طَالgrew long انتظاريmy waiting ومضىand passed مَوْعديmy appointed time
طَال انتظاري ومضى مَوْعدي
وأنتand you مثليlike me ترقبينَyou watch for المساءْthe evening
وأنت مثلي ترقبينَ المساءْ
My waiting has grown long, and my appointed time has passed,
Long has been my wait, and my tryst has passed
while you, like me, watch for evening.
While you, like me, await the evening
كمhow many لكِyou have عنديwith me فيin الهوىlove منof يدِa kindness
كم لكِ عندي في الهوى من يدِ
ياO زَهَراتيmy flowers، أنتِyou رمزُthe symbol of الوفاءْfaithfulness
يا زَهَراتي، أنتِ رمزُ الوفاءْ
How many kindnesses in love I owe you!
How much sway you have over my passion
O my flowers, you are the symbol of faithfulness.
My flowers, you are the emblem of loyalty
ياO زهراتيmy flowers، ويكِalas for you لاdo not تسأميgrow weary
يا زهراتي، ويكِ لا تسأمي
ولاand do not يَرُعْكِfrighten you الزَّمنُtime الدائرُever-turning
ولا يَرُعْكِ الزَّمنُ الدائرُ
O my flowers, alas, do not grow weary,
My flowers, do not tire
nor let ever-turning time alarm you.
And let not time unsettle you
لاdo not تُطرِقيlower your gaze، وابتهجيand rejoice، وابسِميand smile
لا تُطرِقي، وابتهجي، وابسِمي
عمَّاafter قليلa little while يُقْبِلُarrives الزائرُthe visitor
عمَّا قليل يُقْبِلُ الزائرُ
Do not lower your gaze; rejoice and smile.
Do not droop, smile, and be cheerful
Before long the visitor will arrive.
For soon the visitor shall come
عماafter قليلٍa little while سوفwill تلقينهُyou meet him
عما قليلٍ سوف تلقينهُ
أجملthe most beautiful ماwhat تصبوyearn إليهfor him العيونْeyes
أجمل ما تصبو إليه العيونْ
Before long you will meet him,
Soon you will meet him
the fairest that eyes yearn for.
The most beautiful your eyes aspire to
يَطرقُhe knocks at بابيmy door مُعْلِنًاannouncing أنَّهُthat it is so
يَطرقُ بابي مُعْلِنًا أنَّهُ
كلevery اصطبارٍpatient endurance فيin هواهlove for him يهونْbecomes easy
كل اصطبارٍ في هواه يهونْ
He knocks at my door, proclaiming that
He will knock on my door declaring
all patient endurance for love of him is easy.
That for his love all waiting seems trivial
أقولI say: هلhas? أبطأhe been slow فيin خطوهhis pace
أقول: هل أبطأ في خطوه
أمor هلhas? تُرَىI wonder أخطأَhe mistook ميعادَهُhis appointed time؟
أم هل تُرَى أخطأَ ميعادَهُ؟
I ask: has he been slow of step,
I say: Did his steps tarry?
or, I wonder, mistaken his appointed time?
Or did he, perhaps, miss his promised time?
أمor ضلَّلتهُled him astray، وهوwhile he فيin لهوِهhis amusement
أم ضلَّلتهُ، وهو في لهوِه
أرْجَاءُthe reaches of حيٍّa neighborhood قَبْلُpreviously ماnot ارتَادَهُhe visited it؟
أرْجَاءُ حيٍّ قَبْلُ ما ارتَادَهُ؟
Or, while he amused himself, was he led astray
Or, lost in his revelry
by the reaches of a neighborhood he had never visited before?
Did the quarters of the living mislead him before he tread them?
تعَلَّليconsole yourself مثليlike me، وقوليand say: لعَلْperhaps!
تعَلَّلي مثلي، وقولي: لعَلْ!
أمor أنتِyou لاnot تدرينَyou know سِرَّthe secret of الغرامْpassion؟
أم أنتِ لا تدرينَ سِرَّ الغرامْ؟
Console yourself as I do, and say: perhaps!
Make excuses like me, and say: perhaps!
Or do you not know the secret of passion?
Or do you not know the secret of passion?
ماnot أنتِyou إلَّاexcept بسماتُthe smiles of الأملْhope
ما أنتِ إلَّا بسماتُ الأملْ
إنif خيَّمsettled الصمتُsilence وسادَand prevailed الظلامْdarkness
إن خيَّم الصمتُ وسادَ الظلامْ
You are nothing but the smiles of hope
You are but the smile of hope
when silence settles and darkness reigns.
