خليلي هذا البرق أسيافه تنضي

خليلي هذا البرق أسيافه تنضي

فهيا عسى حتف الظلام به يقضى

فهيا عسى حتف الظلام به يقضى

My two friends, the swords of this lightning are unsheathed.

My beloved, this lightning - its swords are unsheathed

Come, then; perhaps through it darkness will meet its doom.

So perhaps it will destroy the darkness of night

فليس لنا بالصبح عهد لأننا

فليس لنا بالصبح عهد لأننا

عهدناه من قبل التفرق مبيضاً

عهدناه من قبل التفرق مبيضاً

For we have no acquaintance with dawn, since we

For we have no promise of dawn, since before we parted

knew it white before the parting.

We had promised it would dawn white

ولا بالكرى علم وهل كان لامرئ

ولا بالكرى علم وهل كان لامرئ

نأى عنه من يهواه أن يعرف الغمضا

نأى عنه من يهواه أن يعرف الغمضا

Nor do we know slumber; and could a man

Nor knowledge of fate - does a person ever

whose beloved has gone far from him ever know sleep?

Flee from whom he loves, knowing the blink of an eye?

هم هجروا برد الظلال وإنما

هم هجروا برد الظلال وإنما

حشاي وحاشاهم أقامت على الرمضا

حشاي وحاشاهم أقامت على الرمضا

They forsook the coolness of the shade, and only

They departed, leaving the cool of shade, rather

my inmost heart—may they be spared!—remained on the scorching ground.

My cheeks and their cheeks stayed branded by embers

مضوا فاسترد الدهر أنسي الذي مضى

مضوا فاسترد الدهر أنسي الذي مضى

كأن له عندي بقربهم قرضا

كأن له عندي بقربهم قرضا

They departed, and Time reclaimed my bygone joy,

They left, so time reclaimed my past happiness

as though, in their nearness, it had granted me a loan.

As if their nearness had owed it a debt

وبانوا فآلى البان لا بان بعدهم

وبانوا فآلى البان لا بان بعدهم

ولا عانقت أغصانه بعضها بعضا

ولا عانقت أغصانه بعضها بعضا

And they departed; the bān tree swore there would be no bān after them,

They were manifest, then all manifestation after them faded

nor would its branches embrace one another.

No boughs entwined each other anymore

عريب سبوا نومي ولم تدر مقلتي

عريب سبوا نومي ولم تدر مقلتي

كما سلبوا قلبي ولم تشعر الأعضا

كما سلبوا قلبي ولم تشعر الأعضا

A little band of Arabs took my sleep captive, and my eye was unaware,

Strangers blamed my sleep, though my eyelids did not know

just as they stole my heart, and my limbs felt nothing.

Just as they blamed my heart, though my limbs did not feel

وطلقت نومي والجفون حوامل

وطلقت نومي والجفون حوامل

فمن أجل ذا في الخد أبقت لها فرضا

فمن أجل ذا في الخد أبقت لها فرضا

And I divorced my sleep while my eyelids were pregnant,

I released my sleep though my lids were pregnant

so, for this reason, they retained a due allowance for themselves on the cheek.

So for that did I keep a duty for them in my cheek

فليتهم عادوا وقلبي فداهم

فليتهم عادوا وقلبي فداهم

وأرضي بأن تضحي خدودي لهم أرضا

وأرضي بأن تضحي خدودي لهم أرضا

If only they would return—my heart would be their ransom!

If only they would return, my heart ransom for them

And I would be content for my cheeks to become ground for them.

I would consent that my cheeks be as earth for them