أَطالَ اللَيلُ أَم طالَ المَقامُ
أَمِ المَحزونُ شَمَرَهُ الهِيامُ
Has the night grown long, or has the sojourn dragged on,
Has the night grown long, or has the sojourn stretched on? Or has passion stirred the sorrowful one?
Or has the melancholic one counted it endless through his sorrow?
He spent the night heaving sighs of deep affection, and when he wailed, the doves joined his lament.
فَباتَ يُصَعِّدُ الزَفَراتِ وَجداً
وَإِمّا ناحَ أَسعَدَهُ الحِمامُ
So he spent the night sighing heavily in anguish,
His body grew so accustomed to sickness that he began to fear the sickness might depart.
While, on the other hand, the doves were delighted.
He enticed his eyelids with wakefulness, until he dreaded that slumber might visit them.
تَعَوَّدَ جِسمُهُ الأَسقامَ حَتّى
لَيَحذَرُ أَن يُزايِلَهُ السَقامُ
His body grew accustomed to illnesses until,
Cares gathered upon him in succession, just as grazing herds gather at the water.
He fears that well-being may leave him.
He lacked a helper to bear his affliction, and his night lacked the light of a full moon.
وَأَغرى جَفنَهُ بِالسُهدَ حَتّى
لِيُشفِقَ أَن يُطيفَ بِهِ المَنامُ
And he allured his eyelids with wakefulness until,
His heart grew too weary to bear the distress, and the darkness grew weary of his burden and of him.
He dreads that sleep may come to him.
It is as though the stars are the eyelids of one weeping, as though the night itself is a lovestruck admirer.
تَجَمَّعَتِ الهُمومُ عَلَيهِ تَترى
كَما اِجتَمَعَت عَلى الماءِ السُوامُ
Worries gathered upon him in succession,
The moons have refused rest just as I have; they are like me, attempting to sleep yet finding no slumber.
As the crows gather upon the water.
They insisted on silence while I spent the night complaining; yet how can concealment ever accompany deep passion?
وَأَعوَزَهُ عَلى البَلوى مُعينٌ
وَأَعوَزَ لَيلَهُ القَمَرُ التَمامُ
In his affliction, he lacked a helper,
Their silence is of no use to me, nor would speech be of any use to the shooting stars.
And his night lacked the full moon.
I am like a reader, and the night is a tome—one that has a beginning but no end.
فَضاقَ فُؤادُهُ بَِلهَمِّ ذَرعاً
وَضاقَ بِهَمِّهِ وَبِهِ الظَلامُ
So his heart was sorely troubled,
Such is sorrow: it appears most severe when the darkness falls silent and all people sleep.
And the darkness and his worries narrowed around him.
My soul yearns for the lands of the Levant; O regions of Sham, may the rain clouds greet you!
كَأَنَّ نُجومَهُ أَجفانُ باكٍ
كَأَنَّ اللَيلَ صَبٌّ مُستَهامُ
As if its stars were the eyelids of a weeping man,
We have no heart's desire other than the Levant and its people, even if the Levant is far away.
As if the night were a torrent rushing headlong.
Were my residence not in Egypt, then by your father's life, I would not have tarried so long.
أَبا الأَقمارِ ما بي فَهِيَ مِثلي
تُحاوِلُ أَن تَنامَ فَلا تَنامُ
O father of the full moons, none are like me,
A year has passed over me in the land of Egypt, another is here, and yet another will come.
Attempting to sleep but unable to sleep.
It is not the land of Egypt itself that has possessed my heart, but rather that its people are a noble folk.
أَبَت إِلّا السُكوتَ وَبِتُّ أَشكو
وَأَنّى يَصحَبُ الوَجدَ اِكتِتامُ
I insisted on silence and spent the night complaining,
Their affection endures throughout the days, and their neighbor is cherished, never suffering wrong.
But how can silence accompany fervent passion?
Among their virtues is a gentleness of spirit, smooth as wine when wine claims the attribute of softness.
وَلَيسَ بِنافِعي مِنها سُكوتٌ
وَلَيسَ بِنافِعِ الشُهبِ الكَلامُ
Neither its silence benefits me,
You perceive in their hearts a patient wisdom, even when reason is overwhelmed by dispute.
Nor does talking benefit the stars.
The nights sought only to oppose them, yet they did not despair at dawn, nor did they surrender to sleep.
كَأَنّي قارِئٌ وَاللَيلُ سِفرٌ
لَهُ بَدءٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُ خِتامُ
It is as if I were a reader and the night a book,
Those greedy for the land of Egypt wish that they could remain within it forever.
