سمرت بصحبة حروف القوافي

سمرت بصحبة حروف القوافي

احملها تناهيت خوافي

احملها تناهيت خوافي

I spent the night with the letters of rhyme.

I wandered with the rhymes' companionship

I load them with hidden sighs.

Carrying them, my fears diminished

اشكل بالحروف الوان صوره

اشكل بالحروف الوان صوره

احركها من المعنى بصافي

احركها من المعنى بصافي

I shape a picture's colors with letters.

I shape the letters into a picture's colors

I set them in motion with pure meaning.

I move them from meaning to meaning purely

اشيل الحرف من معنى لمعنى

اشيل الحرف من معنى لمعنى

واجاري ما زهر واظهر بخافي

واجاري ما زهر واظهر بخافي

I carry the letter from one meaning to another.

I take the letter from one meaning to another

And I follow what blossoms and bring forth what is hidden.

And follow what has blossomed and emerged secretly

 والى منى عطيت الحرف ونه

والى منى عطيت الحرف ونه

بها حرفي على النجمات طافي

بها حرفي على النجمات طافي

And when I give the letter a moan,

To the one I gave the letter and delight

With it, my letter floats above the stars.

With it, my letters floated upon the stars

يقوم كل نجم من منامه

يقوم كل نجم من منامه

أنا ما نيب اسامر نجم غافي

أنا ما نيب اسامر نجم غافي

Every star rises from its sleep.

Each star rises from its slumber

I do not keep a sleeping star company at night.

I will not spend the night conversing with a drowsy star

يجيني كل نجم منه معنى

يجيني كل نجم منه معنى

ولا قد قلت للنجمات كافي

ولا قد قلت للنجمات كافي

From every star, a meaning comes to me.

Each star comes to me with a meaning

And I have never told the stars, 'Enough.'

And I have not yet said to the stars, enough!

تصور لي دموع وابتسامه

تصور لي دموع وابتسامه

من عيون تقصوت ما تشاف

من عيون تقصوت ما تشاف

They paint for me tears and a smile,

It depicts for me tears and smiles

From eyes that have grown distant, unseen.

From eyes that narrate what they have witnessed

ألا يا نجم يا عالي تبصر

ألا يا نجم يا عالي تبصر

شف بعين المحبه عين وافي

شف بعين المحبه عين وافي

Ah, O star, O lofty one, look closely.

Oh high star, do you see,

Look with love's eye—the eye of one who is true.

Look with loving eyes, a faithful eye

وخبرني عن علومه وحاله

وخبرني عن علومه وحاله

عسى قلبه مع الأشواق دافي

عسى قلبه مع الأشواق دافي

And tell me his news and how he fares.

And tell me of his knowledge and state

May his heart be warm with longing.

Hopefully his heart is burning with longing

ولو ممشاي في جمر يفيده

ولو ممشاي في جمر يفيده

مشيت بجمرها كنه عوافي

مشيت بجمرها كنه عوافي

And if my walking through embers would help him,

Even if walking on embers benefits him

I would tread its embers as though they were comfort.

I would walk on its embers as if they were meadows

ولكن وش يفيده لو ذبحني

ولكن وش يفيده لو ذبحني

ومن يوصف جماله عقب قافي

ومن يوصف جماله عقب قافي

But what good would it do him if he slew me?

But what would it benefit him if I were slaughtered

And who would describe his beauty after my verse?

Who can describe his beauty after the last rhyme?