يا مَن طواها الليلُ في ظلمائِه

يا مَن طواها الليلُ في ظلمائِه

روحا مفزعةً على بيدائِهِ

روحا مفزعةً على بيدائِهِ

O you whom the night enfolded in its darkness,

O you whom the night enveloped in its darkness

A terrified soul upon its desert waste,

A startled soul in its wilderness

تتلفتينَ إليَّ في أنحائه

تتلفتينَ إليَّ في أنحائه

لهف الفؤادِ على الشريدِ التائِهِ

لهف الفؤادِ على الشريدِ التائِهِ

You turn toward me within its reaches,

You look around for me in its corners

With the heart's anguish for the lost outcast.

Yearning heart for the lost bewildered one

إن تظمئي ليَ كم ظمئتُ إِليك

إن تظمئي ليَ كم ظمئتُ إِليك

جَمَعَ الوفاءُ شقيةً وشقيَّا

جَمَعَ الوفاءُ شقيةً وشقيَّا

If you thirst for me, how often I have thirsted for you!

If you are thirsty for me, how much have I thirsted for you

Fidelity has joined a wretched woman and a wretched man.

Loyalty brought misery for both you and I

يا مُنيتي قَستِ الحياةُ عليكِ

يا مُنيتي قَستِ الحياةُ عليكِ

وجرت مقادرُهَا الجسامُ عليَّا

وجرت مقادرُهَا الجسامُ عليَّا

O my heart's desire, life has been harsh to you,

O my wish, life was harsh on you

And its weighty decrees have fallen upon me.

And its heavy destinies cruel to me

إِني التفتُ إِلى مكانِكِ والمنى

إِني التفتُ إِلى مكانِكِ والمنى

شُلَّت وقلبي لا يطيقُ حراكا

شُلَّت وقلبي لا يطيقُ حراكا

Indeed, I turned toward your place, while hopes

I turn to your place, and my heart is paralyzed, unable to move

Lay paralyzed, and my heart could not stir.

I cried: what a pity! You were once here

فصرختُ يا أسفاً لقد كانت هنا

فصرختُ يا أسفاً لقد كانت هنا

لِمَ عاقني القدرُ الخؤونُ هناكا

لِمَ عاقني القدرُ الخؤونُ هناكا

So I cried out, 'Alas! She was indeed here!'

Why did fate deny me, leaving me there?

Why did treacherous fate hold me back there?

The sky frowned, and its shadows darkened

عَبَسَت وسودتِ السماءُ ظلالهَا

عَبَسَت وسودتِ السماءُ ظلالهَا

فكأنَّ عقباناً تحطُّ رحالَهَا

فكأنَّ عقباناً تحطُّ رحالَهَا

The sky frowned and blackened its shadows,

As if eagles landed, resting their wings

As though eagles were setting down their baggage,

As if the clouds' burdens overhead

وكأنَّ أطوادَ السحابِ حيالَهَا

وكأنَّ أطوادَ السحابِ حيالَهَا

أَرسَت على الكتفِ الصغيرِ ثقالَهَا

أَرسَت على الكتفِ الصغيرِ ثقالَهَا

And as though mountains of cloud before her

Were loaded on the small shoulders beneath

Had laid their heavy burdens on the small shoulder.

You cry out for the sky, but it is unresponsive

تستصرخينَ لكِ السماءَ وقد خبت

تستصرخينَ لكِ السماءَ وقد خبت

وطوت بشاشةَ كلِّ نجمٍ مشرقِ

وطوت بشاشةَ كلِّ نجمٍ مشرقِ

You implore the sky to help you, though it has grown dim,

Having folded the cheer of each shining star

And folded away the smiling brightness of every shining star.

If it were empty, it would have listened and came close

إِن خلتِها استمعت إِليكِ وقاربت

إِن خلتِها استمعت إِليكِ وقاربت

ألفيتِهَا صارت كلحدٍ ضيِّقِ

ألفيتِهَا صارت كلحدٍ ضيِّقِ

If you thought it had listened to you and drawn near,

You knew it well, so it became narrow and stifling

You found it had become like a narrow grave.

O you who escaped fate and its turning

يا مَن هربتِ من القضاء وصرفهِ

يا مَن هربتِ من القضاء وصرفهِ

عجباً لهاربةٍٍ تلوذ بهاربِ

عجباً لهاربةٍٍ تلوذ بهاربِ

O you who fled from fate and its reversals,

Strange for an escapee to take refuge in another escapee

How strange: a fugitive woman seeking refuge with a fugitive man!

Either it was a star that rose and declined in its weakness

إمّا هَوى نجمٌ ومالَ لضعفهِ

إمّا هَوى نجمٌ ومالَ لضعفهِ

أبصرتِ حظَّكِ في الشعاعِ الغاربِ

أبصرتِ حظَّكِ في الشعاعِ الغاربِ

If ever a star fell and drooped from its weakness,

You saw your luck in the fading rays

You saw your fortune in the setting ray.

What a pity for you, a wandering soul

أسفاً عليك وأنتِ روحٌ حائرُ

أسفاً عليك وأنتِ روحٌ حائرُ

والكون أسرارٌ يضيقُ بها الحِجَى

والكون أسرارٌ يضيقُ بها الحِجَى

Alas for you—you are a bewildered soul,

And the universe has secrets too narrow for the valleys

And the universe is mysteries too vast for reason.