With a beginning but without an end.
It is no wonder if they betray a covenant; the tyrannical oppressor holds no pact sacred.
كَذكَ الهَمُّ أَعسَرُ ما تَراهُ
إِذا سَكَتَ الدُجى وَغَفى الأَنامُ
Thus is sorrow - the most difficult thing one faces
We are blamed for speaking out though we struck the truth, while they strayed from justice yet face no blame.
When the darkness falls quiet and people fall asleep.
Do they call their fetters a "law," when the muzzle has forced men into the silence of the veiled?
تَحُنُّ إِلى بِلادِ الشامِ نَفسي
أَقطُرَ الشامِ حَيّاكِ الغَمامُ
My soul yearns for the lands of Syria,
How long shall Egypt be denied a constitution, when even Siam has nearly achieved one?
May the clouds water you, O Syria!
O Sons of Egypt, have patience with these events, for clouds must gather before the sky clears.
وَما غَيرُ الشَآمِ وَساكِنيهِ
لَبانَتنا وَإِن بَعدَ الشَآمُ
And none but Syria and its inhabitants
Let no weariness overtake you, for I have seen that injustice does not endure forever.
Would console me, even if Syria were far.
For the night is always followed by the morning, and the final outcome of war is peace.
وَلَولا أَن في مِصرَ مُقامي
لَعَمرُ أَبيكَ ما طالَ المُقامُ
And were it not for my staying in Egypt,
By your father, my stay would not have dragged on!
مَضى عامٌ عَلَيَّ بِأَرضِ مِصرٍ
وَذا عامٌ وَسَوفَ يَجيءُ عامُ
A year has passed over me in the land of Egypt,
And another year is coming.
وَما مِصرُ الَّتي مَلَكَت فُؤادي
وَلَكِن أَهلُها قَومٌ كِرامُ
Yet it is not Egypt that has captured my heart,
But its people are generous folk.
وِدادُهُم عَلى الأَيّامِ باقٍ
وَجارُهُم عَزيزٌ لا يُضامُ
Their affection remains over the days,
And their neighbor is inviolable, unharmed.
وَمِن أَخلاقِهِم لينُ الحُمَيّا
إِذا اِنتَسَبَت إِلى اللينِ المُدامُ
Among their traits is the softness of dispositions
When they originate from an affection ever flowing.
وَتُبصِرُ في صُدورِهِم أَناةً
إِذا الأَحلامُ طاعَ بِها الخِصامُ
And you see in their breasts a patience
When dreams obey through it discordance.
أَبَت إِلّا عِنادُهُم اللَيالي
فَما يَإِسوا الغَداةَ وَلا اِستَناموا
Through their perseverance the nights insisted
Without ever despairing of tomorrow or sleeping.
يَوَدُّ الطامِعونَ بِأَرضِ مِصرٍ
لَو أَنَّهُم بِها أَبَداً أَقاموا
Those coveting the land of Egypt
Wish they in it forever resided.
فَلا عَجَبٌ إِذا خَفَروا ذِماماً
شَديدُ البَطشِ لَيسَ لَهُ ذَمامُ
No wonder, then, they bridled the reins
Of one severe in might, having no peer.
نُلامُ عَلى الكَلامِ وَقَد أَصَبنا
وَقَد ضَلّوا الصَوابَ فَلا يُلاموا
We blame speech, and yet have slipped,
And they strayed from right, but blameless they remain.
أَقانوناً قُيودُهُمُ تُسَمّى
إِذا قَد أَنَّثَ الرَجُلَ اللِثامُ
Their constitution they call laws
When the veil has feminized the man.
إِلى ما تُمنَعُ الدُستورَ مِصرٌ
وَقَد كادَت تَفوزُ بِهِ سِيامُ
To what prevents Egypt’s constitution,
The pens were about to win through.
بَني مِصرَ عَلى الأَحداثِ صَبراً
فَقَبلَ الصَحوِ يَجتَمِعُ الغَمامُ
O Egyptians, be patient with events,
For before daybreak the clouds will gather.
وَلا يَلحَقُ بِكُم ضَجَرٌ فَإِنّي
رَأَيتُ الظُلمَ لَهُ دَوامُ
And no frustration will befall you, for I
Saw injustice - it has always had a course.
فَإِنَّ اللَيلَ يَعقُبُهُ صَباحٌ
وَإِنَّ الحَربَ آخِرُها سَلامُ
For the night is followed by dawn,
And the end of war is peace.
