يا لَيلَةً نِلتُ فيها اللَهوَ وَالوَطَرا

يا لَيلَةً نِلتُ فيها اللَهوَ وَالوَطَرا

كُرّي عَلَينا وَإِلّا فَاِطرُدي الذِكَرا

كُرّي عَلَينا وَإِلّا فَاِطرُدي الذِكَرا

O night in which I gained revelry and fulfilled desire,

O night when I attained joy and delirium

return to us, or else banish remembrance.

Come back to us, else banish all memory

لَمّا اِلتَقَينا اِفتَرَعنا في تَعاتُبِنا

لَمّا اِلتَقَينا اِفتَرَعنا في تَعاتُبِنا

مِنَ الحَديثِ وَمِن لَذّاتِهِ العُذَرا

مِنَ الحَديثِ وَمِن لَذّاتِهِ العُذَرا

When we met, amid our mutual reproaches we deflowered

When we met, we quarreled while reproaching

the virgins of conversation and its delights.

With talk, and with the excuses of blame

إِذا اِستَتَرنا بِسِترِ اللَيلِ بادَرَنا

إِذا اِستَتَرنا بِسِترِ اللَيلِ بادَرَنا

كَيما يَرانا عَمودُ الصُبحِ فَاِنفَجَرا

كَيما يَرانا عَمودُ الصُبحِ فَاِنفَجَرا

Whenever we hid beneath night's veil, there hastened toward us

When we took cover under the veil of night

the shaft of dawn, to see us; then it burst forth.

Lest the pillar of dawn sees us burst open

قالَت أَأَقرَرتَ بِالإِجرامِ قُلتُ نَعَم

قالَت أَأَقرَرتَ بِالإِجرامِ قُلتُ نَعَم

لَو كانَ جُرمي عَلى الإِقرارِ مُغتَفَرا

لَو كانَ جُرمي عَلى الإِقرارِ مُغتَفَرا

She said, “Have you confessed to wrongdoing?” I said, “Yes—

She said, did you admit to the crime? I said yes

if my offense were to be forgiven upon confession.

If my crime with admission were forgivable

سَأَدَّعي ذَنبَ غَيري كَي يُصَدِّقَني

سَأَدَّعي ذَنبَ غَيري كَي يُصَدِّقَني

مَن لا أُرَجّي لَدَيهِ العَفوَ إِن قَدَرا

مَن لا أُرَجّي لَدَيهِ العَفوَ إِن قَدَرا

I will claim another's sin, so that I may be believed

I will claim the guilt of another so he believes me

by one from whom I have no hope of pardon, even if he can grant it.

One from whom I have no hope of pardon, if able

قَد أَولَعَتهُ بِطولِ الهَجرِ غِرَّتُهُ

قَد أَولَعَتهُ بِطولِ الهَجرِ غِرَّتُهُ

لَو كانَ يَعلَمُ طولَ الهَجرِ ما هَجَرا

لَو كانَ يَعلَمُ طولَ الهَجرِ ما هَجَرا

His naïveté has made him fond of prolonged estrangement;

His pride made him shun me for so long

had he known how long estrangement lasts, he would not have stayed away.

Had he known the pain of estrangement, he'd not have shunned

ما تُغمِضُ العَينُ مُذ غُلِّقتُ حُبَّكُمُ

ما تُغمِضُ العَينُ مُذ غُلِّقتُ حُبَّكُمُ

إِلّا إِذا خالَسَها عَينُكَ النَظَرا

إِلّا إِذا خالَسَها عَينُكَ النَظَرا

My eye has not closed since I was held captive by love for you,

My eye hasn't closed since I fell for you

except when your eye steals a glance at it.

Except when your eye secretly peeks

أَسهَرتُموني أَنامَ اللَهُ أَعيُنَكُم

أَسهَرتُموني أَنامَ اللَهُ أَعيُنَكُم

لَسنا نُبالي إِذا ما نِمتِ مَن سَهِرا

لَسنا نُبالي إِذا ما نِمتِ مَن سَهِرا

You have kept me awake; may God put your eyes to sleep!

You kept me up, may God grant your eyes sleep

We care not who stays awake, so long as you sleep.”

We care not who slumbers if one stays awake

فَاِستَضحَكَت ثُمَّ قالَت لا تَكُن نَزِقاً

فَاِستَضحَكَت ثُمَّ قالَت لا تَكُن نَزِقاً

وَاِكتُم حَديثِكَ لا تُعلِم بِهِ بَشَرا

وَاِكتُم حَديثِكَ لا تُعلِم بِهِ بَشَرا

So she burst out laughing, then said, “Do not be reckless,

She laughed then said "Don't be so timid

and keep your story secret; tell no one of it.

And hide your words, let no man know of them

فَقَد غَفَرتُ لَكَ الذَنبَ الَّذي زَعَموا

فَقَد غَفَرتُ لَكَ الذَنبَ الَّذي زَعَموا

لا بارَكَ اللَهُ فيمَن بَعدَ ذا غَدَرا

لا بارَكَ اللَهُ فيمَن بَعدَ ذا غَدَرا

For I have forgiven you the sin they alleged;

For I've forgiven you the sin they claimed

may God not bless anyone who proves faithless after this.”

God damn whoever after this betrays"

وَقَصَّرَ اللَيلُ عَن حاجاتِ أَنفُسِنا

وَقَصَّرَ اللَيلُ عَن حاجاتِ أَنفُسِنا

كَذاكَ لَيلُ التَلاقي رُبَّما قَصُرا

كَذاكَ لَيلُ التَلاقي رُبَّما قَصُرا

And the night fell short of our souls' desires;

The night was too short for our souls' needs

such is the night of reunion: sometimes it falls short.

