يا ليل طلت جناحا

يا ليل طلت جناحا

متى تريني الصباحا

متى تريني الصباحا

O night, your wing has stretched so long;

O Night, you have spread your wings long,

when will you show me the morning?

When will you reveal to me the morning?

أرى الكرى صد عنيي

أرى الكرى صد عنيي

بوجهه وأشاحا

بوجهه وأشاحا

I see slumber turn away from me,

I see that slumber has turned away from me,

averting its face and looking aside.

Averting its face and looking elsewhere.

أمسى علي حراما

أمسى علي حراما

ما كان منه مباحا

ما كان منه مباحا

Now forbidden to me is

It has become forbidden to me,

what it once freely allowed.

That which was once permissible.

قد ضمت بالهم ذرعا

قد ضمت بالهم ذرعا

وما وجدت انشراحا

وما وجدت انشراحا

Grief has exhausted my endurance,

My patience has grown weary from distress,

and I have found no relief.

And I have found no relief or solace.

ملت فراشي نفسي

ملت فراشي نفسي

واستوحشت منه ساحا

واستوحشت منه ساحا

My soul has wearied of my bed,

My soul has grown weary of my bed,

and finds its expanse forlorn.

And feels desolate within its bounds.

كأنني رهن سجن

كأنني رهن سجن

لم أرج منه سراحا

لم أرج منه سراحا

As though I were captive in a prison,

As though I am a hostage in a prison,

with no hope of release from it.

Expecting no release from it.

كأن تحتي شوكا

كأن تحتي شوكا

يشوكني أو رماحا

يشوكني أو رماحا

As though beneath me lay thorns

As if beneath me lies a bed of thorns,

that prick me, or spears.

Piercing me, or perhaps spear-points.

أبيت وسنان مضنى

أبيت وسنان مضنى

أرجو المنى أن تتاحا

أرجو المنى أن تتاحا

I spend the night drowsy, worn out,

I spend the night drowsy yet tormented,

hoping my wishes may be granted.

Hoping that my desires might be granted.

ظمآن أنشد ماء

ظمآن أنشد ماء

يشفي الغليل قراحا

يشفي الغليل قراحا

Thirsty, I seek water,

Thirsty, I seek out water,

pure, to slake my burning thirst.

Pure water to quench this burning thirst.

أجيل بالرأيى فكري

أجيل بالرأيى فكري

كمن يجيل القداحا

كمن يجيل القداحا

I turn my thoughts over in reflection,

I turn my thoughts over in my mind,

as one shakes the arrows for drawing lots.

Like one casting divining arrows.

وانظم الشعر وردا

وانظم الشعر وردا

ونرجسا وأقاحا

ونرجسا وأقاحا

And I fashion verse into roses,

And I arrange poetry like roses,

and narcissi and daisies.

Like narcissus and chamomile flowers.

تأبى البلابل إلا

تأبى البلابل إلا

ترنما وصداحا

ترنما وصداحا

The nightingales will have nothing but

The nightingales refuse to do anything,

warbling and ringing song.

But chant and sing aloud.

وقد أرى الجد أجدى

وقد أرى الجد أجدى

فأستحب الكفاحا

فأستحب الكفاحا

Sometimes I find earnest effort more fruitful,

At times I deem diligence to be more useful,

so I choose to struggle.

And so I favor the struggle.

وقد أرى الصبر أولى

وقد أرى الصبر أولى

فأطمئن ارتياحا

فأطمئن ارتياحا

Sometimes I deem patience more fitting,

At times I see patience as most fitting,

so I grow calm with relief.

So I settle down in comfort.

وقد يهم فؤادي

وقد يهم فؤادي

بأن يطير جماحا

بأن يطير جماحا

Sometimes my heart is about

And sometimes my heart yearns,

to fly off unbridled.

To take flight in wild defiance.

وقد أسر بكائي

وقد أسر بكائي

وقد أضج نواحا

وقد أضج نواحا

Sometimes I conceal my weeping,

Sometimes I conceal my weeping,

and sometimes I cry aloud in lament.

And sometimes I erupt in wailing.

ولا يقر قراري

ولا يقر قراري

إلا إذا الديك صاحا

إلا إذا الديك صاحا

And I find no rest

And I find no rest or settlement,

until the rooster crows.

Until the rooster crows.

أرى أخا الشعر يسعى

أرى أخا الشعر يسعى

ولا يصيب نجاحا

ولا يصيب نجاحا

I see poetry's brother striving,

I see the companion of poetry striving,

yet attaining no success,

Yet achieving no success.

موكلا بخيال

موكلا بخيال

في جوه الرحب ساحا

في جوه الرحب ساحا

given over to imagination,

Entrusted to imagination,

roaming its spacious sky.

Wandering through its vast atmosphere.

