Verses from the Poem “This Night is Long and the Vigil Lasts Longer”
The poet Bashar ibn Burd expresses:
This night is long, and indeed the vigil is prolonged,
For I am well aware that my nights are brief.
It has hardly lasted before a young one,
With soft limbs, captivates my gaze.
In my heart, there is a pang,
That has claimed my heart, my hearing, and my sight.
It is as if the inspiration takes a visible form,
Whenever sleep approaches, it flees away.
Verses from the Poem “The Bleariness of Your Eyes is Evidence of Your Suffering”
The poet Abu Nuwas states:
Your bleary eyes are a sign of
Your complaints about last night’s sleeplessness.
Your face bears a woeful countenance,
From a night spent in debauchery.
The scent of wine and its pleasures
Do not hide; they are unmistakable.
Add to that a sweet-faced companion,
As the sun inclines at its twilight.
Verses from the Poem “They Said, Rest Your Eyes from Prolonged Vigil”
The poet Abdul Rahman Al-Ashmawi remarks:
They said, “Rest your eyes from the lengthy vigil,”
“And give your heart respite from its groaning and fatigue.”
They suggested, “Establish a kingdom for poetry,
Where every favored beauty leaves her trace.”
“Sketch for us a portrait of Layla,
In which shapes and forms compete with one another.”
Teach the stars of the night the love song,
And pour the nectar of passion into the ear of dawn.
Verses from the Poem “The Vigil of the Eyes for Anyone Other than You is Futile”
The poet Khalid Al-Katib Al-Baghdadi conveys:
The vigil of my eyes for anyone other than you is futile,
And their weeping for anyone but your beauty is in vain.
Do you think I share love with you?
Not at all; for love has gathered only for you.
My sight and hearing are wholly captivated by you; yet,
I am aware of you as a visible presence in my life and a sound I hear.
Verses from the Poem “Awake, Lighthearted This Dawn”
The poet Omar Khayyam declares:
Awake, lighthearted, for this dawn is calling,
Leave sleep behind and engage the lute.
For sleep does not prolong life,
Nor does extended vigil shorten it.
How many nights have followed days,
And how long do the stars circle in their course?
Walk gently, for this earth,
Is from eyes that cast a captivating spell.
Verses from the Poem “Who Will Aid Me Through the Vigil”
The poet Ibn Al-Mu’tazz inquires:
Who can assist me in this vigil,
And through my grief and thoughts?
In my troubles, there is a young one
Who has sanctified love as it escalates.
He stands like a branch in the clearing,
Following the sun and the moon.
Unaware of my plight, he calls to me
While I remain ignorant of his feelings.
Verses from the Poem “Oh Keeper of the Lightning, Awaken the Sleeper of the Evening”
The poet Abu Al-Alai Al-Maari implores:
Oh keeper of the lightning, awaken the sleeper of the evening,
Perhaps with a bit of distress, I can find aid in this sleeplessness.
And if you are stingy towards all the living,
Then quench the thirst of the shared well for the descendants of Matar.
And, oh captive of her knees, I see folly,
In wearing adornments for one whose gaze has blurred.
I have walked, and yet a shade of you follows me,
Appearing before me and whispering in my wake.
Verses from the Poem “Oh Night, Either Rise or Do Not Prolong”
The poet Omar Al-Yafi proclaims:
Oh night, either rise or do not prolong,
The length of my wakefulness has capped it.
And should it be prolonged in time ahead,
I am bound to spend it in vigilance.
If I had my moon beside me,
I would not view your beauty in dismay.
Or if the full moon arose,
I would not stay awake to gaze at your light.