يَا رَعَى اللهُ لَيَالٍ قدْ خَلَتْ

يَا رَعَى اللهُ لَيَالٍ قدْ خَلَتْ

كَلَآلٍ فِي سُلُوكٍ مِنْ نُضَارْ

كَلَآلٍ فِي سُلُوكٍ مِنْ نُضَارْ

Oh, may God watch over nights gone by,

O night the Lord has passed

May God watch over nights that have passed by,

Like pearls on threads of pure gold,

Like blossoms in their prime of youth,

Like pearls strung upon threads of gold,

وَعُهُوداً سَلَفَتْ لِي بِالْحِمَى

وَعُهُوداً سَلَفَتْ لِي بِالْحِمَى

فَسَقَى الْوَبْلُ الْحِمَى غَيْرَ مُضَارْ

فَسَقَى الْوَبْلُ الْحِمَى غَيْرَ مُضَارْ

And times that passed for me in the protected grounds.

And days gone by that were pledged to me,

And past times I spent in the sanctuary—

So may the downpour water those grounds without harm,

Where rain has watered the pledge none can alter,

May heavy rains water that haven without harm!

حَيْثُ لاَ هَمَّ وَلاَ غَمَّ سِوَى

حَيْثُ لاَ هَمَّ وَلاَ غَمَّ سِوَى

رَنَّةِ الْعُودِ وَكَاسَاتٍ تُدَارْ

رَنَّةِ الْعُودِ وَكَاسَاتٍ تُدَارْ

Where there was neither care nor sorrow, save

Where is neither care nor sorrow but only

Where there was no worry and no grief, save for

The lute’s ringing and cups passed round,

The tunes of the lute and passed cups

The twang of the lute and the cups passed around,

مِنْ عُقَارٍ كَنُضَارٍ أُفْرِغَتْ

مِنْ عُقَارٍ كَنُضَارٍ أُفْرِغَتْ

فِي أَبَارِيقَ حَكَتْ شُهْبَ الدَّرَارْ

فِي أَبَارِيقَ حَكَتْ شُهْبَ الدَّرَارْ

Of wine like pure gold, poured

Of wine pure as blossoms poured

Of wine like liquid gold, poured

Into ewers that mirrored the radiance of shining stars.

In flagons that mirror their sparkling red,

Into pitchers resembling gleaming shooting stars.

عَلِّلُوا قَلْبَ الشَّجِي مِنْ شُرْبِهَا

عَلِّلُوا قَلْبَ الشَّجِي مِنْ شُرْبِهَا

مَا أُحَيْلَى الشُّرْبَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْعُقَارْ

مَا أُحَيْلَى الشُّرْبَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْعُقَارْ

Soothe the sorrowful one’s heart with a draught of it.

Reproach the resolute heart for its drinking,

Soothe the anguished heart by drinking from it;

How delightfully sweet it is to drink that wine!

Though none can reproach such drinking of wine,

How sweet is the drinking of that wine!

مَعْ ظِبَاءٍ كَلِفَ الْقَلْبُ بِهِمْ

مَعْ ظِبَاءٍ كَلِفَ الْقَلْبُ بِهِمْ

سَمَحُوا بِالْوَصْلِ مِنْ بَعْدِ نِفَارْ

سَمَحُوا بِالْوَصْلِ مِنْ بَعْدِ نِفَارْ

With gazelles of whom the heart was enamored,

With gazelles whose hearts we have won,

With gazelles with whom the heart is infatuated,

Who granted union after shying away,

Who came back to us after estrangement,

Who permitted union after their long aversion,

فِي رِيَاضٍ كَزَرَابٍ نُمِّقَتْ

فِي رِيَاضٍ كَزَرَابٍ نُمِّقَتْ

بِشَقِيقٍ كَعَقِيقٍ وَبَهَارْ

بِشَقِيقٍ كَعَقِيقٍ وَبَهَارْ

In gardens like carpets, adorned

In gardens like carpets outspread,

Within gardens like embellished carpets,

With anemones like carnelian, and yellow bahar flowers.

With flowers like carnelians and all sweet herbs,

Woven with carnelian-like anemones and chamomile blooms.

أَأُرَى أَحْظَى بِوَصْلٍ بَعْدَمَا

أَأُرَى أَحْظَى بِوَصْلٍ بَعْدَمَا

بَعُدَتْ مِنْ طَاقَتِي تِلْكَ الدِّيَارْ

بَعُدَتْ مِنْ طَاقَتِي تِلْكَ الدِّيَارْ

Will I find myself favored with union, now that

Shall I ever find, now those lands are far,

Will I ever attain such union again, after

Those abodes have grown beyond my reach?

Such joy in union as once was there?

Those lands have grown so distant from my reach?

فَعَلَى آرَامِهَا مِنْ مُدْنِفٍ

فَعَلَى آرَامِهَا مِنْ مُدْنِفٍ

شَائِقٍ نَشْرُ سَلاَمٍ كَالْعَرَارْ

شَائِقٍ نَشْرُ سَلاَمٍ كَالْعَرَارْ

So to their white gazelles, from one lovesick

To those camps, from this saddened exile,

So upon its white antelopes, from a wasted lover,

And yearning, a greeting wafts, fragrant as arar blossoms.

I send, like the wind o'er meadows, my greeting!

Yearning, is the spreading of peace as fragrant as the desert arar.