أَلا فَضَلَت ذَيلَها لَيلَةٌ

تَجُرُّ الرَبابُ بِها هَيدَبا

Oh, a night has trailed its skirt,

while the dew is dragged by it sluggishly.

وَقَد بَرقَعَ الثَلجُ وَجهَ الثَرى

وَأَلحَفَ غُصنَ النَقا فَاِحتَبى

The frost has patched the face of the earth,

and the bough of growth has clung miserably.

فَشابَت وَراءَ قِناعِ الظَلامِ

نُواصي الغُصونِ وَهامُ الرُبى

So the tips of the branches behind the veil of darkness

and the wild animals’ beddings have turned gray.

فَمَهما تَيَمَّمتُ خَمّارَةً

رَكِبتُ إِلى أَشقَرٍ أَشهَبا

Thus, whenever I have wrapped a turban,

and ridden towards blondish-grayish Ashqar,

وَحَيَّيتُ جانِبَها طارِقاً

فَقالَت تُجيبُ أَلا مَرحَبا

and greeted its side in the dark,

it has responded saying: Welcome!

وَقامَت بِأَجيَدَ مِن كَأسِها

لِأَوقَصَ مِن دَنِّها أَحدَبا

And it has stood up with more generous wine,

to the one with a more bending-of-the-head from its closeness.

فَجاءَت بِحَمراءَ وَقّادَةٍ

تَلَهَّبُ في كاسِها كَوكَبا

So it has come with red overwhelmingly leading,

inflaming in its cup like a planet.

عَثَرتُ بِذَيلِ الدُجى دونَها

فَأَضحَكتُ ثَغراً لَها أَشنَبا

I have stumbled on the tail of darkness near it,

so I have smiled with a thick-lipped mouth.

وَقَد مَسَحَ الصُبحُ كُحلَ الظَلامِ

وَأَطلَعَ فَودُ الدُجى أَشيَبا

And the dawn has wiped the kohl of the darkness,

and the morning of darkness has risen white-haired.