أَعد الذي عاينت من ليلتي فجرُ

أَعد الذي عاينت من ليلتي فجرُ

وفيها أبى أن ينقضي مني العمرُ

وفيها أبى أن ينقضي مني العمرُ

I reckon what I have witnessed of my night to be dawn,

Is there dawn [after] what I witnessed in my night?

though within it my very lifetime refused to end.

And during it, my life refused to end.

ولو كان يعطى الدهر يوماً كهذه

ولو كان يعطى الدهر يوماً كهذه

يطول كما طالت لما نفد الدهرُ

يطول كما طالت لما نفد الدهرُ

If Time were to grant a day like this,

And if Time were given a day like this night,

and it stretched as this night has, Time itself would never run out.

stretching as long as it has, Time would never run out.

ومن كان مثلي لا يرى من يجيرهُ

ومن كان مثلي لا يرى من يجيرهُ

من الليل إِلا الصبح ضاقَ به الأمرُ

من الليل إِلا الصبح ضاقَ به الأمرُ

And one like me, who sees no one to deliver him

And whoever, like me, sees no one to shelter him

from the night except dawn—his distress grows dire.

from the night except dawn finds himself in dire straits.

خليليُّ أما النوم لا تذكرانهِ

خليليُّ أما النوم لا تذكرانهِ

فما لامرئ مثلي إِذا ذاقه عذرُ

فما لامرئ مثلي إِذا ذاقه عذرُ

My two companions, as for sleep, do not mention it;

My two friends, as for sleep, do not mention it;

a man like me would have no excuse if he tasted it.

for a man like me has no excuse if he tastes it.

وكيفَ يذوقُ النوم من بات جفنهُ

وكيفَ يذوقُ النوم من بات جفنهُ

وباطنه بحرٌ وظاهرهُ نهرُ

وباطنه بحرٌ وظاهرهُ نهرُ

How could sleep be tasted by one whose eyelid passes the night

And how can one taste sleep whose eyelid spends the night

an inward sea, an outward river?

with a sea within it and a river without?

لقد كان دمعي غالباً قبل هذه

لقد كان دمعي غالباً قبل هذه

فأَرخصتهُ فاليوم ليس له سعرُ

فأَرخصتهُ فاليوم ليس له سعرُ

Before this, my tears were precious;

My tears had indeed been overwhelming before this night;

I cheapened them, and today they have no price.

it cheapened them, so today they have no price.

لقد كنتُ ذا طرفٍ طموحٍ إِلى الهوى

لقد كنتُ ذا طرفٍ طموحٍ إِلى الهوى

وأحسب أن الحب ما استحسن العمرُ

وأحسب أن الحب ما استحسن العمرُ

Once I had a roving eye, aspiring to love,

I had indeed a gaze eagerly turned toward love,

and thought that love was whatever life found beautiful.

and I thought love was whatever life found fair.

وأعشقُ في ليل من الغيد عدة

وأعشقُ في ليل من الغيد عدة

وقلبي يستدعي وهم حوله كُثرُ

وقلبي يستدعي وهم حوله كُثرُ

Each night I would fall in love with several sheltered maidens,

And in one night I would love several graceful beauties,

and my heart would summon them, though many already thronged about it.

and my heart called out, while many of them were around it.

أَهيم بهذي ثم أعشق هذِه

أَهيم بهذي ثم أعشق هذِه

وعن تلك ذى تسلي ولي عند ذى فكرُ

وعن تلك ذى تسلي ولي عند ذى فكرُ

I would be infatuated with this one, then fall in love with that;

I would pine for this one, then love this other,

this one would distract me from that, yet with this one I remembered the other.

and this one distracted me from that one, while my thoughts dwelt with this one.

واشتاقَ من لم يدن مني لمن دنا

واشتاقَ من لم يدن مني لمن دنا

ويصبح قلبي وهو من حبهمَ صفرُ

ويصبح قلبي وهو من حبهمَ صفرُ

I would yearn for the one who stayed far from me over the one who drew near,

And I longed for one who had not drawn near me rather than one who had,

and by morning my heart would be empty of their love.

and my heart awoke empty of love for them.

أسر بمن حولي وألعب بالهوى

أسر بمن حولي وألعب بالهوى

ولم أدر ما البين المشتت والهجرُ

ولم أدر ما البين المشتت والهجرُ

I delighted in those around me and toyed with passion,

I delighted in those around me and played with love,

knowing nothing of dispersing separation or abandonment.

and I did not know what sundering separation and estrangement were.

