خليليَّ ما بالُ النجوم كأَّنما

خليليَّ ما بالُ النجوم كأَّنما

أبى الليل أن تسري بأفقٍ كواكبهْ

أبى الليل أن تسري بأفقٍ كواكبهْ

My two friends, what ails the stars? It is as though

My beloved, why are the stars as if

night refused to let its stars journey across a horizon.

The night refused the horizons to flow with its planets?

تعاظمَ واطغوغى وألقى بعاعهُ

تعاظمَ واطغوغى وألقى بعاعهُ

وأقبل كالبحر الذي أنا راكبه

وأقبل كالبحر الذي أنا راكبه

It grew immense and pitch-dark, and cast down its full burden,

It grew mighty and tyrannical and flung its blindness,

and came on like the sea upon which I sail.

And came like the sea I was sailing.

أهابُ عواديه وآملُ خوضهُ

أهابُ عواديه وآملُ خوضهُ

وكيف يخوض اليمََّ من هو هائبه

وكيف يخوض اليمََّ من هو هائبه

I dread its onslaughts, yet hope to wade through it;

I fear its threats and hope to brave it

but how can one who fears it wade into the sea?

How can one brave the sea if he fears it?

إذا حلَّ ظهر الأرض أولاهُ أشفقت

إذا حلَّ ظهر الأرض أولاهُ أشفقت

غواربها من أن تقلَّ غواربه

غواربها من أن تقلَّ غواربه

When its onset settles on the earth's back, fear grips

When the surface of earth comes at first, its ships

her ridges, lest they bear its crests.

Feared that their ships would decrease.

فلو أنَّهُ أمسى خضاباً لمعشرٍ

فلو أنَّهُ أمسى خضاباً لمعشرٍ

لسرَّ خضيباً أن تشيبَ ذوائبه

لسرَّ خضيباً أن تشيبَ ذوائبه

If it became a dye for a people,

So if it had turned into henna for a group

a dyed-haired man would rejoice to have his locks turn white.

It would have been happy that its tails grew white.

إذا قلتَ قد ولَّتْ وجازت صدورهُ

إذا قلتَ قد ولَّتْ وجازت صدورهُ

أطلتْ علينا كالجبال مناكبه

أطلتْ علينا كالجبال مناكبه

When you say, 'Its foreparts have already receded and passed,'

When you say it has passed and crossed its limits

its shoulders loom over us like mountains.

Its ships lengthened upon us like mountains.

أضلَّ بها الأيدي اللوامسَ قصدها

أضلَّ بها الأيدي اللوامسَ قصدها

من التيه حتى وَّفر الدرَّ حالبه

من التيه حتى وَّفر الدرَّ حالبه

Within them, it made groping hands miss their aim,

It misled with them the touching hands their goal

in bewilderment, until the milk was left untouched by its milker.

From straying until the land complained.

فلو طرَّقت أن الليالي بمثلها

فلو طرَّقت أن الليالي بمثلها

لذي حسبٍ ما نظم الجزعَ ثاقبه

لذي حسبٍ ما نظم الجزعَ ثاقبه

So if the nights brought forth another like this

If the nights were like it for someone who counts

for a man of noble lineage, onyx would not be strung by its piercer.

Despair would not have composed its piercing verses.

كم استأذنت عيني على فجر خدرهِ

كم استأذنت عيني على فجر خدرهِ

فما رفعتْْ أسترهُ وهيادبه

فما رفعتْْ أسترهُ وهيادبه

How often my eye sought leave to see dawn within its curtained chamber,

How many times did my eyes ask dawn for its slumber

yet its curtains and fringes were never lifted.

But it did not lift its veil or blink.

وليس بمرجو الصباح وهذه

وليس بمرجو الصباح وهذه

مشارقهُ مسودةٌ ومغاربه

مشارقهُ مسودةٌ ومغاربه

Nor is morning to be hoped for, while these—

It is not hoped for morning, and its

its eastern and western horizons—are blackened.

Horizons are dark and its sunsets.

أرى كلَّ صبغ يصحبُ الدهرَ لونه

أرى كلَّ صبغ يصحبُ الدهرَ لونه

سينصلُ إلا جنحهُ وغيابه

سينصلُ إلا جنحهُ وغيابه

I see that every dye whose hue keeps company with time

I see every color that accompanies time

will fade, except its gloom and its darkness.

Will arrive except its wings and disappearance.

بغتهُ فهابت أن تلمَّ طيوفهُ

بغتهُ فهابت أن تلمَّ طيوفهُ

وتسري وخافت أن تدبَّ عقاربه

وتسري وخافت أن تدبَّ عقاربه

My eye sought it, then feared its phantoms might draw near

It took it suddenly so the ghosts dispersed

and wander by night, and feared its scorpions might creep.

And walked away fearing their steps' count.

ولم أرَ مثلَ الليل طوداً للاجىءٍ

ولم أرَ مثلَ الليل طوداً للاجىءٍ

مهالكهُ حفتْ بهنَّ مطالبه

مهالكهُ حفتْ بهنَّ مطالبه

And I have seen no mountain like night for one seeking refuge,

I have not seen a night like a sheltering mountain

whose sought-for havens are ringed by its deadly places.

Its perils embraced with its needs.