1. كان الربيعُ الحيُّ روحاً حالماً

    غضَّ الشَّبابِ مُعَطَّرَ الجلبابِ

    Living spring was a dreaming spirit,

    Tender in youth, its robe perfumed,

  2. يَمْشي على الدّنيا بفكرةِ شاعرٍ

    ويطوفُها في موكبٍ خَلاَّبِ

    Walking upon the world with a poet's thought,

    And roaming through it in an enchanting procession.

  3. والأفْقُ يملأهُ الحَنانُ كأنَّهُ

    قَلْبُ الوجودِ المنتجِ الوهَّابِ

    And tenderness filled the horizon, as though it were

    The heart of fruitful, bountiful existence.

  4. والكونُ من طُهْرِ الحياةِ كأنّما

    هو معبدٌ والغابُ كالمحرابِ

    And through life's purity, the universe seemed

    A temple, and the forest like a prayer niche.

  5. والشّاعرُ الشَّحرورُ يَرْقُصُ مُنشداً

    للشَّمسِ فوقَ الوردِ والأعشابِ

    And the poet-blackbird danced, singing

    To the sun above the roses and the grasses

  6. شعْرَ السَّعادةِ والسَّلامِ ونفسهُ

    سَكْرى بسِحْر العالَم الخلاّبِ

    Poetry of happiness and peace, his soul

    Drunk on the enchanting world's magic.

  7. ورآه ثعبانُ الجبال فغمَّه

    ما فيه من مَرَحٍ وفيْضِ شبابِ

    And the mountain serpent saw him, and was vexed

    By the mirth in him and his overflowing youth.

  8. وانقضَّ مضْطَغِناً عليه كأنَّه

    سَوْطُ القضاءِ ولعنةُ الأربابِ

    And pounced upon him, full of rancor, as though he were

    The scourge of fate and the curse of the gods.

  9. بُغِتَ الشَّقيُّ فَصاح في هول القضا

    متلفِّتاً للصَّائل المنْتابِ

    The hapless bird was startled and cried out in dread of fate,

    Turning toward the assailant who had come upon him.

  10. وتَدَفَّق المسكينُ يصرخُ ثائراً

    ماذا جنيتُ أنا فَحُقَّ عِقابي

    And the poor creature burst out, crying in revolt:

    What crime have I committed, that I deserve punishment?

  11. لا شيءَ إلاَّ أنَّني متغزّلٌ

    بالكائناتِ مغرِّدٌ في غابي

    Nothing, except that I sing love songs

    To all beings, warbling in my forest.

  12. ألْقى من الدّنيا حناناً طاهراً

    وأبُثُّها نَجْوى المحبِّ الصَّابي

    I receive pure tenderness from the world,

    And confide to it the whispers of a yearning lover.

  13. أيُعَدُّ هذا في الوجود جريمةً

    أينَ العدالةُ يا رفاقَ شبابي

    Is this counted as a crime in the world?

    Where is justice, O companions of my youth?

  14. لا أين فالشَّرْعُ المقدّسُ ههنا

    رأيُ القويِّ وفكرةُ الغَلاّبِ

    Nowhere—for the sacred law here is

    The strong man's judgment and the conqueror's thought.

  15. وسَعادةُ الضَّعفاءِ جُرْمُ ما لهُ

    عند القويِّ سوى أشدِّ عِقابِ

    And the happiness of the weak is a crime that earns

    From the strong nothing but the harshest punishment.

  16. ولْتَشْهَدِ الدُّنيا التي غنَّيْتُها

    حُلْمَ الشَّبابِ وروعةَ الإعجابِ

    And let the world, to which I sang

    Youth's dream and the splendor of admiration, bear witness

  17. أنَّ السَّلامَ حَقيقةٌ مَكْذوبةٌ

    والعَدْلَ فَلْسَفةُ اللّهيبِ الخابي

    That peace is a false truth,

    And justice the philosophy of a fading flame.

  18. لا عَدْلَ إلاَّ إنْ تَعادَلتِ القوى

    وتَصادَمَ الإرهابُ بالإرهابِ

    There is no justice unless the powers are evenly matched

    And terror clashes with terror.

