عَيناك وَالسِحرُ الَّذي فيهِما

عَيناك وَالسِحرُ الَّذي فيهِما

صَيَّرَتاني شاعِراً ساحِرا

صَيَّرَتاني شاعِراً ساحِرا

Your eyes and the magic within them

Your eyes and the magic dwelling within them

Have made me a poet, an enchanter.

Have transformed me into a poet, a sorcerer.

طَلَّمَتنِيَ الحُب وَعَلَّمتُهُ

طَلَّمَتنِيَ الحُب وَعَلَّمتُهُ

بَدَر الدُجى وَالغُصن وَالطائِرا

بَدَر الدُجى وَالغُصن وَالطائِرا

You taught me love, and I taught it

You taught me love, and I taught it

To the full moon of night, the bough, and the bird.

To the full moon of the night, the branch, and the bird.

أُِن غِبتِ عَن عَيني وَجُنَّ الدُجى

أُِن غِبتِ عَن عَيني وَجُنَّ الدُجى

سَأَلتُ عَنكِ القَمَرَ الزاهِرا

سَأَلتُ عَنكِ القَمَرَ الزاهِرا

If you are absent from my sight and darkness falls,

If you are absent from my sight and the darkness goes mad,

I ask the radiant moon about you.

I ask the shining moon about you.

وَأَطرُقُ الرَوضَةَ عِندَ الضُحى

وَأَطرُقُ الرَوضَةَ عِندَ الضُحى

كَيما أُناجي البُلبُلَ الشاعِرا

كَيما أُناجي البُلبُلَ الشاعِرا

And I visit the garden at midmorning,

I knock at the garden's gate in the forenoon

So that I may commune with the poet-nightingale.

So that I may whisper to the poetic nightingale.

وَأَنشُقُ الوَردَةَ في كُمِّها

وَأَنشُقُ الوَردَةَ في كُمِّها

لِأَنَّ فيها أَرَجاً عاطِرا

لِأَنَّ فيها أَرَجاً عاطِرا

And I smell the rose within its calyx,

And I inhale the rose within its calyx,

Because it holds a fragrant perfume

Because inside it holds a fragrant perfume

يُذَكِّرُ الصَبُّ بِذاكَ الشَذا

يُذَكِّرُ الصَبُّ بِذاكَ الشَذا

هَل تَذكُرينَ العاشِقَ الذاكِرا

هَل تَذكُرينَ العاشِقَ الذاكِرا

That reminds the lovesick lover of that scent.

That reminds the yearning lover of that scent—

Do you remember the lover who remembers?

Do you remember the lover who still remembers?

كَم نائِمٍ في وَكرِهِ هانِئٍ

كَم نائِمٍ في وَكرِهِ هانِئٍ

نَبَّهتِهِ مِن وَكرِهِ باكِرا

نَبَّهتِهِ مِن وَكرِهِ باكِرا

Many a sleeper, content within his nest—

How many a sleeper, resting happy in his nest,

You roused him from his nest early.

Have I startled from his roost at dawn?

أَصبَحَ مِثلي تائِهاً حائِراً

أَصبَحَ مِثلي تائِهاً حائِراً

لَما رَآني في الرُبى حائِرا

لَما رَآني في الرُبى حائِرا

He became like me, lost and bewildered,

He became like me, lost and bewildered,

When he saw me bewildered among the hills.

When he saw me wandering among the hills.

وَراحَ يَشكو لي وَأَشكو لَهُ

وَراحَ يَشكو لي وَأَشكو لَهُ

بَطشَ الهَوى وَالهَجر وَالهاجِرا

بَطشَ الهَوى وَالهَجر وَالهاجِرا

And he began to complain to me, and I to him,

He began to complain to me, and I to complain to him,

Of love's violence, abandonment, and the one who abandons.

Of the tyranny of passion, estrangement, and the one who abandons.

وَكَوكَبٍ أَسمَعتُهُ زَفرَتي

وَكَوكَبٍ أَسمَعتُهُ زَفرَتي

فَباتَ مِثلِيَ ساهِياً ساهِرا

فَباتَ مِثلِيَ ساهِياً ساهِرا

And many a star I let hear my sigh—

And many a star I made listen to my sigh,

So it spent the night like me, distracted and awake.

Until it spent the night like me, distracted and sleepless.

زَجَرتُ حَتّى النَومَ عَن مُقلَتي

زَجَرتُ حَتّى النَومَ عَن مُقلَتي

وَلَم أُبالِ اللائِمَ الزاجِرا

وَلَم أُبالِ اللائِمَ الزاجِرا

I drove even sleep away from my eye,

I have driven even sleep away from my eyes,

And paid no heed to the scolding reproacher.

And I heeded not the scolding blamer.

يا لَيتَ أَنّي مَثَلٌ ثائِرٌ

يا لَيتَ أَنّي مَثَلٌ ثائِرٌ

كَيما نَقولُ المَثَلَ السائِرا

كَيما نَقولُ المَثَلَ السائِرا

Oh, would that I were a rebellious proverb,

Oh, would that I were a stirring parable,

So that we might utter the widely current proverb.

So that we might recite the proverb that travels far.