يخطو به خطوات

يخطو به خطوات

إلى الأمام فساحا

إلى الأمام فساحا

With it he takes steps,

Taking strides within it,

wide strides forward;

Wide strides toward the front.

لكنها خائبات

لكنها خائبات

نهاية وافتتاحا

نهاية وافتتاحا

but they are fruitless,

But they are futile steps,

in their ending and beginning.

In both their ending and beginning.

في قلبه نزوات

في قلبه نزوات

مثل الزناد انقداحا

مثل الزناد انقداحا

In his heart are impulses

In his heart are sudden impulses,

that spark like flints.

Like the sparking of a flint.

وفي حشاه سهام

وفي حشاه سهام

 قد أثخنته جراحا

قد أثخنته جراحا

And in his breast are arrows

And within his soul are arrows,

that have grievously wounded him.

That have riddled him with deep wounds.

أتى المسراب ليروى

أتى المسراب ليروى

يا ويحه واستماحا

يا ويحه واستماحا

He came to the mirage to drink his fill—

He approached the mirage to slake his thirst,

alas for him!—and begged for bounty.

Woe to him, as he begged for a drink.

فلم ير السؤل جدا

فلم ير السؤل جدا

حتى استحال مزاحا

حتى استحال مزاحا

He scarcely saw his wish taken seriously

He did not find his quest to be real,

before it turned into a jest.

Until it transformed into a mockery.

فلا جناح عليه

فلا جناح عليه

في يأسه لا جناحا

في يأسه لا جناحا

So there is no blame upon him

So let there be no blame upon him,

for his despair—no blame.

No blame at all in his despair.

أقبح بآمال نفسي

أقبح بآمال نفسي

وإن تبدت ملاحا

وإن تبدت ملاحا

How ugly are my soul's hopes,

How wretched are the hopes of my soul,

even if they appear fair!

Even if they appear beautiful to the eye.

قد أوثقتني كتافا

قد أوثقتني كتافا

فما استطعت براحا

فما استطعت براحا

They have bound me, arms behind my back,

They have bound me tight in shackles,

so I have been unable to stir.

So that I could not break away.

كتمتها منذ حين

كتمتها منذ حين

لكن بها الشعر باحا

لكن بها الشعر باحا

I kept them hidden for a time,

I concealed them for a long time,

but poetry has laid them bare.

But poetry has revealed them all.

إن الشعور لداء

إن الشعور لداء

أضر بي وأطاحا

أضر بي وأطاحا

Feeling is indeed a sickness

True feeling is indeed a disease,

that has harmed me and laid me low.

That has harmed me and cast me down.

من لا شعور بشيء

من لا شعور بشيء

له نجا واستراحا

له نجا واستراحا

Whoever has no feeling for anything

He who feels nothing at all,

has escaped and found rest.

Is the one who survives and finds rest.

يا ليل أسرفست بردا

يا ليل أسرفست بردا

وظلمة ورياحا

وظلمة ورياحا

O night, you have brought too much cold,

O Night, you have been excessive in your cold,

and darkness and winds.

In your darkness and your winds.

أطفئ حروبك عنا

أطفئ حروبك عنا

ولا تزدها لقاحا

ولا تزدها لقاحا

Quench your wars against us,

Extinguish your wars against us,

and do not stoke them further.

And do not stoke their fires further.

وقف لنعقد حلفا

وقف لنعقد حلفا

ما بيننا واصحطلاحا

ما بيننا واصحطلاحا

And stop, that we may forge an alliance

Halt, that we may form a truce,

between us, and an accord.

And a reconciliation between us.

إنا عليك اقترحنا

إنا عليك اقترحنا

فما أجبت اقتراحا

فما أجبت اقتراحا

We have indeed made proposals to you,

We have made a proposal to you,

yet you have answered no proposal.

Yet you answered no proposal.

ياليل ما فيك نجم

ياليل ما فيك نجم

جلا الدجى وأزاحا

جلا الدجى وأزاحا

O night, not a star in you

O Night, there is no star within you,

has dispelled the gloom and swept it away;

To clear the darkness and drive it away.

إلا كواكب حيرى

إلا كواكب حيرى

لم تتضح لي اتضاحا

لم تتضح لي اتضاحا

only bewildered stars,

Only confused, wandering stars,

which have never shown themselves clearly to me.

That do not appear clearly to my eyes.

بطيئة لست أدري

بطيئة لست أدري

بها ونى أم كساحا

بها ونى أم كساحا

Slow-moving—I cannot tell

Slow-moving—I do not know,

whether weariness or lameness ails them.

Do they suffer from fatigue or lameness?

تحكي أدلاء قومي

تحكي أدلاء قومي

مرضى تسوس صحاحا

مرضى تسوس صحاحا

They resemble my people's guides:

They resemble the guides of my people:

the sick governing the healthy.

The sick governing the healthy.