يا لاحِ في سُمْرٍ كالسُّمْرِ

مهلا فإن صبري كالصَّبْرِ

O sailor in the night as dark as jet,

Be gentle, for my patience is patient yet.

لم تُغْمِض مذ جَفاني

أجفاني

You have not closed your eyelids, fraught with pain,

Since you made my eyelids ache in vain,

وصار دمعي شاني

في شاني

And my tears pour down like sudden rain,

In sudden rain.

والحب مذ بلاني

أبلاني

And love has brought me bane,

Brought me bane!

يا صاح كم أَسْرِي معْ أسرِي

اعذِرْ فوجه عُذْري معْ عذري

O friend, my secrets and my bond lie bare,

Excuse me, but my plea is my despair.

أود لك خفضا

لا خفضا

I wish you well,

Not ill.

ها قد رجعت أرضى

كي ترضى

See, I'm appeased and healed,

If you are healed.

ديني لعلّ يُقْضَى

أن يُقْضَى

My guilt perhaps will thus be stilled,

Be stilled.

هلا اغتنمت أجرى كم أجرِي

واعلم بأن هجري كالهجر

Why don't you seize your wage, so hard to gain?

And know my estrangement's like estrangement's pain.

يا ليت من بَراني

أَبْراني

Would he who brought me low

Uplift me now,

أوليت من عَداني

أعْداني

Or he who wrought me woe

Make peace! My wine is life itself to me.

من ريقه الجاني

للجاني

My lips are castle keeps that shelter me.

Look on my state defiled!

مخامر لخمري كالخمر

محصن بثغر كالثغر

My state!

I'm captive to your guile,

انظر لسوء حالي

يا حال

Your guile.

So hear my tale, beguiled

ملكتني بخالي

يا خال

And pale.

Now the poetry calls,

ها فاسمع مقالي

يا قال

It calls!

A poem decked in flowers like flowers bright,

قد دق عليك مالشَّعر

موشح بزهر كالزهر

Musk-scented, blooming in the blackest night.