ياليلةَ قطّعتُ عمرَ ظلامِها

ياليلةَ قطّعتُ عمرَ ظلامِها

بمدامةٍ صفراءَ ذاتِ تأجُّجِ

بمدامةٍ صفراءَ ذاتِ تأجُّجِ

O night, whose span of darkness I whiled away

O night, I have cut through the darkness of its length

with yellow wine, all aflame,

With a yellow goblet of glowing embers

بالسّاحلِ النامي روائحُ نشرهِ

بالسّاحلِ النامي روائحُ نشرهِ

عن روضهِ المتضوِّعِ

عن روضهِ المتضوِّعِ

by the shore, where its perfumed scents spread

On the sleepy coast, scents of its diffusion

from its fragrant garden.

From the meadow of languor

واليمُّ زاهٍ قد هدا تيارُهُ

واليمُّ زاهٍ قد هدا تيارُهُ

مِن بعدِ طُولِ تقلُّقٍ وتموُّجِ

مِن بعدِ طُولِ تقلُّقٍ وتموُّجِ

And the sea is resplendent; its current has grown calm

And the sea has calmed its currents

after long restlessness and surging.

After long restlessness and swelling

طوراً تُدغدِغُه الشّمالُ وتارةً

طوراً تُدغدِغُه الشّمالُ وتارةً

يكرى فتوقظُه بناتُ الخزرجِ

يكرى فتوقظُه بناتُ الخزرجِ

At times the north wind tickles it, and at times

Now the north titillates it and now

it dozes, then the daughters of al-Khazraj awaken it.

The daughters of al-Khazraj awaken it

والبدرُ قد ألقى سَنا أنوارِه

والبدرُ قد ألقى سَنا أنوارِه

في لُجِّهِ المتجعِّدِ المُتدبِّجِ

في لُجِّهِ المتجعِّدِ المُتدبِّجِ

And the full moon has cast the radiance of its beams

And the moon has cast the radiance of its brilliance

into its rippled, brocaded depths.

In its furrowed, embroidered pond

فكأنّهُ اذ قدَّ صفحةَ متنهِ

فكأنّهُ اذ قدَّ صفحةَ متنهِ

بشعاعهِ المتوقّدِ المتوهِّجِ

بشعاعهِ المتوقّدِ المتوهِّجِ

So it is as though, when it cleft the surface of the sea’s back

So it is as if when it has folded the page of its surface

with its blazing, glowing beam,

With its blazing, glowing illumination

نهرٌ تكوّن مِن نُضارٍ مائعٍ

نهرٌ تكوّن مِن نُضارٍ مائعٍ

يجري على أرضٍ مِن الفَيرُوزَجِ

يجري على أرضٍ مِن الفَيرُوزَجِ

it were a river formed of liquid gold,

A river is formed of molten luminosity

flowing over ground of turquoise.

Flowing over a land of turquoise