يا ناعس الطرف نومي كيف تمنعه

يا ناعس الطرف نومي كيف تمنعه

جفني تمنى الكرى بالطيف يجمعه

جفني تمنى الكرى بالطيف يجمعه

O drowsy-eyed one, how can you deny me sleep?

O drowsy-eyed one, how do you prevent your sleep?

My eyelid longed for slumber to unite it with the phantom.

My eyelids long to unite with your apparition

بينى وبينك سر لست مؤتمنا

بينى وبينك سر لست مؤتمنا

عليه غير خيال منك أُطعمه

عليه غير خيال منك أُطعمه

Between you and me lies a secret; I trust no one

Between us there is a secret I'm not entrusted with

With it but a phantom of you, which I nourish.

Except an illusion of you that feeds me

له حِفاظ ورأى في مواصلتي

له حِفاظ ورأى في مواصلتي

وأنت بالهجر يا غدّار تولعه

وأنت بالهجر يا غدّار تولعه

It is faithful and resolved to keep company with me;

It has guards and insight into maintaining me

Yet you, O faithless one, tempt it to forsake me.

While you, o betrayer, inflame it with abandonment

ما ضر لو زار أجفاني ولي رمق

ما ضر لو زار أجفاني ولي رمق

عساى بالرمق الباقي أشيعه

عساى بالرمق الباقي أشيعه

What harm if it visited my eyelids while I still have a breath of life?

No harm if it visited my eyelids while I have breath

Perhaps, with that remaining breath, I could see it off.

Perhaps with the breath left I may bid it farewell

إن أنت لم تتعطف قلت لي رشا

إن أنت لم تتعطف قلت لي رشا

يغار من طيفه السارى فيمنعه

يغار من طيفه السارى فيمنعه

If you show no tenderness, I shall say: 'I have a gazelle fawn

If you do not show mercy, I said to a vision

That is jealous of its own night-roaming phantom and keeps it away.'

That the wandering one envies and prevents it

يشكو إليك ويشكو منك منتحب

يشكو إليك ويشكو منك منتحب

جرى دما من مغاني السعد مدمعه

جرى دما من مغاني السعد مدمعه

A sobbing man complains to you and complains of you;

It complains to you and complains of you in sorrow

His tears flowed as blood from the abodes of joy.

Blood flowed from the veins of joy, its tears streaming

إن جنَّه الليل أدمت خدّه يده

إن جنَّه الليل أدمت خدّه يده

وأنهدّ من سورة الأشجان مضجعه

وأنهدّ من سورة الأشجان مضجعه

If night enfolds him, his hand makes his cheek bleed,

If the night brought it close, it bloodied its cheek with its hand

And his bed collapses under the fury of sorrow.

And from the chapter of sorrows it toppled its bed

أبكي الصِباء رخيًّا من أعنته

أبكي الصِباء رخيًّا من أعنته

جرى بنا لمدى اللذات يقطعه

جرى بنا لمدى اللذات يقطعه

I weep for youth, with its reins slack,

I cry to the youths gently, whom time has weakened

Galloping with us, it traversed the course of pleasures.

And time has severed us from the pleasures

صحا الفؤاد على آثار كبوته

صحا الفؤاد على آثار كبوته

إلا أمانيّ لا تنفك تخدعه

إلا أمانيّ لا تنفك تخدعه

The heart has sobered amid the traces of its stumble,

My heart awoke on the vestiges of its cocoon

Save for wishes that never cease deceiving it.

Except for hopes that do not cease to deceive it

إذا تمثلته في اللب طار له

إذا تمثلته في اللب طار له

ورفرف القلب حتى خِفت يتبعه

ورفرف القلب حتى خِفت يتبعه

When I picture it in my mind, my mind flies toward it,

When I imagined you in my mind, it flew to you

And the heart flutters till I fear it will follow.

And my heart fluttered until I feared it would follow you

أقول للنفس عنه لا أغالطها

أقول للنفس عنه لا أغالطها

مضى به زمن هيهات يرجعه

مضى به زمن هيهات يرجعه

I tell my soul of it, without misleading it:

I say to myself about you, I will not delude it

Time has carried it away; never will it bring it back.

A time has passed with you, alas will not bring you back

إذا صِبا المرء ولى غير مرتجع

إذا صِبا المرء ولى غير مرتجع

فما له بالتصابي لا يودعه

فما له بالتصابي لا يودعه

When a person's youth departs, never to return,

When youth has passed and not returned

Why, then, does he play at youth and not bid it farewell?

Why then dress in finery and not bid it farewell?

أجَد للهو أثوابا وأخلقها

أجَد للهو أثوابا وأخلقها

وموضع المجد من بُردَىَّ موضعه

وموضع المجد من بُردَىَّ موضعه

I renew garments for amusement and wear them out,

I find distraction in false hopes and create them

While glory's place within my two cloaks remains unchanged.

While the abode of glory, in my cloak, is its place

طلبته يافعا حتى ظفِرت به

طلبته يافعا حتى ظفِرت به

والمجد يجمل في الفتيان موقعه

والمجد يجمل في الفتيان موقعه

I sought it as a youth, until I attained it;

I sought you in my prime until I attained you

And glory sits beautifully among young men.

And glory suits the youths in their positions

في الغرب مغتربا والشرق ملتفت

في الغرب مغتربا والشرق ملتفت

مشنَّف بحفيظ الدر مسمعه

مشنَّف بحفيظ الدر مسمعه

Far from home in the West, while the East turns toward me,

Absent in the west, facing the east

Its ear adorned with treasured pearls.

Sheltered by the jewel of the Religion, hearing it

كن كيف شئت وخذ للعلم حفلته

كن كيف شئت وخذ للعلم حفلته

فما وجدت كعلم المرء ينفعه

فما وجدت كعلم المرء ينفعه

Be as you wish, and give learning its due attention;

Be as you wish and take your fill of knowledge

For I have found nothing to benefit a person like their learning.

For I have not found, like knowledge, what benefits a person

والشعر بالعلم والعرفان مقترنا

والشعر بالعلم والعرفان مقترنا

كالتبر زدت له ماسا ترصعه

كالتبر زدت له ماسا ترصعه

And poetry, when joined with learning and insight,

And poetry tied to knowledge and wisdom

Is like gold to which you add diamonds to adorn it.

Like gold embellishing the engraving upon it

فإن جمعت إلى حظيهما خلقا

فإن جمعت إلى حظيهما خلقا

فذلك الحظ إن فكرت أجمعه

فذلك الحظ إن فكرت أجمعه

If, then, you add good character to the gifts of both,

If you combine with their fortune good morals

Then that, if you reflect, is fortune at its fullest.

Then that fortune, if you consider, perfects it