كانوا هنا, مروا, بل ابتعدوا,

كانوا هنا, مروا, بل ابتعدوا,

ما زلت أسأل هل هنا أحدُ؟!

ما زلت أسأل هل هنا أحدُ؟!

They were here; they passed by—rather, they went far away.

They were here; they passed through—no, they went away.

I still ask: Is anyone here?!

I still ask: is anyone here?!

هل ما يزال الوقت يثمرهم؟!

هل ما يزال الوقت يثمرهم؟!

تلك الظلال همُ همُ احتشدوا

تلك الظلال همُ همُ احتشدوا

Does time still bring them to fruition?!

Does time still bear them as fruit?!

Those shadows—it is they, they, gathered together.

Those shadows are they—they have gathered.

قد أنبأتني الريح أنَّهمُ

قد أنبأتني الريح أنَّهمُ

تركوا الصدى عندي وقد صعدوا

تركوا الصدى عندي وقد صعدوا

The wind has told me that they

The wind has told me that they

left the echo with me and ascended.

Left the echo with me and have ascended.

لا نبعَ رشَّفَ عابرين هنا

لا نبعَ رشَّفَ عابرين هنا

كلا ويقطر في المدى كمد

كلا ويقطر في المدى كمد

No spring gave passing travelers sips here—

No spring gave passersby sips here.

no indeed; it drips sorrow through the distance.

No indeed—and anguish drips through the expanse.

ظمآن أوقفني الحنين على

ظمآن أوقفني الحنين على

ذكرى بها الأشواق تبترد

ذكرى بها الأشواق تبترد

Thirsting, I was halted by longing before

Thirsty, I was halted by longing at

a memory in which yearnings cool themselves.

A memory where yearnings cool themselves.

قفْ حيثُ نقشُ خطًا مبللةٍ

قفْ حيثُ نقشُ خطًا مبللةٍ

بالأمسِ يحرسُ صمتَها الأبدُ

بالأمسِ يحرسُ صمتَها الأبدُ

Stop where the trace of rain-wet footsteps

Stand where footsteps lie imprinted, wet

from yesterday has its silence guarded by eternity.

With yesterday; eternity guards their silence.

خُرْسٌ هنا الأشباحُ متعَبةٌ

خُرْسٌ هنا الأشباحُ متعَبةٌ

وإلى ضبابٍ ينحني استندوا

وإلى ضبابٍ ينحني استندوا

Mute here, the ghosts are weary;

Mute here are the weary ghosts,

they leaned upon a bending bank of mist.

And against a bending mist they leaned.

إلا قطاةً رعتُ غفلتها

إلا قطاةً رعتُ غفلتها

أرأيتَ؟ فرَّت وهي ترتعد

أرأيتَ؟ فرَّت وهي ترتعد

Except for a sandgrouse whose unwariness I watched over—

Except a sandgrouse I startled in its unwariness.

Did you see? She fled, trembling.

Did you see? It fled, trembling.

أقطاةُ لست أنا وإنّ صِبًا

أقطاةُ لست أنا وإنّ صِبًا

أغواكِ قد أسرى به الأمد

أغواكِ قد أسرى به الأمد

O sandgrouse, I am not one—though a youthful passion

O sandgrouse, it is not I; indeed, the youthfulness

that beguiled you has been borne away by time.

That beguiled you—time has borne it away by night.

لهوُ الطفولة خمرُ دالية

لهوُ الطفولة خمرُ دالية

ما انفك يثملني بها زبد

ما انفك يثملني بها زبد

Childhood play is the wine of a grapevine;

Childhood's play is wine from a grapevine;

its froth has never ceased intoxicating me.

Its foam has never ceased to intoxicate me.

أهرقتُ أكؤسها معتقة

أهرقتُ أكؤسها معتقة

لما صحا من سكرة رشد

لما صحا من سكرة رشد

I poured out its well-aged cups

I poured away its cups of aged wine

when good sense awoke from intoxication.

When reason awoke from drunkenness.

يا أمس من (رزنامة) صمتت

يا أمس من (رزنامة) صمتت

إلا صدى في الحلم يتَّقِد

إلا صدى في الحلم يتَّقِد

O yesterday, from a calendar that fell silent

O yesterday, from a calendar fallen silent

except for an echo kindling in the dream,

Save for an echo blazing in the dream,

إلا بقايا من ذمار هوى

إلا بقايا من ذمار هوى

كالعِلْق غالى فيه مقتصد

كالعِلْق غالى فيه مقتصد

except for remnants of a passion’s sacred charge,

Save for remnants of love's cherished trust,

like a precious treasure on which the sparing man lavished all.

Like a treasure for which a frugal man paid dearly.

طفْ بي على أكناف وادعة،

طفْ بي على أكناف وادعة،

كهلا أعودُ إليك يا بلدُ

كهلا أعودُ إليك يا بلدُ

Take me around tranquil precincts;

Take me round the tranquil environs;

an old man, I return to you, O town.

A middle-aged man, I return to you, O homeland.

للذكريات الواثبات ضحى

للذكريات الواثبات ضحى

أنى التفت فثم لي رصد

أنى التفت فثم لي رصد

For the memories that leap forth at daybreak—

The memories that leap up at midmorning—

wherever I turn, there is a watcher for me.

