هُبّا قَلِيلاً أيّهَا النَّئِمَان

وَأسعِدَا إن كُنتُما تُسعِدَان

Awaken a little, O ye two sleepers,

And make happy if ye make happy.

أَمُنفِدَي لَيلِى كَرىً أنتُمَا

أم أنتُمَا مِن سَقَمٍ عَائِدَان

Are ye ransom for my night, O ye two,

Or are ye of some malady returning?

لا تَبكِيَانِي مَيّتاً وابكِيَا

عَلَيّ حَيّاً بالدُّمُوعِ الهِتَان

Weep not for me when dead, but weep

For me alive with tears unrestrained,

ولا تَكُونَا مِثلَ مَا قِيلَ فِي

تَتبُّعِ الآثَارِ بَعدَ العِيَان

And be not as 'twas said of the trace

Of trackers after once the tracks were plain.

تَطاوَلَ اللَّيلُ عَلَى مُقلتِي

كأنَّما لَيلُهَا لَيلَتان

Long hath the night drawn out on my sorrow

As though its night were two nights joined in one.

مَا لِنُجُومِ اللَّيلِ مَعقولَةً

مَأ زَالَ مِنهَا وَاحِدٌ مِن مَكَان

Why are the stars of night intelligent,

When one therefrom hath not kept fixed in place?

كَأنّما النَّسرُ هِيضَ إِذا

رَامَ نُهوضاً خَانَهُ الأبهَرَان

As though the eagle when he tried to rise

And soar were crippled by his pinions twain.

وَالبَدرُ قَد أَنحَلَهُ مَحقُهُ

فَلَم يَكَد مِن ضَعفِهِ يُستَبان

And the full moon - his very light betrayed him

Till scarce made out from feebleness his wane,

كَأَنَّما عَبّ الدُّجَى عَبّة

في قَعبِهِ فَانثَلَمَ الجانِبان

As though the night a tent of hair had pitched

And split its sides where the ropes strove amain.

وَشَابَ جُنحُ اللَّيلِ مِن مُكثِهِ

ينتظرُ الصُّبحَ مَروعَ الجَنان

And the night's wings from long sojourn were grey

That erst the dawn awaited, wild with fear.

حَتَّى إِذا ورّسَ أثوابَه

وَعمَّمَ الآفاق بالزعفران

Till when he donned his raiment wrought of saffron,

And over the horizons broadcast it in air,

قَلَّصَ ذَيلَهُ وَحَثّ الخُطَى

رُعباً وفَود رأسه الشهبان

He shortened his train in fear and hurried his step

As the shooting stars reddened his front in fear,

وَكَفُّهُ تُمسِكُ مِن بَدرِهِ

مَعجِسَ قَوسٍ أو عَصَا صَولَجان

And in his clutch he held from out his fulness

A rainbow or a cane with reddened grain.

قَضَيتُهُ سُهداً وَعَينَايَ مِن

فَرط الأسَى عَينانِ نَضّاختان

I spent it wakeful, while my eyes

For overmuch of sorrow rained and rained.

عَدِمتُ هَذَا القَلبَ مِن صَاحِبٍ

هَل أنتُما لِي غَيرَهُ وَاجِدان

I lost this heart for want of friend -

Can ye two not another heart obtain?

واجتَنِيا مِن وَردَتَي خَدِّهِ

.....

And from his apple cheeks I crave

Some fragrance...

وَإنَّ أُنَاساً رَمَت حَظِّيكُما

.....

And indeed men shot my lot awry...

Make ye me then a parable in love...

فَصَيّراني مَثَلاً في الهَوَى

.....

I'm satisfied if but one glance I've had

For I am clad in sickness from its train.

حَسبِي كَفَتني نَظرَةٌ قَد

لَبِستُ مِن دائِها ما عَرَان

It left within my heart a coal that when

Dampened, flared up beyond two other coals.

أضرَمَت فِي القَلبِ جَمرَة إِذَا

خَبَت زيدَت فَوقَهَا جَمرَتَان

It cowers all night to love exactly as

It cowers to searing heat...

يَبِيتُ لِلحُبِّ مَرُوعاً كَمَا

يَبيتُ لِلحَرّ

And if I say "Dread not" and solace find

In patience, it says "Nay, I am base-born."

وَكُلّما قُلتُ لَه لا تُرَع

وَلذ بِصَبرٍ قَالَ إِنِّي جَبان

And this from me who looked not save one look -

How would I be if she vouchsafed me twain?

هَذَا وَلَم أُنظُر سوَى نَظرَةٍ

فَكَيفَ بِي لَو أنَّهَا نَظرَتان

A glance - naught but a pint to be drained off

And love - naught but a wallowing in shame.

مَا اللَّحظُ إلاّ مِقَةٌ كُلُّهُ

وَمَا الهَوَى إلا اجتلابُ الهَوَان

O branch festooned about which creepers twine,

O star the horizon with its fires adorn!

يَا غُصناً زينَ بِهِ عِيصُهُ

وكوكبا أطلعًهُ نَيِّران

After this bridling can one hope for union

And after estrangement can one stoop again?

هَل بَعدَ هَذَا الصِّدِّ مِن عَطفَةٍ

تُرجَى وَهَل بَعدَ النَّوَى مِن تَدَان

Where do our meetings tend, toward what goal

In the far end of union with a stroke of pact?

أينَ تَجارِينَا إلَى غَايَةٍ

فِي طَلَقِ الوَصلِ بِطَرفَي رِهَان

Where is our vying, safe from all reproof,

In the fair tilting yard of joy secure?

أينَ تَخَالِينَا بِلا كَاشِحٍ

فِي دَوحَةِ الأنسِ وَظِلِّ الأمَان

Now by God's Chosen One, if I should die

And he who prays my funeral pray began,

فَيَا سَمِي المُصطَفَى إِن أمُت

وَقَامَ يَنعَانِي لَك النَّاعِيان

Fear not thou the upbraiding of a fault-finder -

My blood thereby was spilled and left profane.

فلا تَخَف مِن ثائِرٍ فَدَمِي

حلّ وَبلّ لكَ يا مَن سَبان

I swear by Holy House and dangerous pledge

And what Mecca containeth, and al-Akhshabân too

أُقسِمُ بِالبَيتِ وَخَيفِ مِنّي

وَمَا حَوَت مَكّةُ وَالأخشبَان

You are in my heart though to estrange I'm chidden

Till those who chide me their revenge obtain.

لأنتَ فِي القلبِ وَإن سُؤتَنِي

بالهَجرِ حَتَّى انتَقَمَ الحَاسِدَان

I conjure you before God, return one glance -

Perchance He cures me of all ills but one...

نَاشَدتُكَ اللهَ أعِد نَظرةً

فَرُبّما أبرَأنِي مَا بَرَان