A passerby crosses and a passerby speeds

تجتازُ عابرةٌ ويسرعُ عابر

تجتازُ عابرةٌ ويسرعُ عابر

وتمرُّ أشباحٌ يواريها الدُجَى

وتمرُّ أشباحٌ يواريها الدُجَى

A woman passes through, and a man hurries on,

While specters pass, hidden by darkness

And phantoms pass, concealed by the darkness.

In your cheeks a glow and charm

في وجنتيكِ توهجٌ وضرامُ

في وجنتيكِ توهجٌ وضرامُ

وبمقلتيكِ مدامعٌ وذهولُ

وبمقلتيكِ مدامعٌ وذهولُ

Your cheeks glow and blaze,

And in your eyelids, tears and swooning

And in your eyes are tears and bewilderment.

Thus days pass you by, unknown

وكذا تمرُّ بمثلكِ الأيامُ

وكذا تمرُّ بمثلكِ الأيامُ

مجهولةً وعذابُهَا مجهولُ

مجهولةً وعذابُهَا مجهولُ

And so the days pass over one like you,

And their torment unknown

Unknown, and their torment unknown.

My paradise, if only before we met

وَلَّيت قبلَ لقائنا يا جنتي

وَلَّيت قبلَ لقائنا يا جنتي

لم تطفري مني بقولٍ مسعدِ

لم تطفري مني بقولٍ مسعدِ

You turned away before we met, O my paradise;

You hadn't fled from me with a happy word

You gained no cheering word from me.

As is the wretched habit of my fate

وكعادةِ الحظِ الشقيّ وعادتي

وكعادةِ الحظِ الشقيّ وعادتي

أقلبتُ بعد ذهاب نجمي الأوحدِ

أقلبتُ بعد ذهاب نجمي الأوحدِ

And as is wretched fortune's habit, and mine,

I lost after the departure of my only star

I arrived after my one and only star had gone.

Destinies alternate, and they do wrong

تتعاقبُ الأقدارُ وَهيَ مسيئةٌ

تتعاقبُ الأقدارُ وَهيَ مسيئةٌ

كم عقنا ليلٌ وخانَ نهارُ

كم عقنا ليلٌ وخانَ نهارُ

Fates follow one another, and they do harm;

How many nights betrayed the days?

How often a night hindered us, and a day betrayed us!

As if this fate is a sin

وكأنما هذا القضاءُ خطيئةٌ

وكأنما هذا القضاءُ خطيئةٌ

وكأنَّ همسَ نسيمِه استغفارُ

وكأنَّ همسَ نسيمِه استغفارُ

And as though this fate were a sin,

And the whisper of its breeze, a prayer of forgiveness

And as though the whisper of its breeze were a plea for forgiveness,

As if it is the sorrows of people who journeyed

وكأنَّه أحزانُ قومٍ ساروا

وكأنَّه أحزانُ قومٍ ساروا

هذي مآتمُهم وَثم ظلالُهَا

هذي مآتمُهم وَثم ظلالُهَا

And as though it were the sorrows of people who had gone away:

The palaces are covered in dust, the walls desolate

These are their mourning rites, and there are their shadows.

Like statues frozen in place with their forms

عَفَتِ القصورُ وظلَّتِ الأسوارُ

عَفَتِ القصورُ وظلَّتِ الأسوارُ

كَمَنَاحَةٍ جمدت وذا تمثالُهَا

كَمَنَاحَةٍ جمدت وذا تمثالُهَا

The palaces have vanished, and the walls remain,

Blackness prevailed on the face of the houses

Like a lament frozen still, and this is its statue.

And their weeping and tears came to me

غامَ السوادُ على وجوه الدورِ

غامَ السوادُ على وجوه الدورِ

وَسرى إليَّ نحيبُها والأدمعُ

وَسرى إليَّ نحيبُها والأدمعُ

Blackness clouded the faces of the houses,

As if I am on a deserted shore

And their sobbing and tears crept toward me.

A ship that will not return has left

وكأني في شاطئٍ مهجور

وكأني في شاطئٍ مهجور

قد فارقتهُ سفينةٌ لا ترجعُ

قد فارقتهُ سفينةٌ لا ترجعُ

And it was as though I were on a deserted shore

When it bid farewell, and departed

From which a ship had departed, never to return.

Nothing remained for the onlooker

حملت لنا أملاً فلما ودَّعَت

حملت لنا أملاً فلما ودَّعَت

لم يَبقَ بعدَ رحيلِهَا للناظرِ

لم يَبقَ بعدَ رحيلِهَا للناظرِ

It had carried hope for us, but when it bade farewell,

Except visions of happiness that sailed away

Nothing remained after its departure for the watcher

And farewells of loved ones, and a traveler's tear

إلا خيالُ سعادةٍ قد أقلعت

إلا خيالُ سعادةٍ قد أقلعت

ووداعُ أحباب ودمعُ مسافرِ

ووداعُ أحباب ودمعُ مسافرِ

Except a phantom of happiness that had set sail,

And loved ones' farewell, and a traveler's tears.