itself made us drunk.

وأحلى من النوم فوق الحرير

وأحلى من النوم فوق الحرير

إذا طال رفق الحبيب السهر

إذا طال رفق الحبيب السهر

And sweeter than sleep upon silk,

Sweeter than slumber on silk was it,

When the beloved's tenderness lingered, was wakefulness.

When the beloved prolonged our waking.

وأعذب منه إذا رفني

وأعذب منه إذا رفني

فذقت الرضاب وكان الحذر

فذقت الرضاب وكان الحذر

And sweeter still was when he kissed me,

And more delicious when he chided me,

So I tasted his lips' nectar, while caution remained.

And I felt the rebuke but knew his care.

وأجمل من ذلكم كله

وأجمل من ذلكم كله

إذا لام ذوقي ثم اعتذر

إذا لام ذوقي ثم اعتذر

And lovelier than all of that

Lovelier than all this to me,

Was when he chided me for tasting, then apologized.

Was when he gently explained after reproach.

فعذر الحبيب كهجر الرقيب

فعذر الحبيب كهجر الرقيب

وظرف الزمان كلطف القدر

وظرف الزمان كلطف القدر

For the beloved's apology is like the watcher's departure,

For my love's excuse was like a watcher's absence,

And time's charm is like fate's kindness.

And time's caprice is fortune's whim.

وأمتع ما روح العاشقين امتثال

وأمتع ما روح العاشقين امتثال

الحياة لطبع البشر

الحياة لطبع البشر

And the sweetest solace for lovers is the yielding

Most pleasurable for lovers' souls is life,

Of life to human nature.

Yielding to human nature's disposition.

يحن إلى الروح من فيه روح من

يحن إلى الروح من فيه روح من

النوع والكون فيه العبر

النوع والكون فيه العبر

Toward the soul yearns whoever bears a soul of

One soul yearns for another soul,

The same kind; the universe holds lessons.

Creation bears witness to human bonds.

أليف يميل إلى إلفه

أليف يميل إلى إلفه

وأنثى يحن إليها الذكر

وأنثى يحن إليها الذكر

A companion is drawn to his companion,

A beloved leans toward his love,

And the male yearns toward a female.

As man desires woman.

لقد قارب الليل أن ينتهي

لقد قارب الليل أن ينتهي

ولم نرو غلتنا في السحر

ولم نرو غلتنا في السحر

The night had nearly reached its end,

The night now neared its end,

Yet we had not quenched our burning thirst before dawn.

But we saw no sign of dawn.

وخاف الحبيب الصباح الفصوح

وخاف الحبيب الصباح الفصوح

فقال النهار فقلت القمر

فقال النهار فقلت القمر

And the beloved feared the telltale morning,

My love feared the breaking day,

So he said, 'Daylight!' and I said, 'The moon!'

So I said "It's the moon," and he said, "It's the sun."

أغالط والفجر في خيطه ابيضاض

أغالط والفجر في خيطه ابيضاض

وما كان يخشى ظهر

وما كان يخشى ظهر

I dissembled, though dawn's thread was whitening,

I lied, as the dawn thread whitened,

And what he feared had appeared.

But nothing did he fear would part us.

فقال طغا الليل إذ غشنا

فقال طغا الليل إذ غشنا

فقلت انتصف ليلنا ما كفر

فقلت انتصف ليلنا ما كفر

So he said, 'The night transgressed when it deceived us.'

He said "The night has been long as we were veiled,"

I said, 'Our night took its due; it was not faithless.'

I said "Our night is but halfway done."

سلبنا من الدهر ليل الهوى

سلبنا من الدهر ليل الهوى

فكان السليب ونحن النور

فكان السليب ونحن النور

We stole from time a night of love,

We stole from fate a night of love,

So time was the plundered one, and we the Gypsies.

So our loot is the light in our hearts.