قَلبٌ يَذوبُ وَمَدمَعٌ يَجري
يا لَيلُ هَل خَبَرٌ عَنِ الفَجرِ
A melting heart and a flowing tear
O night, is there any news of the dawn?
حالَت نُجومُكَ دونَ مَطلَعِهِ
لا تَبتَغي حِوَلاً وَلا يَسري
Your stars blocked its horizon
Seek no joy nor ease
وَتَطاوَلَت جُنحاً فَخُيِّلَ لي
أَنَّ الصَباحَ رَهينَةُ الحَشرِ
And spread their wings so I imagined
The morning was hostage to the end of times
أَرسَيتَها وَمَلَكتَ مَذهَبَها
بِدُجُنَّةٍ كَسَريرَةِ الدَهرِ
You made them settle and controlled their course
With an everlasting darkness like the coffin of life
ظُلُمٌ تَجيءُ بِها وَتُرجِعُها
وَالمَوجُ مُنقَلِبٌ إِلى البَحرِ
A darkness that brings them and takes them back
While the waves return to the sea
لَيتَ الكَرى موسى فَيورِدَها
فِرعَونُ هَذا السُهدِ وَالفِكرِ
If only fate, Moses could bring it
From this Pharaoh of thinking and contemplation
وَلَقَد أَقولُ لِهاتِفٍ سحراً
يَبكي لِغَيرِ نَوىً وَلا أَسرِ
And I would surely say to a charming spell
That makes one cry for no purpose or secret
وَالرَوضُ أَخرَسُ غَيرَ وَسوَسَةٍ
خَفَقَ الغُصونِ وَجِريَةِ الغَدرِ
While the garden is silent except for the rustling
Of the branches and the clamor of betrayal
وَالطَيرُ مِلءُ الأَيكِ أَرؤُسُها
مِثلُ الثِمارِ بَدَت مِنَ السِدرِ
The birds filled the nests, their heads
Like fruits appeared from the jujube tree
أَلقى الجَناحَ وَناءَ بِالصَدرِ
وَرَنا بِصَفراوَينِ كَالتِبرِ
It lowered its wing and cooed with its chest
And sang with its two yellow colors like gold
كَلَمَ السُهادُ بُيوتَ هُدبِهِما
وَأَقامَ بَينَ رُسومِها الحُمرِ
It spoke to the nests of their shelters
And resided amongst their reddish forms
تَهدا جَوانِحُهُ فَتَحسَبُهُ
مِن صَنعَةِ الأَيدي أَوِ السِحرِ
Its wings calm so you'd think it
Was made by hands or sorcery
وَتَثورُ فَهوَ عَلى الغُصونِ يَدٌ
عَلِقَت أَنامِلُها مِنَ الجَمرِ
And it flutters so it's a hand on the branches
Its fingers clung from embers
يا طَيرُ بُثَّ أَخاكَ ما يَجري
إِنّا كِلانا مَوضِعُ السِرِّ
O bird, tell your brother what's happening
We both are places of secrets
بي مِثلُ ما بِكَ مِن جَوىً وَنَوىً
أَنا في الأَنامِ وَأَنتَ في القُمرِ
I have, like you, the same passion and purpose
I am among the people and you are on the moon
عَبَثَ الغَرامُ بِنا وَرَوَّعَنا
أَنا بِالمَلامِ وَأَنتَ بِالزَجرِ
Love has toyed with us and frightened us
I with blame and you with deterrence
يا طَيرُ لا تَجزَع لِحادِثَةٍ
كُلُّ النُفوسِ رَهائِنُ الضَرِّ
O bird, do not grieve for an incident
All souls are hostage to harm
فيما دَهاكَ لَوِ اِطَّلَعتَ رِضىً
شَرٌّ أَخَفُّ عَلَيكَ مِن شَرِّ
If you knew the good in what shocked you
It would be easier evil than evil
يا طَيرُ كَدرُ العَيشِ لَو تَدري
في صَفوِهِ وَالصَفوُ في الكَدرِ
O bird, life's bitterness, if only you know
In its purity and purity in bitterness
وَإِذا الأُمورُ اِستُصعِبَت صَعُبَت
وَيَهونُ ما هَوَّنتَ مِن أَمرِ
When matters become difficult, they become difficult
And what you belittled of the matter becomes easy
يا طَيرُ لَو لُذنا بِمُصطَبَرٍ
فَلَعَلَّ روحَ اللَهِ في الصَبرِ
O bird, if only we were patient
Perhaps God's spirit is in patience
وَعَسى الأَمانِيُّ العِذابُ لَنا
عَونٌ عَلى السُلوانِ وَالهَجرِ
And hopefully trials are a relief for us
Against indifference and abandonment
