أَرِقتُ لِبَرقٍ هَزَّ عِطفَيهِ في الدُجى

أَرِقتُ لِبَرقٍ هَزَّ عِطفَيهِ في الدُجى

فَأَرتَقَني لَأَلاؤُهُ إِذ تَضَرَّما

فَأَرتَقَني لَأَلاؤُهُ إِذ تَضَرَّما

I lay sleepless for a lightning-flash that swayed its flanks in the darkness;

I lay sleepless over lightning that shook its flanks in the darkness;

its radiance kept me wakeful when it blazed.

its radiance kept me awake as it blazed.

رَفَعتُ لَهُ الأَطنابَ لِما رَأَيتُهُ

رَفَعتُ لَهُ الأَطنابَ لِما رَأَيتُهُ

يُطالِعُني مِن بَينِها مُتَبَسِّما

يُطالِعُني مِن بَينِها مُتَبَسِّما

I raised the tent-ropes for it when I saw it

I raised the tent ropes for it, because I saw it

peering out at me from between them, smiling.

peering at me from between them, smiling.

فَلَو لَم يَكُن مِن نَحوِكُم زارَ مُقلَتي

فَلَو لَم يَكُن مِن نَحوِكُم زارَ مُقلَتي

لَما زَوَّدَنهُ مِن مَدامِعِها دَما

لَما زَوَّدَنهُ مِن مَدامِعِها دَما

Had it not come from your quarter to visit my eye,

Had it not visited my eye from your direction,

my eye would never have sent it off provisioned with blood from her tear ducts.

it would not have been provisioned with blood from my eye's tear ducts.