شهدت للنيلوفرِ الغضِّ

شهدت للنيلوفرِ الغضِّ

بالعدلِ في جملة ما يقضي

بالعدلِ في جملة ما يقضي

I bear witness for the tender water lily

I bear witness to the water lily's innocence

to its justice in all that it decrees.

In all it does with utmost fairness

يفتَح عند الصبح أجفانَه

يفتَح عند الصبح أجفانَه

طَرْفا ولا يلوي على الغُمْض

طَرْفا ولا يلوي على الغُمْض

At dawn it opens its eyelids,

It opens its eyelids at dawn

gazing, and paying no heed to closing them.

Slightly, without completely closing them

لأن تحت الصبح نيلَ المنى

لأن تحت الصبح نيلَ المنى

وكلَّ طِيبٍ حسنٍ محض

وكلَّ طِيبٍ حسنٍ محض

For beneath dawn lie the fulfillment of wishes

For underneath the dawn lies the water of wishes

and every pure and lovely delight.

And all good and beauty in its purest form

حتى إذا الليل تبدّى انزوى

حتى إذا الليل تبدّى انزوى

وغاص بالكلّ وبالبعضِ

وغاص بالكلّ وبالبعضِ

Until, when night appears, it withdraws

Until when night falls it withdraws

and sinks, in whole and in part,

And plunges into the whole and the parts

كيلا يَرَى في الليل لون القِلى

كيلا يَرَى في الليل لون القِلى

والصدِّ والهجرانِ والبغضِ

والصدِّ والهجرانِ والبغضِ

so as not to see in night the hue of aversion,

So that in the night it won't see the color of rancor

and of rejection, abandonment, and hatred.

Hostility, estrangement, and hatred