إلى أن دعاني الحتفُ يوماً لهذه

إلى أن دعاني الحتفُ يوماً لهذه

فأصبحت في أذني من غيرها وقرُ

فأصبحت في أذني من غيرها وقرُ

Until Death one day summoned me to this one,

Until death one day called me to this woman,

and my ears grew deaf to every woman but her.

and my ear grew deaf to all but her.

غزالٌ براها الله لولا جمالها

غزالٌ براها الله لولا جمالها

وما أوتيت في الحسن ما سمح البدرُ

وما أوتيت في الحسن ما سمح البدرُ

A gazelle God fashioned—were it not for her beauty,

A gazelle God fashioned—were it not for her beauty

and all the loveliness she was granted, the full moon would never seem generous.

and the loveliness bestowed on her, the full moon would not have yielded.

قليلٌ لها عندي الصبابةُ والبكا

قليلٌ لها عندي الصبابةُ والبكا

كثيرٌ لنا منها التوجعُ والذكرُ

كثيرٌ لنا منها التوجعُ والذكرُ

Passion and weeping seem little for her, in my eyes;

Little are my yearning and tears for her;

from her come anguish and remembrance for us in abundance.

great are the anguish and remembrance she brings us.

لها منه عندي إذا مت عندها

لها منه عندي إذا مت عندها

فقال لها في المعزي لك الأجرُ

فقال لها في المعزي لك الأجرُ

If I die beside her, this much of me is hers:

She has a share of it from me when I die beside her,

let whoever consoles her say, “Yours is the reward.”

and the consoler tells her about me, 'The reward is yours.'

يقولون لي صبراً وما أنا والذي

يقولون لي صبراً وما أنا والذي

يقولون لو يدرون ما قد حوى الصدرُ

يقولون لو يدرون ما قد حوى الصدرُ

They tell me, “Patience!” Yet, by Him to whom they say it—

They tell me, 'Patience!'—but what have I to do with what

if only they knew what this breast contains.

they say? If only they knew what my breast contains!

وما الصبرُ مما لو تأتي أطعته

وما الصبرُ مما لو تأتي أطعته

أعوذ بربي أن يجاوز لي الصبرُ

أعوذ بربي أن يجاوز لي الصبرُ

Patience is not a thing whose command I can obey;

Patience is not something I would obey, even if it were attainable;

I seek refuge in my Lord lest patience ever dwell beside me.

I seek refuge in my Lord lest patience come my way.

أعنْ حبها أسلو ويوم لقيتها

أعنْ حبها أسلو ويوم لقيتها

على الشِّعبِ قالت قد أضرَّبَك الهجرُ

على الشِّعبِ قالت قد أضرَّبَك الهجرُ

How could I forget my love for her? The day I met her,

Can I forget my love for her, when on the day I met her

upon the mountain pass, she said, “Abandonment has harmed you.”

at the mountain pass she said, 'Estrangement has harmed you'?

على لها دمعٌ إِذا ما رأيتهُ

على لها دمعٌ إِذا ما رأيتهُ

مع القطر يهمي قلت أيهما القطرُ

مع القطر يهمي قلت أيهما القطرُ

I owe her my tears whenever I see her,

For her [I owe] tears; whenever I see them

streaming with the rain, and ask, “Which of the two is rain?”

streaming with the rain, I say, 'Which of the two is rain?'

وحرُّ اشتياقي يلفح الجمرَ وقدهُ

وحرُّ اشتياقي يلفح الجمرَ وقدهُ

إذا ما دنا منه فيحترق الجمرُ

إذا ما دنا منه فيحترق الجمرُ

The heat of my longing scorches the embers and their flame;

And the heat of my longing scorches the embers with its blaze;

whenever the embers draw near it, they burn.

whenever they draw near it, the embers catch fire.

فيا كبدي إن كنت مني تقطعي

فيا كبدي إن كنت مني تقطعي

ويا أعيني لم لَم يكن ذلكَ البحرُ

ويا أعيني لم لَم يكن ذلكَ البحرُ

O my liver, if you are part of me, then split apart;

So, O my liver, if you are part of me, tear yourself apart!

O my eyes, why were you not that sea?

And O my eyes, why was that not the sea?

ألم تشهدي يمني الوزير ومدها

ألم تشهدي يمني الوزير ومدها

يفيضُ عطَاءً ليس من مدهِ جزرُ

يفيضُ عطَاءً ليس من مدهِ جزرُ

Have you not witnessed the minister’s right hand and its flood,

Have you not witnessed the vizier's right hand and its tide,

pouring forth gifts—a tide whose flow knows no ebb?

overflowing with gifts, with no ebb to its flood?