زحف الصباحُ وهذه راياتهُ

زحف الصباحُ وهذه راياتهُ

فهوت نجومُ الليل وهي حماتهُ

فهوت نجومُ الليل وهي حماتهُ

Dawn advanced, and these are its banners.

The dawn crept in and here are its banners

So night's stars fell, though they were its defenders.

The stars of night have fallen, they are its tents

لو لم تخفْ كرَّ الظلام لما انبرتْ

لو لم تخفْ كرَّ الظلام لما انبرتْ

في الخافقين خوافقاً عذباته

في الخافقين خوافقاً عذباته

Had they not feared darkness's countercharge, they would not have sprung forth—

Had the darkness not been afraid, it would not have retreated

its pennon-tips, fluttering across the two horizons.

With its soft, delicate motes in the horizons

حربٌ جنتْ قتل الكرى بحسام با

حربٌ جنتْ قتل الكرى بحسام با

رقها فآبَ خضيبةً صفحاته

رقها فآبَ خضيبةً صفحاته

A war that slew slumber with the sword of

It was a war that killed the abominable with sharp swords

its lightning; the sword returned with its broad sides stained.

Whose blades were bloodstained when pages were turned

أو ما ترى نسرَ السماءِ محلقاً

أو ما ترى نسرَ السماءِ محلقاً

فيها وفي كفّ السِّماكِ قناته

فيها وفي كفّ السِّماكِ قناته

Or do you not see heaven's Eagle soaring

Do you not see the eagle of the sky hovering

there, with al-Simāk's spear in his hand?

In it and in the grip of the falcon its prey

وكأنما شفقُ السماءِ بذيلها

وكأنما شفقُ السماءِ بذيلها

دم معرك ترد السيوف كماته

دم معرك ترد السيوف كماته

And as though the sky's red glow along its hem

As if the glow of the sky with its tail

were battle-blood, with swords drinking from its champions.

Was the blood of a battlefield where swords lie dead

أبكي الوصالَ تقاصرتْ أعوامهُ

أبكي الوصالَ تقاصرتْ أعوامهُ

ومن الصدودِ تطاولت ساعاته

ومن الصدودِ تطاولت ساعاته

I mourn union, whose years grew short,

I cry over the union whose years have shortened

and through estrangement, its hours grew long.

While from estrangement the hours have lengthened

وبمهجتي رشأٌ لصرفٍ البابلي

وبمهجتي رشأٌ لصرفٍ البابلي

يةِ ريقهُ ولبابلٍ لحظاته

يةِ ريقهُ ولبابلٍ لحظاته

And with my heart's blood I would ransom a fawn: pure Babylonian

And in my throat is the saliva of one who yearns for Babylon

wine is his saliva, and his glances belong to Babylon.

Its spittle and Babylon's moments

ظبيٌ وأحناءُ الضلوع كناسهُ

ظبيٌ وأحناءُ الضلوع كناسهُ

قمرٌ سوادُ قلوبنا هالاته

قمرٌ سوادُ قلوبنا هالاته

A gazelle, the curves of the ribs his covert;

A gazelle, and the curves of its ribs are like a bow

a moon, the dark cores of our hearts his halos.

A moon, the darkness of our hearts are its crescents

ناشدتهُ عهدَ الحمى وسالتهُ

ناشدتهُ عهدَ الحمى وسالتهُ

عن بانهِ فتحدّثت حركاته

عن بانهِ فتحدّثت حركاته

I adjured him by the sanctuary's pledge, and asked him

I asked it about the covenant of passion and questioned it

about its bān-tree; his movements spoke in reply.

About its abode, so its movements spoke

نشوانُ لو كتم اللثامُ جمالهُ

نشوانُ لو كتم اللثامُ جمالهُ

لزيارةٍ باحت بهِ نفحاته

لزيارةٍ باحت بهِ نفحاته

Intoxicated—if his face-veil hid his beauty

Allure, even if the veil concealed its beauty

on a visit, his fragrances would reveal it.

