اللَيْلُ يا صاحِبَيَّ مُنْطَلِقُ

اللَيْلُ يا صاحِبَيَّ مُنْطَلِقُ

يُقادُ زَحْفاً وما بِهِ رَمَقُ

يُقادُ زَحْفاً وما بِهِ رَمَقُ

The night, my two companions, is setting forth,

Night, my two companions, is departing,

driven at a crawl, with no breath of life in it.

Led away crawling, with no breath of life left in it.

غَمِض دونَ الغُروبِ كَوْكَبُهُ

غَمِض دونَ الغُروبِ كَوْكَبُهُ

إِذْ شَفَّهُ طُولَ لَيْلِهِ الأَرَقُ

إِذْ شَفَّهُ طُولَ لَيْلِهِ الأَرَقُ

Its star grew dim before sunset,

Its star grew dim before setting,

for the long night’s sleeplessness had wasted it away.

For sleeplessness had worn it thin throughout its night.

ورَقَّ جدّاً رِدَاءُ ظُلْمَتِهِ

ورَقَّ جدّاً رِدَاءُ ظُلْمَتِهِ

فَهو على مَنْكِبِ الرُّبى خَلَقُ

فَهو على مَنْكِبِ الرُّبى خَلَقُ

The mantle of its darkness has worn exceedingly thin,

The robe of its darkness has grown very thin,

and lies threadbare upon the shoulders of the hills.

So it lies threadbare on the shoulder of the hills.

تَأَمَّلا الغَرْبَ كَيْفَ ذَهَّبَهُ

تَأَمَّلا الغَرْبَ كَيْفَ ذَهَّبَهُ

شَرْقٌ بِتَوْريدِ فَجْرِهِ شَرِقُ

شَرْقٌ بِتَوْريدِ فَجْرِهِ شَرِقُ

Look westward—how it has been gilded

Look, you two, at the west—how it was gilded

by a radiant east with the rosy flush of dawn.

By an east flushed with its dawn's rose tint.

واصْطبِحَاها عَلى مُفَوَّفةٍ

واصْطبِحَاها عَلى مُفَوَّفةٍ

باتَ لَها بِالقُطَارِ مُغْتَبَقُ

باتَ لَها بِالقُطَارِ مُغْتَبَقُ

Drink her as your morning wine upon a many-colored expanse,

And drink it at dawn upon a striped meadow,

for which, drinking rainfall through the night,

Given an evening draught of raindrops through the night:

رَوْضٌ غَريق ومزْنَة ضَحِكَتْ

رَوْضٌ غَريق ومزْنَة ضَحِكَتْ

عَنْ أُفُقٍ بِالبُروقِ يَحْتَرِقُ

عَنْ أُفُقٍ بِالبُروقِ يَحْتَرِقُ

a garden lies drenched; and a raincloud smiles

A drenched garden, and a rain-cloud smiled,

from a horizon ablaze with lightning.

Revealing a horizon ablaze with lightning.

ولَيْسَ لِلْقَرِّ غَيْرَ صافِيَةٍ

ولَيْسَ لِلْقَرِّ غَيْرَ صافِيَةٍ

تَدْفَعُ ما لَيْسَ يَدْفَعُ الدَّلَقُ

تَدْفَعُ ما لَيْسَ يَدْفَعُ الدَّلَقُ

Against the cold there is nothing but clear wine

Against the cold there is only clear wine,

to repel what robes of fur cannot repel:

Warding off what a fur cloak cannot.

دُرْياقُ أَفْعى الشِّتاءِ وهو إِذا

دُرْياقُ أَفْعى الشِّتاءِ وهو إِذا

سَلَّ عَلَيْنا سُيوفَهُ دَرِقُ

سَلَّ عَلَيْنا سُيوفَهُ دَرِقُ

the antidote to winter’s viper; and when winter

An antidote to winter's viper; and, when

draws its swords against us, that wine is our shields.

Winter draws its swords against us, it serves as shields.

وعَصْفَرَتْ راحَةُ المُديرِ كَما

وعَصْفَرَتْ راحَةُ المُديرِ كَما

عَصْفَرَ جَيْبَ الدُّجُنَّةِ الشَّفَقُ

عَصْفَرَ جَيْبَ الدُّجُنَّةِ الشَّفَقُ

The pourer’s palm dyes it saffron-red, just as

And the cupbearer's palm took a safflower tint, as

twilight dyes the bosom of darkness saffron-red.

Twilight dyed the bosom of darkness with safflower.

جازَتْ مَدى الفِكْرِ في الصَّفاءِ فَلَو

جازَتْ مَدى الفِكْرِ في الصَّفاءِ فَلَو

مازَجَها الوَهْمُ مَسَّها رَنَقُ

مازَجَها الوَهْمُ مَسَّها رَنَقُ

In purity it surpasses the furthest reach of thought; if

It surpassed thought's reach in clarity; were

mere fancy mingled with it, a trace of murk would touch it.

Imagination to mingle with it, cloudiness would touch it.