الليلُ ومثلي يسهدُهُ

الليلُ ومثلي يسهدُهُ

والنجمُ ومثلي يرصُدُهُ

والنجمُ ومثلي يرصُدُهُ

The night—and one like me keeps it awake;

The night resembles me as it wakes in sorrow,

And the star—and one like me watches it.

And the star resembles me as it is watched.

تفنى الأيامُ ولي نَوحٌ

تفنى الأيامُ ولي نَوحٌ

ورقاءُ الدوحِِ تردّدُهُ

ورقاءُ الدوحِِ تردّدُهُ

The days pass away, and I have a lament;

The days pass away while I grieve,

The gray dove of the grove repeats it.

The palms of the valley echo it.

عَجَباً أشتاقُ إِلى رَشإ

عَجَباً أشتاقُ إِلى رَشإ

مرعَاهُ حَشايَ ومَورِدُهُ

مرعَاهُ حَشايَ ومَورِدُهُ

How strange! I long for a young gazelle,

Strangely, I yearn for the pasture,

Whose pasture and watering place are my heart.

Whose plants are rugged and whose watering place quenched my thirst.

وتَظَلّ النفسُ تحِنّ لَهُ

وتَظَلّ النفسُ تحِنّ لَهُ

وبظلّ فؤادي مَرقَدُهُ

وبظلّ فؤادي مَرقَدُهُ

And the soul keeps yearning for him,

And my soul continues longing for it,

And his resting place is in my heart's shade.

While my heart rests in its shade.

يا أهلَ العشق بربّكُمُ

يا أهلَ العشق بربّكُمُ

أسمعتُم ما أتَكَبّدُهُ

أسمعتُم ما أتَكَبّدُهُ

O lovers, by your Lord,

O people of passion, for your Lord's sake,

Have you heard what I endure?

Tell me what burdens me!

كاتمتُ الدمعَ هوًى فوشا

كاتمتُ الدمعَ هوًى فوشا

والدمع كذلك أعهدُهُ

والدمع كذلك أعهدُهُ

I hid a passion from my tears, but they betrayed it;

I suppressed my tears in passionate love,

And that is how I have always known tears.

And likewise taught my tears to restrain themselves.

وسقيتُ القلبَ حميّا الح

وسقيتُ القلبَ حميّا الح

هبِّ فخان القلبَ تجلّدُهُ

هبِّ فخان القلبَ تجلّدُهُ

And I gave the heart an intoxicating draught of [unclear word],

I quenched my heart with the wine of love,

Then the heart's fortitude betrayed it.

Alas! My heart was treacherous in concealing it.

حَتّامَ يواخي الستر فتىًُ

حَتّامَ يواخي الستر فتىًُ

لمسَ الأفلاكَ تنهدُهُ

لمسَ الأفلاكَ تنهدُهُ

How long shall a youth keep company with concealment,

Hatim cries out seeking refuge, a young man

Whose sigh has touched the celestial spheres?

Whose sorrows have reached the sky's vault.

يا مَن أوشكتُ أحجّ لهُ

يا مَن أوشكتُ أحجّ لهُ

وكرَبِّ الكعبَةِ أعبُدُهُ

وكرَبِّ الكعبَةِ أعبُدُهُ

O you to whom I am on the verge of making pilgrimage,

O you whom I will soon circle around in pilgrimage,

And whom I worship as I worship the Lord of the Kaaba,

And the Kaaba I will worship.

رفقاً بمعنّى هواك فقد

رفقاً بمعنّى هواك فقد

كادَ العوّاد تَعَدّدُهُ

كادَ العوّاد تَعَدّدُهُ

Be gentle with one tormented by love for you, for

Be gentle with the meaning of your love,

His sickbed visitors have almost begun to mourn him.

For it almost kills your lover.

واعطف مولايَ على دنِفٍ

واعطف مولايَ على دنِفٍ

فلعلَّ بعطفِك تُسعِدُهُ

فلعلَّ بعطفِك تُسعِدُهُ

And show compassion, my lord, to one wasted by sickness,

And have mercy, my Master, on an outcast in misery,

So perhaps, through your kindness, you will make him happy.

Perhaps with your kindness you may make him prosperous.

لم يُبق هواك به رمقاً

لم يُبق هواك به رمقاً

هيهات يُشاهِدُهُ غَدُهُ

هيهات يُشاهِدُهُ غَدُهُ

Love for you has left no breath of life in him;

Your love has left him no life,

No hope that his tomorrow will see him!

Alas! Tomorrow he will not see it.