وَرِداءِ لَيلٍ باتَ فيهِ مُعانِقي

طَيفٌ أَلَمَّ لِظَبيَةِ الوَعساءِ

A cloak of night embraced me

A ghost that caused sorrow to a doe-eyed gazelle

فَجَمَعتُ بَينَ رُضابِهِ وَشَرابِهِ

وَشَرِبتُ مِن ريقٍ وَمِن صَهباءِ

I brought together his pillow and his drink

And I drank from saliva and from a blonde

وَلَثَمتُ في ظَلماءِ لَيلَةِ وَفرَةٍ

شَفَقاً هُناكَ لِوَجنَةٍ حَمراءِ

And I kissed in the darkness of a moonlit night

A cheek there, red for a brunette

وَاللَيلُ مُشمَطُّ الذَوائِبِ كَبرَةً

خَرِفٌ يَدُبُّ عَلى عَصا الجَوزاءِ

The night combs its flowing hair

An old man creeping on the staff of withered wood

ثُمَّ انثَنى وَالسُكرُ يَسحَبُ فَرعَهُ

وَيَجُرُّ مِن طَرَبٍ فُضولَ رِداءِ

Then he bent as drunkenness pulled its branch

And the excess of the cloak flowed from joy

تَندى بِفيهِ أُقحُوانَةُ أَجرَعٍ

قَد غازَلَتها الشَمسُ غِبَّ سَماءِ

The lips of a passionate one glistened

As the setting sun had flirted with the horizon

وَتَميسُ في أَثوابِهِ رَيحانَةٌ

كَرَعَت عَلى ظَمَإٍ بِجَدوَلِ ماءِ

And a sweet-basil breathed in his clothes

Having drunk from a river for its thirst

نَفّاحَةُ الأَنفاسِ إِلّا أَنَّها

حَذَرَ النَوى خَفّاقَةُ الأَفياءِ

Breathing heavily except she

Was wary of the meadows, fluttering

فَلَوَيتُ مَعطِفَها اِعتِناقاً حَسبُها

فيهِ بِقَطرِ الدَمعِ مِن أَنواءِ

If only I could embrace her cloak, it would suffice me

In it from the tears of sorrows

وَالفَجرُ يَنظُرُ مِن وَراءِ غَمامَةٍ

عَن مُقلَةٍ كُحِلَت بِها زَرقاءِ

And dawn looks from behind a cloud

At an eyelid lined with kohl

فَرَغِبتُ عَن نورِ الصَباحِ لِنَورَةٍ

أُغرى لَها بِبَنفسَجِ الظَلماءِ

I was more inclined to the light of the night for a radiance

Than the light of dawn, for the violet of darkness