Night, I love you

 Night, I love you: poem’s name

(أحبك يا ليل)

Poet’s name: ghazi kanafani

(غازي كنفاني)

Date of writing the poem:  1 February 1953

 

 →  listen to the poem

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أنت يا ليلي.. كمثلي.. مظلم.. تائه.. حائر

Night, you are like me, dark, lost and uncertain

فدعني أناجيك..

Let me talk to you

حتى أسلو عن بعض ما بي..

To be consoled with some of what makes me sad

أحبك يا ليل وأحب سكونك الجميل الساحر

I love you, night. And I love your magical beautiful stillness

أحبك أحب نجومك المنبسطة على سطحك كأنها ستار جميل

I love you, night and I love your expanded stars on your surface like a beautiful cover

وهذا القمر يشع من بين ثناياك

And this is the moon that shines from your folds

ساحرا جميلا مدهشا

In a stunning, beautiful, magical way

أحبك موسيقى شاجية تصدحها نجومك ويعزفها قمرك

I like your sad music that was sung by your stars and was composed by your moon

أحبك ولا أحبك..

I like you and I don’t like you

فحنانك يذكرني بحنان غيرك الذي افتقدته

Cause your kindness reminds me of the missing kindliness of someone else 

وجمالك يذكرني ويعود بذكراي إلى محاولة حب فشلت 

And your beauty reminds me of a failed try of love

أحبك.. عندما أسير منتشيا بخمر العاطفة

I like you when I walk and get high with the wine of emotion

وبقربي زمجرة الأمواج العاتية

Near the noise of the harsh waves

تفتح فاها وتطلب المزيد

These waves open their mouth and ask for more

أحبك عندما تلفني وأحزاني وهمومي بستارك المخيف 

I like you when you wrap me, my sorrows and my worries with your fearful cover

فنصبح أنا وهمومي وأحزاني واحدا في خضمك

So, I, my sorrows and my worries become one thing in your vast sea 

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أكرهك يا ليل عندما تنهزم من أفواج الضوء الجميل 

I hate you, night when you lose to the rays of the beautiful light

وتبدأ نجومك الساحرة بالتباعد 

And your magical stars start to get far

تاركة مكانها لشمس تسطع 

…leaving their place to a bright sun

أكرهك عندما تذهب وتتركني وهمومي تصارعني وأصارعها

I hate you when you go and leave me with my worries that struggle with me and I struggle with them

أحبك.. أتسمعني أم أنك لاهٍ عن دنيانا 

I like you, night, do you hear me, or you don’t worry about our life? 

وأكرهك أتسمعني أم أنك كمثلي تنتشي من أول وهلة فتصم أذنك عن ذمك 

And I hate you, night, do you hear me or you, like me, feel happy from the first moment unwilling to hear about your blame? 

أحبك وأكرهك.. وسأظل هكذا إلى الأبد لا أدري أأنا أحبك أم أكرهك 

 I like you and I hate you... and I remain forever unable to 

Know whether I like you or I hate you

An explanation of this piece from the arabic poems :

This poem is an imaginary conversation between the poet and the night, ghazi kanafani, the writer of this rich piece of art, has conflicting feelings about the night. Part of him loves the night and the other one not. The meaning here is deeper than that. the poet uses this to express his uncertain inner voice about life, his incomplete love.

 In some parts you can see that he is in love with night like a one-side relationship.  Of course, the dialogue here is from one side, but the poet succeeded in making the poem full of dynamism as if it were a two-sided conversation. 

We can find some interesting expressions: “with the wine of emotion”, “your sad music that was sung by your stars and was composed by your moon” and “my sorrows and my worries become one thing in your vast sea”.