قالتْ : إلى من تُرسلُ الأشعار

قالتْ : إلى من تُرسلُ الأشعار

ولمن تسوق حروفها أنْهارا ؟

ولمن تسوق حروفها أنْهارا ؟

She said, “To whom do you send the poems,

She said: To whom do you send your poems

And for whom do you set their letters flowing as rivers?

And for whom do you make their letters into rivers?

ولمن تقدِّمُ شِيحِها وخُزَامه

ولمن تقدِّمُ شِيحِها وخُزَامه

وتزفُّ من كلماتها الأزهارا ؟

وتزفُّ من كلماتها الأزهارا ؟

And to whom do you offer their wormwood and lavender,

And for whom do you offer their passions and yearnings

And usher forth the flowers from their words?

And present from their words bouquets of flowers?

ولمن تطرِّزُ ثوبها وإلى متى

ولمن تطرِّزُ ثوبها وإلى متى

تبقى تُسامر ليلها ونهارا ؟

تبقى تُسامر ليلها ونهارا ؟

And for whom do you embroider their garment, and how long

And for whom do you embroider their dress, and until when

Will you keep their night company, and by day as well?”

Will you continue conversing with their night and day?

قالت:أراكَ بعثتَ شعركَ صرخةً

قالت:أراكَ بعثتَ شعركَ صرخةً

وصنعتَ منهُ الصَّارِمَ البتَّارا

وصنعتَ منهُ الصَّارِمَ البتَّارا

She said, “I see you have sent your poetry forth as a cry,

I said: I see you have sent your poetry as a scream

And fashioned from it a sharp, cleaving sword.

And made from it the sharp cutting sword

أجريتهُ في الرملِ محراثا وهل

أجريتهُ في الرملِ محراثا وهل

تعطي الرِّمالُ الزارعينَ ثمارا ؟!

تعطي الرِّمالُ الزارعينَ ثمارا ؟!

You drove it through the sand as a plow—and do

You made it run in the sand as a plough, but does

The sands yield fruit to those who sow?

The sand give the farmers fruits?

قل لي بربكَ من تخاطبُ ، إنَّني

قل لي بربكَ من تخاطبُ ، إنَّني

لأرى خِطابَ الغافلينَ خَسارا

لأرى خِطابَ الغافلينَ خَسارا

Tell me, by your Lord, whom you address; I

Tell me, by your God, whom do you address? For I

Surely see addressing the heedless as a loss.”

See the discourse of the heedless is loss

فأجبتُ سَائِلَتي إجابة شاعرٍ

فأجبتُ سَائِلَتي إجابة شاعرٍ

عرفَ الطَّريقَ إلى القلوبِ فسارا

عرفَ الطَّريقَ إلى القلوبِ فسارا

So I answered my questioner with the answer of a poet

So I answered my questioner with the reply of a poet

Who knew the path to hearts and walked it:

Who knew the way to hearts, so he walked

للشعر قومٌ يعشقونَ حروفهُ

للشعر قومٌ يعشقونَ حروفهُ

ويرونَ فيهِ الرَّوضَ و الأشجارا

ويرونَ فيهِ الرَّوضَ و الأشجارا

“Poetry has people who adore its letters,

For poetry there are people who love its letters

And see in it the garden and the trees,

And see in it the meadow and the trees

ويرونَ فيهِ نجومَ ليلٍ كلَّم

ويرونَ فيهِ نجومَ ليلٍ كلَّم

جنَّ المساءُ تَاَلَّقتْ أنوارا

جنَّ المساءُ تَاَلَّقتْ أنوارا

And see in it the stars of night: whenever

And see in it the stars of a night that

Evening falls, they shine forth as lights.

The evening adorned, its lights glittered

أنا مُبحرٌ لي في المُحيط سفينةٌ

أنا مُبحرٌ لي في المُحيط سفينةٌ

من أحْرُفي لا ترْهَبُ الإبحارا

من أحْرُفي لا ترْهَبُ الإبحارا

I am a seafarer; in the ocean I have a ship

I am a sailor, I have in the ocean a ship

Of my letters, unafraid of sailing.

Made of my letters, that does not fear sailing

إنِّي أُخاطِبُ أُمَّتي ورجاله

إنِّي أُخاطِبُ أُمَّتي ورجاله

ونِسَاءَها وكِبَارها وصِغَارا

ونِسَاءَها وكِبَارها وصِغَارا

Indeed, I address my nation and its men,

I address my nation, its men

And its women, its elders, and the young.”

And its women, its elders and its children