بُرَيقٌ بِالأُبَيرِقِ لاحَ وَهنا

بُرَيقٌ بِالأُبَيرِقِ لاحَ وَهنا

فَجُنَّ القَلبُ مِن شَوقٍ وَأَنّا

فَجُنَّ القَلبُ مِن شَوقٍ وَأَنّا

A little lightning flash gleamed at al-Ubayriq late at night;

A flash shone with the lightning and here

So the heart went mad with longing and moaned.

The heart was saddened by yearning and weakness

فَأَرَّقَ عاشِقاً وَأَراقَ دَمعاً

فَأَرَّقَ عاشِقاً وَأَراقَ دَمعاً

وَأَحرَقَهُ وَأَفرَحَ مِنهُ جَفنا

وَأَحرَقَهُ وَأَفرَحَ مِنهُ جَفنا

It kept a lover sleepless and made tears flow,

It made a lover sleepless and shed tears

And burned him and gladdened his eyelid.

It burned him and delighted his eyelids

وَأَذكَرَنا لُيَيلاتٍ تَقَضَّت

وَأَذكَرَنا لُيَيلاتٍ تَقَضَّت

حَميداتٍ بِمَن كانوا وَكُنّا

حَميداتٍ بِمَن كانوا وَكُنّا

And reminded us of a few nights gone by,

It reminded us of passed pleasant nights

Made sweet by those who were there, and by us.

With those who were and we were

لَيالِيَ كانَ غُصنُ العَيشِ غَضّاً

لَيالِيَ كانَ غُصنُ العَيشِ غَضّاً

وَعودُ الوَصلِ أَخضَرَ مُرجَحِنّا

وَعودُ الوَصلِ أَخضَرَ مُرجَحِنّا

Nights when life's branch was tender,

Nights when the branch of life was fresh

And union's bough was green and swaying.

And the rod of union waved gently

هُنالِكَ حَيثُ لا نَخشى رَقيباً

هُنالِكَ حَيثُ لا نَخشى رَقيباً

وَلا نَبكي حَبيباً بانَ عَنّا

وَلا نَبكي حَبيباً بانَ عَنّا

There, where we feared no watcher,

There where we don't fear a watcher

Nor mourned a beloved who had parted from us.

And don't cry for a departed beloved

وَلي غَزَلٌ غَريبٌ في غَزالٍ

وَلي غَزَلٌ غَريبٌ في غَزالٍ

غَريبٍ صِرتُ فيهِ قَيسَ لُبنى

غَريبٍ صِرتُ فيهِ قَيسَ لُبنى

And I have a strange love poem about a gazelle,

And I have a strange love in a strange gazelle

A stranger, for whom I became Qays of Lubna.

I became in it like Qays for Lubna

وَكانَ الدَهرُ سالَمَنا فَأَمسى

وَكانَ الدَهرُ سالَمَنا فَأَمسى

يُحارِبُنا وَقَد قَلَبَ المِجَنا

يُحارِبُنا وَقَد قَلَبَ المِجَنا

And Time once was at peace with us, but now

Time was peaceful with us but turned

Wages war on us, having turned its shield.

To fight us and turned the cups over

وَأَسلَمَنا إِلى زَمَنٍ غَشومٍ

وَأَسلَمَنا إِلى زَمَنٍ غَشومٍ

ظَلومٍ فَاِشتَفى الحُسّادُ مِنّا

ظَلومٍ فَاِشتَفى الحُسّادُ مِنّا

And surrendered us to a ruthless age,

And we surrendered to a grudging time

Oppressive—so the envious satisfied their spite at our expense.

Gloomy so the envious rejoiced over us