مَضى لَيلٌ وَأَخلَفَتِ النُجومُ

مَضى لَيلٌ وَأَخلَفَتِ النُجومُ

وَنَحنُ لَدى مَصارِعِنا جُثومُ

وَنَحنُ لَدى مَصارِعِنا جُثومُ

A night passed, and the stars failed their promise,

The night has passed, and the stars have faded

A night has passed, and the stars have broken their promise,

While we lay motionless where we had fallen.

Yet we remain by our dwellings, seated

While we lie prostrate at the sites of our downfall.

فَداوِ كُلومَ قَلبِ أَخيكَ لَيلاً

فَداوِ كُلومَ قَلبِ أَخيكَ لَيلاً

فَإِنَّ فُؤادَهُ أَبَداً كَليمُ

فَإِنَّ فُؤادَهُ أَبَداً كَليمُ

So heal the wounds of your brother's heart by night,

So heal, my friend, the heart of your brother at night

So heal the wounds of your brother's heart by night,

For his heart is ever wounded,

For his heart is forever wounded

For his heart is forever wounded.

بِصافِيَةٍ إِذا قُرِعَت بِماءٍ

بِصافِيَةٍ إِذا قُرِعَت بِماءٍ

جَرى عَن مَتنِها دُرٌّ يَحومُ

جَرى عَن مَتنِها دُرٌّ يَحومُ

With clear wine—when it is struck with water,

With a chalice, if filled with pure water

With a pure vintage that, when struck with water,

Pearls stream from its surface and circle.

Pearls will flow from its brim, swarming

Has pearls flowing and circling upon its surface.

تُضاحِكُنا كَعَينِ الديكِ صِرفاً

تُضاحِكُنا كَعَينِ الديكِ صِرفاً

فَإِن مُزِجَت تَخَلَّلَها غُيومُ

فَإِن مُزِجَت تَخَلَّلَها غُيومُ

Unmixed, it smiles at us like a rooster's eye;

It makes us laugh, like the rooster's eye at dawn

It laughs with us, clear as a rooster's eye when pure,

But if it is mixed, clouds thread through it.

But if clouds seep into it, it is glooming

But if mixed, clouds permeate its depth.

لَها في الكَأسِ لينُ عَروسِ خِدرٍ

لَها في الكَأسِ لينُ عَروسِ خِدرٍ

وَفيها لِلسُرورِ رَحىً تَدومُ

وَفيها لِلسُرورِ رَحىً تَدومُ

In the cup it has the softness of a bride in her bower,

In the goblet is the softness of a languid bride

In the cup, it holds the softness of a bride in her chamber,

And within it, joy's millstone keeps turning.

And in it is an everlasting joy blooming

And within it, a millstone of joy turns endlessly.

وَلَمّا لاحَ ضَوءُ الصُبحِ عَنّا

وَلَمّا لاحَ ضَوءُ الصُبحِ عَنّا

وَحَرَّكَ عودَهُ بَدرٌ وَسيمُ

وَحَرَّكَ عودَهُ بَدرٌ وَسيمُ

And when dawn's light gleamed away from us,

And when the light of dawn shone upon us

And when the light of morning appeared before us,

And a handsome full moon stirred his lute,

And a radiant full moon stirred its lute

And a handsome, moon-faced youth played his oud,

بِصَوتِ أَخي الحِجازِ فَهاجَ شَوقي

بِصَوتِ أَخي الحِجازِ فَهاجَ شَوقي

لِمَن طَلَلٌ بِرامَةَ لا يَريمُ

لِمَن طَلَلٌ بِرامَةَ لا يَريمُ

To the song of the man of the Hijaz—then my longing flared:

Hearing my brother's voice from Hejaz, my longing stirred

With the voice of a Hijazi brother, he stirred my yearning

"Whose are the ruins at Ramah that never pass away?"

For one whose ruins at Ramah will never be consumed

For one whose ruins at Rama remain and do not depart.