Should silence descend and darkness prevail
كمhow many أخَوَاتٍsisters لكِof yours شاطرْنَنيshared with me
كم أخَوَاتٍ لكِ شاطرْنَني
فجرَthe dawn of لقاءٍa meeting رائعِsplendid in المطلعِthe rising
فجرَ لقاءٍ رائعِ المطلعِ
How many sisters of yours have shared with me
How many sisters you have who shared with me
the dawn of a meeting, splendid in its rising!
The dawn of a wonderful meeting
وكمand how many مساءٍan evening فيهin it سامرْنَنيconversed with me at night
وكم مساءٍ فيه سامرْنَني
وبِتْنَand they spent the night فيهِin it ساهراتٍawake معيwith me!
وبِتْنَ فيهِ ساهراتٍ معي!
And many an evening they kept me company,
And how many evenings in which they conversed with me
and spent the night awake with me!
And spent awake with me as fellow night vigilants!
ياoh حسنهاher beauty فيهنَّamong them منas زهرةٍa flower
يا حسنها فيهنَّ من زهرةٍ
ظنَّتْshe thought جفونيmy eyelids بالكرىwith sleep مثقلاتْweighed down
ظنَّتْ جفوني بالكرى مثقلاتْ
How lovely among them was a flower
How beautiful they were, those flowers
that thought my eyelids heavy with sleep!
Who thought my eyelids heavy with sleep
مَسَّتْshe touched جبينيmy forehead، وهيwhile she فيin حيرةٍbewilderment
مَسَّتْ جبيني، وهي في حيرةٍ
كأنماas though تُوقظنيshe awakens me منfrom سُبَاتْslumber
كأنما تُوقظني من سُبَاتْ
She touched my forehead in bewilderment,
They touched my forehead, confused
as though awakening me from slumber.
As if to rouse me from slumber
ساهرةًwakeful تخفقُflutter أوراقُهاher petals
ساهرةً تخفقُ أوراقُها
علىupon فميmy mouth آنًاat one moment، وآنًاand at another يديmy hand
على فمي آنًا، وآنًا يدي
As she kept vigil, her petals fluttered
Awake, their petals fluttered
now upon my mouth, now upon my hand,
Now on my mouth, now my hands
كأنَّas though أشواقيَmy longings أشواقُهاher longings
كأنَّ أشواقيَ أشواقُها
أوor أنَّهاthat she صاحبةُthe one with الموعدthe rendezvous!
أو أنَّها صاحبةُ الموعد!
as though my longings were her own,
As if my longings were their longings
or as though the rendezvous were hers!
Or they were the keepers of the tryst!
خلاgrew empty بناexcept for us، ياO زَهَراتيmy flowers، المكانْthe place
خلا بنا، يا زَهَراتي، المكانْ
وزايلَand left الشرفةَthe balcony ضوءُthe light of القمرْthe moon
وزايلَ الشرفةَ ضوءُ القمرْ
The place is empty but for us, O my flowers,
The place was empty of all, my flowers
and the moonlight has left the balcony.
And the moonlight had left the balcony
أليلةٌis it one night? ماwhat مَرَّhas passed؟ أمor ليلتانْtwo nights؟
أليلةٌ ما مَرَّ؟ أم ليلتانْ؟
ابْقَيstay معيwith me حتىuntil يلوحappears السَّحَرْthe time before dawn
ابْقَي معي حتى يلوح السَّحَرْ
Has one night passed, or two?
One night, two? What passed?
Stay with me until the predawn light appears.
Stay with me until dawn breaks
سألتكِI implored you الحبَّlove وعهدَand the pledge of الوفاءْfaithfulness
سألتكِ الحبَّ وعهدَ الوفاءْ
ياO زهراتيmy flowers لاdo not تملِّيtire of البقاءْstaying
يا زهراتي لا تملِّي البقاءْ
I implore you by love and the pledge of faithfulness:
I asked you for love and the pledge of loyalty
O my flowers, do not tire of staying.
My flowers, do not weary of remaining
ماnot زالceased عنديwith me أملٌhope فيof اللقاءْmeeting
ما زال عندي أملٌ في اللقاءْ
وإنْand even if مضىhas passed اليومُthe day، وحلَّand arrived المساءْthe evening
وإنْ مضى اليومُ، وحلَّ المساءْ
I still have hope of meeting,
Still I harbor hope for the meeting
even though day has passed and evening has come.
