خادَعْتَنِي بزيارةِ الحُلُمِ

خادَعْتَنِي بزيارةِ الحُلُمِ

وظلمتَ لمّا جئتَ في الظُّلَمِ

وظلمتَ لمّا جئتَ في الظُّلَمِ

You deceived me with a visit in a dream.

You deceived me with the visit of a dream

And you wronged me when you came in the darkness.

And did wrong when you came in the darkness

وعددتها جهلاً بموقعها

وعددتها جهلاً بموقعها

من جملةِ الإحسانِ والنِّعمِ

من جملةِ الإحسانِ والنِّعمِ

And I counted it, ignorant of its significance,

And you counted it ignorantly among

Among acts of kindness and blessings.

The totality of favors and blessings

وظننتُ أنّك طاردٌ سَقَماً

وظننتُ أنّك طاردٌ سَقَماً

فجلبتَ لي سُقماً على سَقَمِي

فجلبتَ لي سُقماً على سَقَمِي

And I thought you would banish sickness,

And I thought you were chasing away disease

Yet you brought me sickness upon my sickness.

But you brought me disease upon my disease

وَصْلٌ بغير رِضىً ولا لِهوىً

وَصْلٌ بغير رِضىً ولا لِهوىً

وعطيّةٌ ليستْ من الكَرَمِ

وعطيّةٌ ليستْ من الكَرَمِ

A union without consent, and not for love,

A connection without consent or passion

And a gift that does not spring from generosity.

And a gift that is not from generosity

كذِبٌ وما شكرٌ على كَذِبِ

كذِبٌ وما شكرٌ على كَذِبِ

ما صحّ في فكرٍ ولا كَلِمِ

ما صحّ في فكرٍ ولا كَلِمِ

A lie—and no thanks are due for a lie

A lie without thanks for the lie

That never proved true in thought or word.

That did not prove right in any thought or saying

ووددتُ من مَقْتي مخادعتي

ووددتُ من مَقْتي مخادعتي

أنّ الرُّقادَ جفا فلم أنَمِ

أنّ الرُّقادَ جفا فلم أنَمِ

And in my loathing of being deceived, I wished

And I wished from my hatred and my deception

That sleep had shunned me, so I had not slept.

That sleep would abandon me and I would not sleep

قالوا أمَا اِستمتعتَ قلتُ لهمْ

قالوا أمَا اِستمتعتَ قلتُ لهمْ

هل متعةٌ لفتىً من العَدَمِ

هل متعةٌ لفتىً من العَدَمِ

They said, "Did you not enjoy it?" I said to them:

They said: Did you not enjoy yourself? I said to them:

Is there pleasure for a young man in nothingness?

Is there enjoyment for a youth from nothingness?

ما الطّيفُ إلّا كالسّراب ولا

ما الطّيفُ إلّا كالسّراب ولا

رِىٌّ بغير البارِدِ الشَّبمِ

رِىٌّ بغير البارِدِ الشَّبمِ

The dream-phantom is only like a mirage, and there is no

An apparition is but a mirage, and there is no

Quenching of thirst without cold, chill water.

Quenching except with the cool night rain