وزَوْرٍ زارني واللَّيلُ داجٍ

وزَوْرٍ زارني واللَّيلُ داجٍ

فعلّلني بباطله وولّى

فعلّلني بباطله وولّى

A visitor came to me while the night was dark;

A liar came to me as the night grew dark,

then he soothed me with his illusion and departed.

Giving me false excuses before turning away.

سقاني ريقَهَ مَن كنت دهراً

سقاني ريقَهَ مَن كنت دهراً

مَذوداً عن مراشفه مُحَلّا

مَذوداً عن مراشفه مُحَلّا

He gave me his saliva to drink, though for ages I had been

He let me taste his saliva, after I had

barred from his lips, driven away.

Long been denied his pillow, rejected.

وأولى فوق ما أهواه منه

وأولى فوق ما أهواه منه

وما يدري بما أعطى وأولى

وما يدري بما أعطى وأولى

And he bestowed more than I desired from him,

Yet he claimed more than what he wished from me,

not knowing what he had given and bestowed.

Not knowing what he gave, nor what he denied.

وأرخص قربَه باللّيل مَن لو

وأرخص قربَه باللّيل مَن لو

سألنا قربه بالصّبحِ أغلى

سألنا قربه بالصّبحِ أغلى

He made his nearness cheap at night—he who, if

He made being close to him cheap in the night,

we asked for his nearness at dawn, would make it dear.

When being close in the dawn would have cost dearer.

نعمنا بالحبيب دجىً فلمّا

نعمنا بالحبيب دجىً فلمّا

تولّى واِضمحلّ لنا اِضمحلّا

تولّى واِضمحلّ لنا اِضمحلّا

We delighted in the beloved in darkness; then, when

We acquiesced to the lover in the dark, but when

it passed and faded, he too faded from our sight.

He turned from us, we turned from him, equally.

فإِنْ يك باطلاً فسقيم حبٍّ

فإِنْ يك باطلاً فسقيم حبٍّ

أفاقَ به قليلاً أو أبَلّا

أفاقَ به قليلاً أو أبَلّا

So if it is illusion, one sick with love

If it is false, this sickly love

briefly revived through it, or recovered.

That made me rave a little, or go mad,

تلاقٍ لا نخاف ولا نبالي

تلاقٍ لا نخاف ولا نبالي

بمن أوحى به وعليه دلّا

بمن أوحى به وعليه دلّا

A meeting where we feel no fear and care nothing

It is a union we neither fear nor care for

for whoever hints at it and points it out.

Who inspired it, and upon it set his seal.

ولو أنّ الصَباحَ يُطيع أمري

ولو أنّ الصَباحَ يُطيع أمري

لما كشف الظّلامَ ولا تجلّى

لما كشف الظّلامَ ولا تجلّى

And if the dawn obeyed my command,

If only the dawn would obey my command,

it would neither lift the darkness nor shine forth.

It would not unveil the darkness, nor shed its light.