Its breaths blew open with its fragrances

خواطيّةٌ أعطافهُ مسكيّةٌ

خواطيّةٌ أعطافهُ مسكيّةٌ

أنفاسهُ عانيَّةٌ رشفاته

أنفاسهُ عانيَّةٌ رشفاته

His supple sides are boughlike; musky

Flirtatious, its contours are aromatic

are his breaths, and his sips are wine from ʿĀna.

Its breaths coquettish, its glance penetrating

وسقيمِ خصرٍ لا تصحُّ وعودهُ

وسقيمِ خصرٍ لا تصحُّ وعودهُ

وسنانِ طرفٍ لاتنامُ وشاته

وسنانِ طرفٍ لاتنامُ وشاته

And a frail-waisted one, whose promises never prove sound,

And the sickly waist cannot keep its promises

drowsy-eyed, whose slanderers never sleep.

Nor the teeth of its glance that never sleep

لبس الجمالَ مشهّراً لما دجتْ

لبس الجمالَ مشهّراً لما دجتْ

أصداغهُ وتضرَّجتْ وجناته

أصداغهُ وتضرَّجتْ وجناته

He wore beauty openly, when darkness gathered

Beauty wore its adornment when it darkened

in his temple-locks and his cheeks flushed crimson.

Its cheeks blushed and its sides turned rosy

لو كان في دين الغرامِ مطالبٌ

لو كان في دين الغرامِ مطالبٌ

بدمي لهانَ بخدّهِ إثباته

بدمي لهانَ بخدّهِ إثباته

If in love's creed someone sought redress

If in the religion of love there were demands

for my blood, his cheek would make the case easy to prove.

To prove with my blood, I'd readily offer it to its cheek

ولكنتُ آخذ جفنهُ لكنَّهُ

ولكنتُ آخذ جفنهُ لكنَّهُ

شرعٌ تجورُ على الخصومِ قضاته

شرعٌ تجورُ على الخصومِ قضاته

And I would seize his eyelid, but this is

But I would take its eyelids, though it

a law whose judges wrong the litigants.

Is a law that tyrannizes the opponents in its courts

واهاً لسفحِ دمشقَ حيث تفاوحت

واهاً لسفحِ دمشقَ حيث تفاوحت

كثبانه وترنّحت باناته

كثبانه وترنّحت باناته

Ah, for Damascus's slopes, where fragrance rose

Oh, for the slopes of Damascus where

from its sandhills and its bān-trees swayed.

Its dunes once billowed and its maidens languished

هو موقفُ الشكوى الذي لولاهُ ما

هو موقفُ الشكوى الذي لولاهُ ما

فتكت بغلبِ أسودهِ ظبياته

فتكت بغلبِ أسودهِ ظبياته

It is the place of lament: were it not for it,

It is the place of lament that without it

its gazelles would not have slain its stout-necked lions.

The beasts would not have savaged its noble gazelles

متبلّجٌ والليلُ تحت لوائهِ

متبلّجٌ والليلُ تحت لوائهِ

والصبحُ ما نشرت عليه ملاته

والصبحُ ما نشرت عليه ملاته

It is radiant, with night beneath its banner,

Shining while the night is under its banner

while dawn's mantle has not been spread over it.

And the dawn has not yet spread its possessions

والأرض تفهق بالمياهِ كأنها

والأرض تفهق بالمياهِ كأنها

أيدي وفودِ مليكها وهباته

أيدي وفودِ مليكها وهباته

And the earth brims with waters, as though they were

The earth awakens with water as if it were

the hands of delegations to its king, and his gifts.

The hands of its king's delegates and gifts

يلقاك نشرُ نسيمها وكأنما

يلقاك نشرُ نسيمها وكأنما

خلعتْ على تلك الهضاب صفاته

خلعتْ على تلك الهضاب صفاته

The fragrance of its breeze greets you, as though

The breeze meets you with its fragrance as if

those hills had been robed in his qualities.

It had adorned those plateaus with its qualities

وترى صفاءَ الجو يشبهُ وجههُ

وترى صفاءَ الجو يشبهُ وجههُ

سيلَ الندى فتهللتْ قسماته

سيلَ الندى فتهللتْ قسماته

And you see the sky's clarity resemble his face

And you see the clarity of the air resembles his face

when asked for bounty, his features lighting up.

The torrents of dew have made his features shine