Though the day has passed and evening descended
خَلْفَbehind زجاجِthe glass of البابِthe door طيفٌan apparition سَرَىglided
خَلْفَ زجاجِ البابِ طيفٌ سَرَى
يدنوdraws near إلىto بابيmy door منfrom السُّلَّمِthe stairway
يدنو إلى بابي من السُّلَّمِ
Behind the door's glass an apparition glided,
Behind the glass door, a specter glided
drawing near my door from the stairs.
Drawing near my door from the stairway
خفَّleapt لهat it قلبيmy heart وماand not صوَّراpictured
خفَّ له قلبي وما صوَّرا
غيرexcept ذراعيْthe two arms of شبَحٍa specter مُبهَمِindistinct
غير ذراعيْ شبَحٍ مُبهَمِ
My heart leapt at it, yet pictured nothing
My heart pattered for it and pictured
but the arms of an indistinct specter.
Naught but the phantom of an obscure arm
أظلُّI keep أرنوgazing نحوهtoward it مُرهِفًاstraining
أظلُّ أرنو نحوه مُرهِفًا
سمعيmy hearing، وماand not يكذبنيdeceives me ناظريmy sight
سمعي، وما يكذبني ناظري
I keep gazing toward it, straining
I crane my hearing toward it, though sight belies me
my hearing; my sight does not deceive me.
Alas! It did not appear but disappeared
ياoh حسرتاmy sorrow، ماno sooner لاحit appeared حتىthan اختفَىit disappeared
يا حسرتا، ما لاح حتى اختفَى
وزالَand vanished مثلlike الحُلُمِthe dream العابرِfleeting
وزالَ مثل الحُلُمِ العابرِ
Alas, no sooner had it appeared than it vanished,
Like a fleeting dream
and faded like a fleeting dream.
And how many footsteps I felt in my blood
وكمand how many خُطًىfootsteps أحْسَسْتُهاI felt them فيin دميmy blood
وكم خُطًى أحْسَسْتُها في دمي
أقولُI say: قدindeed جاءَhe came وهذِيand these خطاهْhis footsteps
أقولُ: قد جاءَ وهذِي خطاهْ
And how many footsteps I have felt in my blood!
I say: he came and these are his very steps
I say: he has come, and these are his steps!
I listen and count the treads on the stairs
أُصْغِيI listen وأُحْصِيand count دَرَجَthe steps of السلَّمِthe stairway
أُصْغِي وأُحْصِي دَرَجَ السلَّمِ
لكنَّهُbut he يمضيpasses on، وينأَىand grows distant صداهْhis echo
لكنَّهُ يمضي، وينأَى صداهْ
I listen and count the steps of the stairway,
But he moves on, his echo fading away
but he passes on, and his echo grows distant.
My flowers, how much we have talked
ياO زهراتيmy flowers كمhow many حديثٍa conversation لناwe have
يا زهراتي كم حديثٍ لنا
عنabout موعدٍa rendezvous فيin ليلةٍa night أوor نهارْday
عن موعدٍ في ليلةٍ أو نهارْ
O my flowers, how many talks we have had
Of a tryst one night or day
about a rendezvous by night or day!
All around us marvel
يَعْجَبُmarvels مناat us كلُّall ماthat حولناaround us
يَعْجَبُ منا كلُّ ما حولنا
أماhave we not? سئِمناwe grew weary بعدafter طولِthe length of انتظارْwaiting؟
أما سئِمنا بعد طولِ انتظارْ؟
Everything around us marvels at us:
Have we not tired of this endless wait?
have we not grown weary after so long a wait?
I implored you for love, and if you prefer
ناشدْتُكِI adjured you الحبَّlove فإنْso if تؤثريyou choose
ناشدْتُكِ الحبَّ فإنْ تؤثري
جدَّدتِyou will renew أسماركِyour evening conversations فيin مخدعيmy bedchamber
جدَّدتِ أسماركِ في مخدعي
I adjure you by love: if you choose,
Renew the clasp in my retreat
you will renew your evening talks in my bedchamber;
Then forget the trysts of passion, and remember
فانْسَيْso forget مواعيدَthe appointments of الهوىlove، واذكريand remember
فانْسَيْ مواعيدَ الهوى، واذكري
أيَّwhich فَتًىyoung man، فيin الحبِّlove، لمhas not يُخْدَعِbeen deceived!
أيَّ فَتًى، في الحبِّ، لم يُخْدَعِ!
so forget love's appointments, and remember:
What lover in love has not been deceived!
what young man in love has never been deceived!
Partial English translation: 59 of 60 Arabic lines translated.