سُروا يَخبطونَ اللَيلَ وَاللَيلُ قَد سَجا

سُروا يَخبطونَ اللَيلَ وَاللَيلُ قَد سَجا

وَعَرفُ ظَلام الأُفقِ مِنهُ تَأَرّجا

وَعَرفُ ظَلام الأُفقِ مِنهُ تَأَرّجا

They traveled by night, groping through the darkness, while the night lay still,

They marched, beating the night, and the night had withdrawn,

and the fragrance of the horizon's darkness wafted from it,

And the darkness on the horizon knew a shimmering radiance from it,

إِلى أَن تَخَيّلنا النُجومَ الَّتي بَدَت

إِلى أَن تَخَيّلنا النُجومَ الَّتي بَدَت

بِهِ ياسَميناً وَالظَلامَ بَنَفسَجا

بِهِ ياسَميناً وَالظَلامَ بَنَفسَجا

until we imagined the stars that appeared

Until we imagined the stars that appeared

in it as jasmine, and the darkness as violets.

With it like jasmine, and the darkness like purple,

وَمِمّا شَجاني أَن تَأَلَّقَ بارِقٌ

وَمِمّا شَجاني أَن تَأَلَّقَ بارِقٌ

فَقُلتُ فُؤادي خافِقاً مُتَوَهّجا

فَقُلتُ فُؤادي خافِقاً مُتَوَهّجا

And among the things that stirred my sorrow was a gleaming flash of lightning;

And what pained me was that a flash flickered,

so I said, 'My heart, throbbing and ablaze!'

So I said, my heart fluttering and glowing,

وَشِيبَ بَياضُ القَطرِ مِنهُ بِحمرَةٍ

وَشِيبَ بَياضُ القَطرِ مِنهُ بِحمرَةٍ

فَأذكرني ثَغراً لِسَلمى مُفَلّجا

فَأذكرني ثَغراً لِسَلمى مُفَلّجا

And the whiteness of the rain was tinged with red from it,

And the whiteness of the rain was tinged with redness from it,

so it reminded me of Salma's mouth, with its spaced teeth.

Making me remember Salma's mouth split open,

أَمائِسَة الأَعطافِ مِن غَيرِ خَمرَةٍ

أَمائِسَة الأَعطافِ مِن غَيرِ خَمرَةٍ

بَأَسهُمِها تُصمي الكَميَّ المُدّججا

بَأَسهُمِها تُصمي الكَميَّ المُدّججا

O you whose flanks sway without wine,

The bending of the shoulders without wine

whose arrows strike dead the fully armored warrior,

With their glances that make the concealed quiver,

أَأَنتَ الَّتي صَيَّرتِ قَدَّكِ مائِساً

أَأَنتَ الَّتي صَيَّرتِ قَدَّكِ مائِساً

وَعِطفَكِ مَيّاداً وَرِدفَكِ رَجرَجا

وَعِطفَكِ مَيّاداً وَرِدفَكِ رَجرَجا

are you the one who made your figure sway,

Are you she who made your stature bending

and your flank undulate, and your buttocks quiver?

And your side swaying and your hips jiggling,

وَأَغضبَكِ التَشبيهُ بِالبَدرِ كامِلاً

وَأَغضبَكِ التَشبيهُ بِالبَدرِ كامِلاً

وَبالدَعصِ مَركوماً وَبِالظَبيِ أَدعَجا

وَبالدَعصِ مَركوماً وَبِالظَبيِ أَدعَجا

And were you angered by comparison to the moon at its fullest,

And you were angered by the likening to the full moon,

and to a heaped-up dune, and to a dark-eyed gazelle?

To the marked ostrich feather and the young mountain goat,

وَقَلبٍ شَجٍ صَيَّرتهِ كُرَةً وَقَد

وَقَلبٍ شَجٍ صَيَّرتهِ كُرَةً وَقَد

أَجَلتِ عَلَيهِ لامَ صُدغِكِ صَولَجا

أَجَلتِ عَلَيهِ لامَ صُدغِكِ صَولَجا

And many a grieving heart you turned into a ball, while

And a broken heart you made into a ball, and indeed

you swung your lām-shaped temple-lock over it as a polo mallet.

You dashed upon it the slap of your cheek, angry,

فَلا رَحَلَّت إِلّا بِقَلبي ظَعينَةٌ

فَلا رَحَلَّت إِلّا بِقَلبي ظَعينَةٌ

وَلا حَمَلَت إِلّا ضُلوعيَ هَودَجا

وَلا حَمَلَت إِلّا ضُلوعيَ هَودَجا

So no woman in a howdah departed without my heart,

So she carried off none but my restless heart,

and nothing but my ribs carried a howdah.

And bore nothing but my bones in turmoil.