لَيَهنَكَ وافِدُ أُنسٍ سَرى

لَيَهنَكَ وافِدُ أُنسٍ سَرى

فَسَرّى وَفَصلُ سُرورٍ طَرَق

فَسَرّى وَفَصلُ سُرورٍ طَرَق

May the visitor of fellowship who traveled by night gladden you,

A visitor of joy arrived, traveling at night

bringing solace, and a season of joy that arrived by night.

So night traveled and the separation of delight paved the way

فَما شِئتَ مِن ماءِ وِردٍ بِهِ

فَما شِئتَ مِن ماءِ وِردٍ بِهِ

أَراقَ وَمِن ثَوبِ حُسنٍ أَرَق

أَراقَ وَمِن ثَوبِ حُسنٍ أَرَق

So all the rosewater you could wish for is there,

You desired of scented water it spilled

poured forth, and a finer robe of beauty as well.

And from a dress of beauty it ripped

وَسَوداءَ تَدمى بِهِ مَنحَراً

وَسَوداءَ تَدمى بِهِ مَنحَراً

كَما اِعتَرَضَ اللَيلُ تَحتَ الشَفَق

كَما اِعتَرَضَ اللَيلُ تَحتَ الشَفَق

And a black-coated one, bleeding there at the throat,

And blackness bled through it slaughtered

like night stretched out beneath the twilight.

As the night intercepted under the sunset

وَأُقسِمُ لَو مُثِّلَت لَيلَةً

وَأُقسِمُ لَو مُثِّلَت لَيلَةً

لَعِفتُ الكَرى وَاِستَطَبتُ الأَرَق

لَعِفتُ الكَرى وَاِستَطَبتُ الأَرَق

And I swear, were she embodied as a night,

And I swear if embodied for a night

I would spurn sleep and find sleeplessness sweet.

I would abandon all reason and ignore all sleeplessness

سَتَخلَعُ مِن فَروِها ضَحوَةً

سَتَخلَعُ مِن فَروِها ضَحوَةً

سَوادَ الدُجى عَن بَياضِ الفَلَق

سَوادَ الدُجى عَن بَياضِ الفَلَق

At midmorning she will cast off her fur,

Dawn will strip off its fur coat

night's blackness from the whiteness of dawn.

The darkness of night from the whiteness of dawn

فَيا حُسنَ خَصرٍ لَها أَحمَرٍ

فَيا حُسنَ خَصرٍ لَها أَحمَرٍ

وَمِئزَرِ شَحمٍ عَلَيهِ يَقَق

وَمِئزَرِ شَحمٍ عَلَيهِ يَقَق

How lovely her red waist,

So oh beauty of a waist for her red

and the pure-white girdle of fat upon it!

And a plump soft waistband over it sagging

وَما رَفَلَت في قَميصِ الظَلامِ

وَما رَفَلَت في قَميصِ الظَلامِ

وَلا اِشتَمَلَت بِرِداءِ الغَسَق

وَلا اِشتَمَلَت بِرِداءِ الغَسَق

And she has not swept along in a shirt of darkness,

She did not cloak herself in the shirt of darkness

nor wrapped herself in a mantle of dusk;

Nor wrap herself in the gown of nightfall

وَلَكِن تَسيلُ عَلَيها القُلوبُ

وَلَكِن تَسيلُ عَلَيها القُلوبُ

هَوىً وَتَذوبُ عَلَيها الحَدَق

هَوىً وَتَذوبُ عَلَيها الحَدَق

yet hearts flow over her

But hearts melt upon her

in longing, and eyes melt over her.

Infatuation and eyes dissolve upon her