1. You passed by the grove, O guide of the caravan at Eisa,
Bear my greetings to the house of Dannis.
١. وَقيتَ العَنا يا حادى الرَكبِ بالعيسِ
تَحَمَّل تَحيّاتِ إِلى دارِ دَنّيس
2. And greet those I befriended there,
And the eyes of pleasure glance at it gently.
٢. وَحَيِّ نَدامايَ الذينَ أَلِفتُهُم
بِها وَعُيونُ اللَهوِ تَرنو بِتأنيس
3. And days of delights I spent being close to them,
We raced through them the horses of joy without bridle.
٣. وَأَيامَ لَذَّاتٍ تَقَضَّت بِقُربِهِم
رَكَضنا بِها خَيلَ السُرورِ بِلا كَيسٍ
4. With horsemen of intimacy who turn towards
Gazelles in cloaks, if they see them.
٤. بِفُرسانِ أنسٍ يُقبِلونَ إِذا رَأوا
ظِباء كِناسٍ في ثيابِ الطَواويس
5. Verily for the sake of pleasure a passionate soul
Yearns for the Bible and the ringing of bells.
٥. أَلا في سَبيلِ اللَهوِ نَفسٌ مَشوقَةٌ
تَحِن لإنجِيلٍ وَقَرعِ نَواقيسِ
6. And it aspires to the mention of dawn and youths
Whose motto is the cascading of hair over heads.
٦. وَتَصبو إِلىَ ذِكرِ الصُبوحِ وَفِتيَةٍ
شِعارُهُم سَدلُ الشُعورِ عَلى الروسِ
7. When they remember the law of Jesus, they wiped themselves
With its traces between ink and priest.
٧. إِذا ذَكَروا شَرعَ اليسوعِ تَمَسَّحوا
بِآثارِهِم ما بَينَ حَبرٍ وَقسيّسِ
8. And they serve drink to the one taking rest as if its breeze
Were a messenger to the heart of the passionate one with ventilation.
٨. وَيسقونَ مَن راحٍ كَأَنَ نَسيمَها
رَسولٌ إِلى قَلبِ المَشوقِ بِتَنفيسِ
9. When we drink it, its server says:
"Greetings senior, long live sir."
٩. إِذا ما شَرِبناها يَقولُ مُديرُها
قَراتسي سنيور أَفيفا أَيا موس
10. So the sides of the boon companions shake for his words
As the Bible shook the hearings of Shimis.
١٠. فتَهتَز أَعطافُ النَدامى لَقَولِهِ
كَما هَزت الإِنجيلُ أَسماعَ شِميِّسِ
11. Good for you O Mattil, set out repenting,
For my father Lulu is the enemy of the bankrupt.
١١. لك الخَير يا ماتيل بادِر بِأوبَةٍ
فَإِن أَبي لولو عَدوّ المَفاليسِ
12. And the son of Constantine, his affection changed,
Maybe you inherit to see me without purse.
١٢. وَإِن ابنَ قُسطَنطينَ حالَ وِدادُهُ
لَعلك تَرثي أَن تَراني بِلا كيسِ
13. For you are the greatest of people, not objecting,
You meet with spreading clothes with ventilation.
١٣. فَأَنتَ كَبيرُ القَومِ غَيرَ مُدافَع
تُلاقي بِنَشر للثياب بِتَنفيس
14. Maybe the nights will return to you,
And we wear the clothes of clarity, the best clothes.
١٤. لَعَلَّ اللَيالي أَن تَعود إِليكُمُ
فَنَلبِس أَثوابَ الصَفا خَير مَلبوس
15. And we enjoy from the wells of Al-Hijar a drink,
And my hearing gets rung from Thursday with pentatonic tunes.
١٥. وَنَلتَذ مِن بير الحِجارِ بِشَربَةٍ
وَيُقرَعُ سَمعي مِن خَميسٍ بِتَخميسِ
16. It is the vast, lofty residence, its pillar
On the plateau from the palace of Badis.
١٦. هُوَ المَنزِلُ الرحب الرَفيعُ عِمادُهُ
عَلى الهضبَة الشماءِ مِن قَصرِ باديسِ
17. If the tongue of religion tested it, it wouldn't say:
"Maybe a stopover with the caravan, O guide of Eisa."
١٧. لَو أَنَّ لِسانَ الدينِ عاناهُ لَم يَقُل
عَسى وَقفَةٌ بالرَكبِ يا حاديَ العيسِ