  19. فَتَبَسَّمَ الثُّعبانُ بَسْمةَ هازئٍ

    وأجابَ في سَمْتٍ وفَرْطِ كِذابِ

    Then the serpent smiled a scoffer's smile,

    And answered with solemn bearing and boundless falsehood:

  20. يا أَيُّها الغِرُّ المثرثرُ إنَّني

    أرثي لثورةِ جَهْلكَ التلاّبِ

    O you chattering simpleton, I

    Pity the revolt of your ruinous ignorance.

  21. والغرُّ يعذره الحكيمُ إِذا طغى

    جهلُ الصِّبا في قلبه الوثّابِ

    And the sage excuses the simpleton when

    Youth's ignorance runs rampant in his impetuous heart.

  22. فاكبحْ عواطفكَ الجوامحَ إنّها

    شَرَدَتْ بلُبِّكَ واستمعْ لخطابي

    So curb your unruly passions, for they

    Have carried your reason away; and listen to my words.

  23. إنِّي إلهٌ طالما عَبَدَ الوَرَى

    ظلِّي وخافوا لعنَتي وعقابي

    I am a god; long have all creatures worshiped

    My shadow and feared my curse and my punishment.

  24. وتقدّموا لي بالضَّحايا منهُمُ

    فَرحينَ شأنَ العابدِ الأوّابِ

    And came to me with sacrifices from among themselves,

    Rejoicing, like the ever-repentant worshiper.

  25. وسَعادةُ النَّفسِ التَّقيَّةِ أنّها

    يوماً تكونُ ضحيَّةَ الأربابِ

    And the pious soul's happiness is that

    One day it becomes a sacrifice to the gods.

  26. فتصيرُ في روحِ الألوهةِ بضعةً

    قُدُسِيَّةً خَلُصَتْ من الأوشابِ

    And so becomes a fragment in the spirit of divinity,

    Sacred, freed from impurities.

  27. أفَلا يَسُرُّكَ أن تكونَ ضحيَّتي

    فتحُلَّ في لحمي وفي أعصابي

    Would it not then delight you to become my sacrifice,

    And so dwell in my flesh and in my nerves,

  28. وتكونَ عزماً في دمي وتوهُّجاً

    في ناظِريَّ وحدّةً في نابي

    And become resolve in my blood, and a glow

    In my eyes, and sharpness in my fang,

  29. وتذوبَ في روحي التي لا تنتهي

    وتصيرَ بعضَ ألوهتي وشَبابي

    And melt into my spirit, which never ends,

    And become part of my divinity and my youth?

  30. إنِّي أرَدْتُ لكَ الخلودَ مؤلّهاً

    في روحيَ الباقي على الأحقابِ

    I wanted you immortal, made divine,

    Within my spirit, enduring through the ages.

  31. فكِّرْ لِتُدْرِكَ ما أريدُ وإنَّه

    أسمى من العيش القَصيرِ النَّابي

    Think, so you may grasp what I intend; it is

    Loftier than this short, harsh life.

  32. فأجابه الشُّحرورُ في عُصَصِ الرَّدَى

    والموتُ يخنقه إليكَ جوابي

    Then the blackbird answered him in the throes of death,

    While death was choking him: Here is my answer to you:

  33. لا أرى للحقِّ الضَّعيفِ ولا صدًى

    والرّأيُ رأيُ القاهرِ الغلاّبِ

    I see nothing for powerless right—not even an echo;

    And judgment is the judgment of the all-conquering oppressor.

  34. فافعلْ مشيئَتكَ التي قَدْ شئتَها

    وارحمُ جلالكَ من سماعِ خطابي

    So carry out your will, which you have already willed,

    And spare your majesty from hearing my words.

  35. وكذاك تُتَّخَذُ المظالمُ منطقاً

    عذباً لتخفِيّ سَوْءةَ الآرابِ

    And thus injustices are turned into reasoning,

    Sweet, to conceal the shame of desires.