زارَ الحبيبُ فزارَ أَجفاني الكَرَى

زارَ الحبيبُ فزارَ أَجفاني الكَرَى

ودَنا سرورٌ كان عن قلبي سَرَى

ودَنا سرورٌ كان عن قلبي سَرَى

The beloved visited, and slumber visited my eyelids.

The beloved visited, so my eyelids were visited by sorrow

And joy drew near that had departed from my heart.

And joy approached, it had strayed from my heart

لا تنكروا أن غابَ عنا مرَّةً

لا تنكروا أن غابَ عنا مرَّةً

شِيَمُ الكواكب أَن تغيبَ فتظهرا

شِيَمُ الكواكب أَن تغيبَ فتظهرا

Do not find it strange that he was absent from us once:

Do not deny that he was absent from us once

It is the stars' nature to disappear, then reappear.

It is the nature of stars to set and then rise

وافى كبدر الأفق بعدَ غروبهِ

وافى كبدر الأفق بعدَ غروبهِ

فجلا عن العين الظلام الأَغبَرا

فجلا عن العين الظلام الأَغبَرا

He arrived like the horizon's full moon after its setting,

The full moon returned after its setting

Then dispelled the dust-gray darkness from the eye.

Shining upon the eyes after the darkness

أهلاً بمَن أخَذ القلوب وديعةً

أهلاً بمَن أخَذ القلوب وديعةً

وأَعادها معهُ تخوض الأَبحرُا

وأَعادها معهُ تخوض الأَبحرُا

Welcome to him who took hearts into his keeping,

Welcome is he who took hearts as a trust

And brought them back with him as they crossed the seas.

And brought them back with him to cross the seas

إني ظننت لقاهُ وهماً كاذباً

إني ظننت لقاهُ وهماً كاذباً

إذ كان في عيني يظلُّ مصوَّرا

إذ كان في عيني يظلُّ مصوَّرا

Indeed, I thought meeting him a false illusion,

I thought meeting him was an illusion

For he would remain an image in my eyes.

As if he still appeared before my eyes

كم بتُّ في سهرٍ أراعي أَنجُماً

كم بتُّ في سهرٍ أراعي أَنجُماً

فحُرِمتُ طيفاً جآءَ منهُ مُبَشِّرا

فحُرِمتُ طيفاً جآءَ منهُ مُبَشِّرا

How often I spent the night awake, watching stars,

How many nights did I stay up watching stars

And so was denied a dream-vision that came from him bearing glad tidings.

Only to miss the phantom that came with glad tidings

أهديتهُ دُرَّ الكلام منظَّماً

أهديتهُ دُرَّ الكلام منظَّماً

يبدو لَدَى دُرّ الدموع منثَّرا

يبدو لَدَى دُرّ الدموع منثَّرا

I offered him pearls of speech, strung in verse,

I gifted him the pearls of my words, rhymed

Which seem scattered beside the pearls of tears.

Scattered by the pearls of my tears

لا ردَّ أيَّام السُّرَى بعد اللقا

لا ردَّ أيَّام السُّرَى بعد اللقا

مَن ردَّ أيَّام اللقا بعد السُّرَى

مَن ردَّ أيَّام اللقا بعد السُّرَى

May he never bring back the days of night journeys after reunion—

No longer can days of intimacy be restored after the meeting

He who restored the days of reunion after night journeys.

Just as days of meeting cannot be restored after intimacy