وليلةِ وصلٍ راقبتْ غفلةَ الدّهرِ

وليلةِ وصلٍ راقبتْ غفلةَ الدّهرِ

فجادت بِبَدْرِي وهي مُشْرِقَةُ البَدْر

فجادت بِبَدْرِي وهي مُشْرِقَةُ البَدْر

And a night of union watched for Time's heedlessness,

That night of union I watched the heedlessness of time

then bestowed my full moon upon me, itself radiant with the full moon.

It yielded to me its full moon while it was the full moon rising

سَمِيري بِها غُصْنٌ مِن البانِ مَائِسٌ

سَمِيري بِها غُصْنٌ مِن البانِ مَائِسٌ

يرنَّحُهُ سُكْرُ الشَّبِيبةِ لاَ الخَمْرِ

يرنَّحُهُ سُكْرُ الشَّبِيبةِ لاَ الخَمْرِ

My companion that night was a swaying bough of the bān tree;

My night companion, a branch of acacia, drunk, not with wine

the intoxication of youth, not wine, makes him sway.

But the intoxication of youth staggering its boughs

أشاهد فِيها طلعةَ القَمَرِ الَّذي

أشاهد فِيها طلعةَ القَمَرِ الَّذي

تبسَّم عَنْ طَلْعٍ وإِن شِئْتِ من در

تبسَّم عَنْ طَلْعٍ وإِن شِئْتِ من در

In it I behold the face of the moon that

I see in it the rising of the moon who

smiled to reveal palm blossoms—or, if you wish, pearls.

Smiled at its rising, if you will, from a pearl

وأنظم سهماً لاح لي نظم ثغره

وأنظم سهماً لاح لي نظم ثغره

قصائد من شعر وإن شئت من سِحْر

قصائد من شعر وإن شئت من سِحْر

And I compose—his teeth's array flashed before me as an arrow—

And I string an arrow whose point shone for me, stringing

poems of verse—or, if you wish, of magic.

Poems of poetry, if you will, of magic

لقد أَعْرَبَت عَيْنَاه عن سِحْرِ بابل

لقد أَعْرَبَت عَيْنَاه عن سِحْرِ بابل

وإِن كان مَبْنِيَّ الجفُونِ عَلى الكَسْرِ

وإِن كان مَبْنِيَّ الجفُونِ عَلى الكَسْرِ

Indeed, his eyes spoke plainly of Babylon's magic,

Her eyes had certainly declaimed the magic of Babylon

though his eyelids were fixed in a languid droop.

Though made of eyelids built on dotted letters

وأَشهد حقّاً أَنَّ فوقَ جَبِينيهِ

وأَشهد حقّاً أَنَّ فوقَ جَبِينيهِ

لآياتِ حسنٍ هنَّ من سُورَة الفَجْرْ

لآياتِ حسنٍ هنَّ من سُورَة الفَجْرْ

And I truly bear witness that above the two sides of his brow

And I truly witness that above her forehead

are surely verses of beauty from the Sura of Dawn.

Are verses of beauty that are a surah of dawn

ونحن بقصرٍ أَشرقَت شُرُفَاتُه

ونحن بقصرٍ أَشرقَت شُرُفَاتُه

عَلَى رَوْضَةٍ تفترّ عن يانِع الزَّهر

عَلَى رَوْضَةٍ تفترّ عن يانِع الزَّهر

And we were in a palace whose balconies shone

And we were in a palace whose balconies shone

over a garden smiling to reveal flowers in full bloom.

Upon a garden that bared its blooming flowers

هَمَتْ في ذُرَاها أَدمعُ الطَّلِّ والنَّدى

هَمَتْ في ذُرَاها أَدمعُ الطَّلِّ والنَّدى

وبات بِها زَهْرُ الرُّبى باسمَ الثَّغر

وبات بِها زَهْرُ الرُّبى باسمَ الثَّغر

Tears of light rain and dew streamed upon its heights,

In its seeds pearled the tears of nightfall and dew

and there the hills' flowers spent the night with smiling mouths.

