أَلا يا حَمامَةُ لا صَوَّحَت

أَلا يا حَمامَةُ لا صَوَّحَت

غُصونُ أَراكَتِكِ النابِتَه

غُصونُ أَراكَتِكِ النابِتَه

Ah, O dove—may they never wither,

Ah, dove, may they never wither—

the flourishing branches of your arak tree.

the growing branches of your arak tree.

وَدِدتُّ بِأَنَّكِ لَمّا هَتَفتِ

وَدِدتُّ بِأَنَّكِ لَمّا هَتَفتِ

بِوَعدٍ وَلَم تُنجِزي ساكِتَه

بِوَعدٍ وَلَم تُنجِزي ساكِتَه

I wished that, when you proclaimed

I wished that, when you called out

the promise made to me yet failed to fulfill it, you had kept silent.

with a promise and failed to fulfill it, you had stayed silent.

وَكُنتِ قَطاةً عَلى ما عَهِدتُّ

وَكُنتِ قَطاةً عَلى ما عَهِدتُّ

فَصَيَّرَكِ الوَعدُ لي فَاختَه

فَصَيَّرَكِ الوَعدُ لي فَاختَه

And you were a sandgrouse, as I had always known you;

And you were a sandgrouse, as I had known you;

then your promise turned you, in my eyes, into a ring-dove.

so the promise made you a ringdove in my eyes.