حبّذا الزائر في وقتِ السِّحَرِ

حبّذا الزائر في وقتِ السِّحَرِ

أسْفَرَ الصبحُ بِهِ حِينَ سَفَرْ

أسْفَرَ الصبحُ بِهِ حِينَ سَفَرْ

How lovely the visitor at the hour before dawn!

The morning dawned with the visitor at dawn

Dawn grew radiant through him when he unveiled his face.

When he traveled, intoxication led him to his loved ones

قاده السُّكْرُ إلى أحبابِهِ

قاده السُّكْرُ إلى أحبابِهِ

فَشَكَرْنا ذاك من فِعْلِ السُّكُرْ

فَشَكَرْنا ذاك من فِعْلِ السُّكُرْ

Intoxication led him to his loved ones,

We thanked that which intoxication did

So we were grateful for that deed of drunkenness.

And we embraced from him a soft branch

واعتنقنا منه غُصْناً ناعِماً

واعتنقنا منه غُصْناً ناعِماً

يتثَنّى بين دِعْصٍ وَقَمَرْ

يتثَنّى بين دِعْصٍ وَقَمَرْ

And we embraced in him a tender bough,

That bends between chubbiness and a moon

Swaying between a sand dune and a moon.

And sings me a melodious voice

وتَغَنّي لي صوتاً مطرباً

وتَغَنّي لي صوتاً مطرباً

لو تغناه لِمَيْتٍ لنُشِرْ

لو تغناه لِمَيْتٍ لنُشِرْ

And he sang me an enchanting song—

If it were to sing to a dead man, he would be brought back to life

Had he sung it to a dead man, that man would have risen:

The orange trees were watered by the rain

شَجَرُ الأُتُرجِ سُقِيَتْ المَطَرْ

شَجَرُ الأُتُرجِ سُقِيَتْ المَطَرْ

كَمْ لنا عندك من يومٍ أَغَرْ

كَمْ لنا عندك من يومٍ أَغَرْ

"May the citron trees be watered with rain!

How many splendid days we have with you

How many a radiant day we have had beside you!"

And he sang when bidding me farewell

وتغنّى عند تَوْدِيْعي له

وتغنّى عند تَوْدِيْعي له

ودُمُوعُ العينِ منّي تنحدِرْ

ودُمُوعُ العينِ منّي تنحدِرْ

And he sang as I bade him farewell,

While tears from my eyes flow down

While tears streamed from my eyes:

The day I saw a raven fallen

يومَ أبْصَرَتْ غُراباً واقعاً

يومَ أبْصَرَتْ غُراباً واقعاً

شرَّ ما طار على شرِّ الشَّجَرْ

شرَّ ما طار على شرِّ الشَّجَرْ

"The day she saw a raven perched—

The worst that flew on the worst of trees

The worst that ever flew, upon the worst of trees."

And it clung to my surplus clothes

وتعلّقَتْ بِفَضْلي بردِهِ

وتعلّقَتْ بِفَضْلي بردِهِ

فَتَغَنّى لي وَقَدْ كانَ عَثَرْ

فَتَغَنّى لي وَقَدْ كانَ عَثَرْ

And she clung to the two ends of his cloak,

So it sang to me though it had stumbled

So he sang to me, having stumbled:

And if it stumbled in its pace

وإذا ما عَثَرَتْ في مِرْطِها

وإذا ما عَثَرَتْ في مِرْطِها

عَثَرَتْ باسْمي وقالَتْ يا عُمَرْ

عَثَرَتْ باسْمي وقالَتْ يا عُمَرْ

"And whenever she stumbles in her wrap,

It stumbled with my name and said “Omar”

She stumbles with my name on her lips and says, 'O Umar!'"

I said, “Do not tell anyone my secret”

قلتُ لا تُخْبِرْ بِسِرّي أحداً

قلتُ لا تُخْبِرْ بِسِرّي أحداً

فتغَنّى لي وَهَلْ يَخْفَى القَمَرْ

فتغَنّى لي وَهَلْ يَخْفَى القَمَرْ

I said, "Tell no one my secret."

So it sang to me, and can the moon be hidden?

So he sang to me, "And can the moon be hidden?"

I said, “Forget me when you leave me”

قلتُ تنساني إذا فارقْتَني

قلتُ تنساني إذا فارقْتَني

فَتَغَنّى بدَلالٍ وخَفَرْ

فَتَغَنّى بدَلالٍ وخَفَرْ

I said, "You will forget me when you leave me."

So it sang with coquetry and fluttered

So he sang with coy charm and bashfulness:

I wish the one I love would see me staying up

ليْتَ من أهْوَى يَراني ساهراً

ليْتَ من أهْوَى يَراني ساهراً

أنْضَحُ الأرضَ بمسفوحِ دُرَرْ

أنْضَحُ الأرضَ بمسفوحِ دُرَرْ

"If only the one I love could see me sleepless,

Spilling the ground with pouring pearls

Sprinkling the earth with outpoured pearls."

That is a man I was exposed to

ذاك إنسانٌ تعرَّضْتُ له

ذاك إنسانٌ تعرَّضْتُ له

لمعاناةِ هُمُومٍ وفِكَرْ

لمعاناةِ هُمُومٍ وفِكَرْ

That is someone for whose sake I have exposed myself

The suffering of worries and thoughts

To the torment of cares and brooding thoughts.

I do not know, whenever I discern what

لستُ أدري كلّما ميّزْتُ ما

لستُ أدري كلّما ميّزْتُ ما

لي فيه مِنْ سَمَاعٍ ونَظَرْ

لي فيه مِنْ سَمَاعٍ ونَظَرْ

I cannot tell, whenever I weigh what

I have of hearing and seeing him

I enjoy in him through hearing and sight,

Which is more fortunate for me

أيُّمَا أوْفَرُ حظّي به

أيُّمَا أوْفَرُ حظّي به

حظُّ سَمْعي مِنْهُ أو حظُّ البَصَرْ

حظُّ سَمْعي مِنْهُ أو حظُّ البَصَرْ

Which share in him is greater for me:

The fortune of my hearing him or the fortune of sight?

My hearing's share of him, or my sight's.

Except that I lose life when

غيرَ أنّي أفقِدُ العيشَ إذّا

غيرَ أنّي أفقِدُ العيشَ إذّا

غاب عن عيْني وأحيَا إنْ حَضَرْ

غاب عن عيْني وأحيَا إنْ حَضَرْ

Yet I lose my life whenever

He is absent from my eyes and I live when he is present

He leaves my sight, and I live when he is present.