Just as the night of union may be brief

قامَت تَمَشّى الهُوَينا نَحوَ قُبَّتِها

قامَت تَمَشّى الهُوَينا نَحوَ قُبَّتِها

وَقُمتُ أَمشي خَفِيَّ الشَخصِ مُستَتِرا

وَقُمتُ أَمشي خَفِيَّ الشَخصِ مُستَتِرا

She rose and walked gently toward her pavilion,

She got up, walking bashfully towards her dome

and I rose and walked, my figure obscured, keeping hidden.

And I got up walking stealthily, hidden

لَمّا بَدا القَمَرُ اِستَحيَت فَقُلتُ لَها

لَمّا بَدا القَمَرُ اِستَحيَت فَقُلتُ لَها

بَعضَ الحَياءِ فَإِنَّ الحُبَّ قَد ظَهَرا

بَعضَ الحَياءِ فَإِنَّ الحُبَّ قَد ظَهَرا

When the moon appeared, she grew shy, and I said to her,

When the moon rose she shied, so I said to her

“A little less shyness, for love has already come to light.”

"Be somewhat shy, for love has appeared"

أَلقَت عَلى وَجهِها هُدّابَ خامَتِها

أَلقَت عَلى وَجهِها هُدّابَ خامَتِها

وَنازَعَتني بِكَأسِ الوَحشَةِ الخَفَرا

وَنازَعَتني بِكَأسِ الوَحشَةِ الخَفَرا

She cast the fringe of her cloth over her face,

She dropped her veil over her face

and with a cup of unease she shared bashfulness with me.

And contested me with a cup of separation

تُكاتِمُ القَمَرَ الوَجهَ الَّذي ضَمِنَت

تُكاتِمُ القَمَرَ الوَجهَ الَّذي ضَمِنَت

وَالوَجهُ مِنّها تَرى في مائِهِ القَمَرا

وَالوَجهُ مِنّها تَرى في مائِهِ القَمَرا

She conceals from the moon the face she bears,

She hides her face from the moon though she swore

and her face—in its liquid radiance you see the moon.

Her face in its water sees the moon

ثُمَّ اِفتَرَقنا فَضَمَّنّا سَرائِرَنا

ثُمَّ اِفتَرَقنا فَضَمَّنّا سَرائِرَنا

دونَ القُلوبِ وَفاءَ العَهدِ وَالخَطَرا

دونَ القُلوبِ وَفاءَ العَهدِ وَالخَطَرا

Then we parted, entrusting our innermost selves,

Then we parted, secreting in our hearts

rather than our hearts, with fidelity to the pledge and its peril.

Trust, fidelity, peril beyond souls

لَم نَأمَن اللَيلَ حَتّى حينَ فُرقَتِنا

لَم نَأمَن اللَيلَ حَتّى حينَ فُرقَتِنا

كَأَنَّما اللَيلُ يَقفو خَلفَنا الأَثَرا

كَأَنَّما اللَيلُ يَقفو خَلفَنا الأَثَرا

We did not trust the night, even at our parting,

We didn't feel safe from night till our parting

as though the night were following our tracks behind us.

As though night trails us, tracking our steps

قالوا اِشتَهَرتَ فَقُلتُ الحُبُّ صاحِبُهُ

قالوا اِشتَهَرتَ فَقُلتُ الحُبُّ صاحِبُهُ

مَن لا يَزالُ بِهِ في الناسِ مُشتَهِرا

مَن لا يَزالُ بِهِ في الناسِ مُشتَهِرا

They said, “You have become well-known.” I said, “Love's companion

They said "you're notorious," I said "love's companion

is one forever known for it among the people.”

Is one who remains notorious amongst people"

وَرُبَّ يَومٍ بِيَومِ اللَهوِ مُتَعَجِرٍ

وَرُبَّ يَومٍ بِيَومِ اللَهوِ مُتَعَجِرٍ

خَلَعتُ فيهِ إِلى لَذّاتِهِ العُذُرا

خَلَعتُ فيهِ إِلى لَذّاتِهِ العُذُرا

And many a day, swathed in a day of revelry,

And many a day of delirium, rough and disorderly

I cast off the reins that day to pursue its pleasures.

I've stripped for its pleasures all excuse

وَكَأسِ راحٍ يُميتُ الهَمَّ شارِبُها

وَكَأسِ راحٍ يُميتُ الهَمَّ شارِبُها

باكَرتُها وَرِداءُ اللَيلِ قَد حَسَرا

باكَرتُها وَرِداءُ اللَيلِ قَد حَسَرا

And many a cup of wine, whose drinker slays sorrow,

And a cup of respite that kills care for its drinker

I sought at dawn, when the cloak of night had drawn back.

I tasted it, as night's cloak unfurled

صَبَّ المِزاجُ عَلَيها الحَلى فَاِضطَرَبَت

صَبَّ المِزاجُ عَلَيها الحَلى فَاِضطَرَبَت

كَأَنَّ في حافَتَيها الدُرَّ وَالشِذَرا

كَأَنَّ في حافَتَيها الدُرَّ وَالشِذَرا

The mixing-water poured ornaments over it, and it quivered,

The wine poured pearls and seeds into it, so it shook

as though pearls and gold beads lay along its two edges.

As if its rim held pearls and beads