And through it the flowers of basil slept smelling of lips

يَضُوعُ أَرِيجُ المِسْكِ مِنْها إِذا انْثَنتْ

يَضُوعُ أَرِيجُ المِسْكِ مِنْها إِذا انْثَنتْ

مدبَّجَةَ الأَرجاءِ مِنْ بَلَل القَطْرِ

مدبَّجَةَ الأَرجاءِ مِنْ بَلَل القَطْرِ

Musk's fragrance wafts from it whenever it sways,

The scent of musk escapes her when she sways

its edges brocaded by the wetness of rain.

Embroidered with perfume from the rain's beads

وبات بها شَادِي الهَزَار مردِّداً

وبات بها شَادِي الهَزَار مردِّداً

أَفانَين تغريدٍ على فَنَنٍ نَضْرِ

أَفانَين تغريدٍ على فَنَنٍ نَضْرِ

And there the nightingale songster spent the night repeating

And the melodious hazar bird spent the night singing through her

varied strains of birdsong upon a verdant bough.

Melodies and trills in fresh compositions

وقد عَبقَت من ذلك الجَوِّ نَفْحةٌ

وقد عَبقَت من ذلك الجَوِّ نَفْحةٌ

معطَّرةُ الأَنفاسِ طيّبةُ النَّثْر

معطَّرةُ الأَنفاسِ طيّبةُ النَّثْر

And from that air a fragrant breath had wafted,

And from that air an aroma wafted

its breaths perfumed, its dispersal sweet.

Sweet-breathing, sweet-scattering perfumes

أَليلتَنَا إِن لم تكونِي عبَارة

أَليلتَنَا إِن لم تكونِي عبَارة

وحقِّك عن عُمرٍ فَدَيْتُكِ بالعُمْر

وحقِّك عن عُمرٍ فَدَيْتُكِ بالعُمْر

O our night, if you were not an expression

O, our night, if you are not fleeting

—by your worth—of a lifetime, I would ransom you with my life.

By your right I ransomed you with a life

أَمِنْتُ بها إِتيان وَاشٍ وحَاسِدٍ

أَمِنْتُ بها إِتيان وَاشٍ وحَاسِدٍ

فَمَا مِنْ رَقيبٍ غَيْرُ أَنجُمِها الزُّهْر

فَمَا مِنْ رَقيبٍ غَيْرُ أَنجُمِها الزُّهْر

In it I was safe from the arrival of a tale-bearer or envier,

I trusted you against the coming of slanderers and enviers

for there was no watcher but its radiant stars.

With no guard but your shining stars

ضَمَمْتُ إِلى صَدْري الحبيبَ مُعانِقاً

ضَمَمْتُ إِلى صَدْري الحبيبَ مُعانِقاً

وهل لَكَ يَا قَلْبي مَحَلٌ سِوَى صَدْرِي

وهل لَكَ يَا قَلْبي مَحَلٌ سِوَى صَدْرِي

I clasped the beloved to my breast, embracing him;

I drew the beloved to my breast in an embrace

and is there any place for you, O my heart, but my breast?

And does your heart, my heart, have any place but my chest?

فَيَا ليلةً أَحْيَت فؤادي بِقُرْبِهِ

فَيَا ليلةً أَحْيَت فؤادي بِقُرْبِهِ

فأَحيَتْها سُكراً إِلى مطْلَعِ الفَجْر

فأَحيَتْها سُكراً إِلى مطْلَعِ الفَجْر

So, O night that revived my heart through his nearness,

O night you revived my heart by his nearness

then kept it alive in drunkenness until the break of dawn.

Reviving it intoxicated till the dawn broke

ولما رأَيتُ الروحُ فِيها مُسَامِرِي

ولما رأَيتُ الروحُ فِيها مُسَامِرِي

تيقَّنْتُ حقّاً أَنها ليلةُ القَدْر

تيقَّنْتُ حقّاً أَنها ليلةُ القَدْر

And when I saw the Spirit there as my nighttime companion,

And when I saw the spirit conversing with me

I knew for certain that it was the Night of Decree.

I was certain that it was the Night of Power