1. God's peace, I have ancient tears
I scatter on the leaves of discord
١. سَلَامُ اللهِ، لِي دَمْعٌ عَجُوزٌ
أُبَعْثِرُهُ عَلَى وَرَقِ الشَّتَاتِ
2. And I have days with the taste of death in them
And I have poems, the gardens of rebels
٢. وَلِي الْأَيَّامُ طَعْمُ الْمَوْتِ فِيهَا
وَلِي الْأَشْعَارُ بُسْتَانُ الْغُوَاةِ
3. I topple every kingdom and government
And spread my sorrow through the mouths of narrators
٣. أُطِيحُ بِكُلِّ مَمْلَكَةٍ وَحُكْمٍ
وَأَنْشُرُ أَنَّتِي بِفَمِ الرُّوَاةِ
4. I wander on some clouds of my suspicion
And give poetry a text from my life
٤. أَجُولُ عَلَى سَحَائِبِ بَعْضِ ظَنِّي
وَأُعْطِي الشِّعْرَ نَصًّا مِنْ حَيَاتِي
5. Like many suspicions that poetry is useful
If some rebels are characterized by it
٥. كَثَيْرُ الظَّنِ أنَّ الشَّعْرَ يُجْدِي
إذَا اتَّصَفَتْ بِهِ بَعْضُ الْعُصَاةِ
6. And all poetry is connected with anxiety
Some poetry is tied to the future
٦. وَكُلُّ الشِّعْرِ مَوْصُولٌ بِهَمِّ
وَبَعْضُ الشِّعْرِ مَوْثُوقٌ بِآتِ
7. I see it today in stray words
Of weak growth and bent qualities
٧. أَرَاهَ الْيَوْمَ فِي قَوْلٍ شَرِيدٍ
ضَعِيفِ النَّشْءِ مَحْنِيِّ الصِّفَاتِ
8. On a letter of days inadvertently
One sells the dreams of writers!
٨. عَلَى حَرْفٍ مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ سَهْوًا
يَبِيعُ الْمَرْءُ أَحْلَامَ الدَّوَاةِ!
9. When one thinks of a gift
He tastes humiliation from crumbs
٩. إذَا مَا الْمَرْءُ فَكَّرَ فِي عَطَاءٍ
يَذُوقُ الذَّلَ طَعْمًا مِنْ فُتَاتِ
10. These are the days that reject all affection
It is the thorns planted in the canal
١٠. هِيَ الْأَيَّامُ تَرْفُضُ كُلَّ وِدٍّ
هِيَ الْأَشْوَاكُ تُزْرَعُ بِالْقَنَاةِ
11. We ward off death from ancient tears
Perhaps tears are abundant grants
١١. نَرُدُّ الْمَوْتَ عَنْ دَمْعٍ عَجُوزٍ
لَعَلَّ الدَّمْعَ مَوْفُورُ الْهِبَاتِ
12. God's peace, O recovering homeland
The blood of days is the kiss of tyrants!
١٢. سَلَامُ اللهِ يَا وَطَنًا تَعَافَى
دَمُ الْأَيَّامِ تَقْبِيلُ الطُّغَاةِ!
13. We have dreams if pure veins
Its pulse mingles with the night of demise
١٣. لَنَا الْأَحْلَامُ لَوْ تَصْفُو عُرُوقٌ
يُخَالِطُ نَبْضَهَا لَيْلُ الْفَوَاتِ
14. Over dreams a tyrannical bird
That legalizes our dream under rulers
١٤. عَلَى الْأَحْلَامِ طَيْرٌ مُسْتَبِدٌّ
يُشَرِّعُ حُلْمَنَا تَحْتَ الْوُلَاةِ
15. The dream refused a spacious expansion
And the dream is the door of miracles
١٥. أَبَتْ لِلْحُلْمِ مُتَّسَعًا فَسِيْحًا
وَإِنَّ الْحُلْمَ بَابُ الْمُعْجِزَاتِ
16. I see the dream has an enlightened origin
That completes its form from rays
١٦. أَرَى لِلْحُلْمِ أَصْلًا مُسْتَنِيْرًا
يُكَمِّلُ شَكْلَهُ مِنْ نَيِّرَاتِ
17. It seduces its doubt in every eye
As if doubt is the spoken languages
١٧. يُرَاوِدُ شَكَّهُ فِي كُلِّ عَيْنٍ
كَأَنَّ الشَّكَ مَنْطُوْقُ اللُّغَاتِ
18. So we will return to utter two sighs
The taste of life is like death to us
١٨. إِذَنْ سَنَعُودُ نَلْفُظُ شَهْقَتَيْنِ
لَنَا طَعْمُ الْحَيَاةِ لَكَالْمَمَاتِ
19. We prove that if death struck us with an arrow
We will be reborn from the remains
١٩. نُبَرْهِنُ إِنْ رَمَانَا الْمَوْتُ سَهْمًا
بِأَنَّا سَوْفَ نُوْلَدُ مِنْ رُفَاتِ
20. I will sip two sips: blood and wine
If yearning is suppressed from life
٢٠. سَأَرْشُفُ رَشْفَتَيْنِ: دَمًا وَخَمْرًا
إِذَا وُئِدَ الْحَنِينُ مِنَ الْحَيَاةِ