1. He carried the disease from the banks of Egypt
And came to Zahleh where he found a grave

2. The specters of his affliction would not have frightened him
Had his soul not been stirred by the purest memory

3. When darkness falls, the sun passes over it
Bearing embers upon its wings

4. What ember more scorching than the ember of love
That chanced upon a heart, burning, and settled there

5. If he slept, the image of the maiden passed in a dream
Calling upon her Lord and beating her chest

6. At times tears burst forth, at others
She held back her tears through sheer will

7. She stepped before a new grave
Over which she had scattered tears and flowers

8. Grief changed her face, it did not remain
As it had once radiated beauty like a spell

9. And when he awoke he stared into the darkness
For a while like one expecting something

10. And peered with eyes in the gloomy chamber
Hoping the darkness would uncover a secret

11. Then he listened to a melody in his depths
That twisted him with the memory of her, and he shivered

12. And he knew that the visions had awakened him
From one passion to another

13. One night he felt a violent throbbing in his lungs
And the image of his beloved appeared to him

14. A gory specter, so he shuddered in horror