حبّذا الزائر في وقتِ السِّحَرِ

أسْفَرَ الصبحُ بِهِ حِينَ سَفَرْ

The morning dawned with the visitor at dawn

When he traveled, intoxication led him to his loved ones

قاده السُّكْرُ إلى أحبابِهِ

فَشَكَرْنا ذاك من فِعْلِ السُّكُرْ

We thanked that which intoxication did

And we embraced from him a soft branch

واعتنقنا منه غُصْناً ناعِماً

يتثَنّى بين دِعْصٍ وَقَمَرْ

That bends between chubbiness and a moon

And sings me a melodious voice

وتَغَنّي لي صوتاً مطرباً

لو تغناه لِمَيْتٍ لنُشِرْ

If it were to sing to a dead man, he would be brought back to life

The orange trees were watered by the rain

شَجَرُ الأُتُرجِ سُقِيَتْ المَطَرْ

كَمْ لنا عندك من يومٍ أَغَرْ

How many splendid days we have with you

And he sang when bidding me farewell

وتغنّى عند تَوْدِيْعي له

ودُمُوعُ العينِ منّي تنحدِرْ

While tears from my eyes flow down

The day I saw a raven fallen

يومَ أبْصَرَتْ غُراباً واقعاً

شرَّ ما طار على شرِّ الشَّجَرْ

The worst that flew on the worst of trees

And it clung to my surplus clothes

وتعلّقَتْ بِفَضْلي بردِهِ

فَتَغَنّى لي وَقَدْ كانَ عَثَرْ

So it sang to me though it had stumbled

And if it stumbled in its pace

وإذا ما عَثَرَتْ في مِرْطِها

عَثَرَتْ باسْمي وقالَتْ يا عُمَرْ

It stumbled with my name and said “Omar”

I said, “Do not tell anyone my secret”

قلتُ لا تُخْبِرْ بِسِرّي أحداً

فتغَنّى لي وَهَلْ يَخْفَى القَمَرْ

So it sang to me, and can the moon be hidden?

I said, “Forget me when you leave me”

قلتُ تنساني إذا فارقْتَني

فَتَغَنّى بدَلالٍ وخَفَرْ

So it sang with coquetry and fluttered

I wish the one I love would see me staying up

ليْتَ من أهْوَى يَراني ساهراً

أنْضَحُ الأرضَ بمسفوحِ دُرَرْ

Spilling the ground with pouring pearls

That is a man I was exposed to

ذاك إنسانٌ تعرَّضْتُ له

لمعاناةِ هُمُومٍ وفِكَرْ

The suffering of worries and thoughts

I do not know, whenever I discern what

لستُ أدري كلّما ميّزْتُ ما

لي فيه مِنْ سَمَاعٍ ونَظَرْ

I have of hearing and seeing him

Which is more fortunate for me

أيُّمَا أوْفَرُ حظّي به

حظُّ سَمْعي مِنْهُ أو حظُّ البَصَرْ

The fortune of my hearing him or the fortune of sight?

Except that I lose life when

غيرَ أنّي أفقِدُ العيشَ إذّا

غاب عن عيْني وأحيَا إنْ حَضَرْ

He is absent from my eyes and I live when he is present