يا وردتي أين الشذى و النّدى

يا كبدي أين الهوى و الحنين

O my rose, where is the fragrance and the dew?

O my rose, where are the fragrance and the dew?

O my heart, where is the passion and the yearning?

O my deepest heart, where are the passion and the longing?

يا روحي الثكلى ألم تأخذي

عن ربّة الألحان أين الأنين

O my grieving soul, have you not taken

O my bereaved soul, have you not learned

From the mistress of melodies, where is the wailing?

from the goddess of melodies where the lamentation lies?

يا أمّ أحلامي و أمّ المنى

في فجرها أين قبرت البنين

O mother of my dreams and mother of my wishes

O mother of my dreams and mother of my hopes,

In their dawn, where did you bury the sons?

in its dawn, where did you bury the sons?

لمحت في كأسي و قد شعشعت

طيف الأماني و الهوى و السنين

I glimpsed in my cup when it shone

I glimpsed in my cup, as it sparkled,

The specter of hopes, passion and years

the specter of wishes, of passion, and of the years,

و ذكرياتي و هي عريانة

تبدو و تخفى بين حين و حين

And my memories, bare

and my memories, laid bare and naked,

Appear and disappear between a while and a while

appearing and vanishing from time to time,

و تلك الحسناء بلون الضحى

و تلك شوهاء بلون الدّجون

That beautiful one in the color of dawn

and that beautiful one, the color of the morning sun,

And that ugly one in the color of darkness

and that disfigured one, the color of the gathering gloom.

يقفزن في كأسي فلا أنثني

عن خمرة الكأس و لا ينثنين

Jump in my cup, so I do not refrain

They leap into my cup, yet I do not turn away

From the wine of the cup, nor do they refrain

from the cup's wine, nor do they turn away.

هذا جنون النفس في سكرها

و العقل من خدّام هذا الجنون

This is the madness of the soul in its drunkenness

This is the madness of the soul in its drunkenness,

And the mind is among the servants of this madness

and reason is but a servant to this madness.

جارتي الحسناء ثرثارة

سكرى الهوى نشوى الصبى و الفتون

My beautiful neighbor, talkative

My beautiful neighbor is full of chatter,

Drunk with passion, tender with youth and infatuation

drunk on love, intoxicated by youth and captivation.

رأيت من أحزانها ما اختفى

و دقّ حتّى ما تراه الظنون

I saw from her sorrows what was hidden

I saw of her sorrows what was hidden,

And knocked until what suspicions do not see

so delicate that even conjectures could not perceive it.

كلّ الأسى الصاخب يا جارتي

فداء حزن صامت في العيون

All the noisy anguish, O my neighbor

All clamorous sorrow, O my neighbor,

Is ransom for a silent sorrow in the eyes

is a ransom for the silent sorrow in the eyes.

هاتي من الأحزان ما شئته

لا يفهم الأحزان غير الحزين

Bring me from the sorrows what you wish

Bring forth from sorrows whatever you will,

No one understands sorrows but the sorrowful

for none understands sorrows but the sorrowful.

يا جارتي الحسناء هل تعلمين

يا جارتي ليتك لا تعلمين

O my beautiful neighbor, do you know

O my beautiful neighbor, do you know?

O my neighbor, if only you did not know

O my neighbor, if only you did not know.