يا رُبَّ ليل بتُّه ناعماً

يا رُبَّ ليل بتُّه ناعماً

بين رُبا المختار فالجِسْرِ

بين رُبا المختار فالجِسْرِ

Oh, many a night I spent at ease,

O Lord, make this night soft

between the hills of al-Mukhtar and al-Jisr,

Between the beloved's arms and embrace

أَخرج فيه لِصِباً من صِباً

أَخرج فيه لِصِباً من صِباً

وَأستحثّ الخمرَ بالخمرِ

وَأستحثّ الخمرَ بالخمرِ

passing in it from one youthful dalliance to another,

Bring out in it a gentle rain from rain

and spurring wine on with wine.

And hasten the wine with wine

وعذبة الألفاظ معشوقةٍ

وعذبة الألفاظ معشوقةٍ

ساحرِة الأَوتار والشِعْر

ساحرِة الأَوتار والشِعْر

And many a beloved, sweet of speech,

Melodious words, a beloved

enchanting with strings and verse,

Enchanting the strings and poetry

راجحة الأرداف مَمْكورةٍ

راجحة الأرداف مَمْكورةٍ

طَوْع الصِّبَا مرهَفة الخَصْر

طَوْع الصِّبَا مرهَفة الخَصْر

full-hipped, with rounded legs,

Swaying hips, supple

yielding to youthful passion, slender-waisted.

Pliant to youth, slender waist

كأنما البدرانِ في وجهها

كأنما البدرانِ في وجهها

فهْيَ سَماءُ الشّمسِ والبدرِ

فهْيَ سَماءُ الشّمسِ والبدرِ

As though two full moons were in her face,

As if two moons in her face

so she is the sky of the sun and the full moon.

She is the sky's sun and moon

فلم أَزْل أَشربُ من كفّها

فلم أَزْل أَشربُ من كفّها

وأَجْتَنِي الشّهَد من الثَّغْر

وأَجْتَنِي الشّهَد من الثَّغْر

And I never ceased drinking from her palm,

So I kept drinking from her palm

and gathering honey from her mouth,

And tasting the honey from her lips

حتى تضجّعت وبي منه ما

حتى تضجّعت وبي منه ما

بِلَحْظ عَيْنَيها من السُّكْر

بِلَحْظ عَيْنَيها من السُّكْر

until I lay down, filled by it with the same

Until I fell asleep, drunk with

intoxication as in the glance of her eyes.

A glance of her eyes' intoxication

والبدرُ قدْ مدّ على نِيله

والبدرُ قدْ مدّ على نِيله

مِنْطقةً من خالص التِّبر

مِنْطقةً من خالص التِّبر

And the full moon had spread over its Nile

And the moon stretched across its Nile

a girdle of pure gold.

A belt of pure gold