Wherever I turn, they lie in wait for me.

وعلى الثغاء تعيد ذاكرةٌ

وعلى الثغاء تعيد ذاكرةٌ

أصداءَ ضحكتنا فتحتشد

أصداءَ ضحكتنا فتحتشد

And over the bleating, a memory restores

And over the bleating, memory replays

the echoes of our laughter, and they gather.

The echoes of our laughter, and they throng.

ونشد خيط الفجر من سَحَرٍ

ونشد خيط الفجر من سَحَرٍ

ما زال فيه الضوء ينعقد

ما زال فيه الضوء ينعقد

We would seek a thread of dawn from a predawn hour

And we pull taut dawn's thread from a predawn hour

in which the light is still being woven.

In which the light is still knotting itself.

كنا نزرِّرُ بالنجوم منًى

كنا نزرِّرُ بالنجوم منًى

ليحلَّها ملءَ الصباح غد

ليحلَّها ملءَ الصباح غد

We used to button wishes with the stars

We used to button up wishes with stars,

for tomorrow to undo them across the whole morning.

For tomorrow to unfasten them, filling the morning.

الليل وحشٌ غيرَ أن يدا

الليل وحشٌ غيرَ أن يدا

بالأمن تفدى بي ليَ السند

بالأمن تفدى بي ليَ السند

Night is a beast, except that a hand,

Night is a beast, yet a hand

ransoming me with safety, is my support.

Brings safety—may I be its ransom—and is my support.

وكأنَّ قنديلًا يطشُّ سنًى

وكأنَّ قنديلًا يطشُّ سنًى

إن حدَّثتْني فالدجى بدد

إن حدَّثتْني فالدجى بدد

It is as though a lantern were sprinkling radiance;

And as though a lamp were spraying radiance,

if she spoke to me, the darkness scattered.

If she spoke to me, the darkness was in shreds.

فغفوتُ حتى خلتني هدبًا

فغفوتُ حتى خلتني هدبًا

في مقلتيها فالذي ... ولد

في مقلتيها فالذي ... ولد

So I dozed until I imagined myself an eyelash

So I dozed until I imagined myself an eyelash

in her two eyes; and then what ... was born.

In her eyes; for the one who ... is a child.

أغفو ولم تبرح تهدهدُني

أغفو ولم تبرح تهدهدُني

فالكل إلا ... للكرى خلدوا

فالكل إلا ... للكرى خلدوا

I sleep, while she has never ceased rocking me;

I doze, and she has not ceased to rock me;

all except ... have entered everlasting sleep.

For all except ... had surrendered to slumber.

يا قريتي يا فجرَ أمنيتي

يا قريتي يا فجرَ أمنيتي

يا كحلَ عيني مسني الرمد

يا كحلَ عيني مسني الرمد

O my village, O dawn of my desire,

O my village, O dawn of my wish,

O kohl of my eye—the inflammation has touched me.

O kohl of my eye, sore eyes have afflicted me.

يا نخلةً في الجرف حالمةً

يا نخلةً في الجرف حالمةً

أن يستريح بظلها رأَد

أن يستريح بظلها رأَد

O palm tree upon the riverbank, dreaming

O palm tree, dreaming on the riverbank

that a tender youth might rest in her shade.

That a tender youth might rest in its shade.

سعفاتها كجفون ثاكلة

سعفاتها كجفون ثاكلة

أخنى عليها الحزن والسهد

أخنى عليها الحزن والسهد

Her palm fronds are like the eyelids of a bereaved woman;

Its fronds are like the eyelids of a bereaved mother,

grief and sleeplessness have ravaged her.

Ravaged by sorrow and sleeplessness.

ها إنني قد جئت يعثر بي

ها إنني قد جئت يعثر بي

ضعفي وتسندُني إليكِ يد

ضعفي وتسندُني إليكِ يد

Here I am: I have come, my weakness stumbling with me,

Here I am; I have come, stumbling because of

while a hand supports me toward you.

My weakness, while a hand steadies me toward you.

من قبل خمسين افتقدتُ رؤًى

من قبل خمسين افتقدتُ رؤًى

وانحلَّ في ترتيبها العدد

وانحلَّ في ترتيبها العدد

Fifty [years] ago, I lost visions,

Fifty years ago, I lost visions,

and the number came undone in their ordering.

And the count unraveled in their ordering.

وانحلَّ حبلٌ خلتُ عقدته

وانحلَّ حبلٌ خلتُ عقدته

حفظتْ لموعود بما تعد

حفظتْ لموعود بما تعد

And a rope came undone whose knot, I thought,

And a cord came undone whose knot I thought

had kept for the one promised what it promises.

Had honored its promise to the one it was made to.

أمسكتُ أهداب الدخان وقد

أمسكتُ أهداب الدخان وقد

أبصرتُ أشباحًا به اتحدوا

أبصرتُ أشباحًا به اتحدوا

I grasped the lashes of the smoke, and already

I grasped the fringes of smoke, having

I had seen ghosts united within it.

Seen ghosts become one with it.

ورجعتُ أشحذُ سيفَ ذاكرتي

ورجعتُ أشحذُ سيفَ ذاكرتي

لأقدَّ نسيانًا وبي حَرَدُ

لأقدَّ نسيانًا وبي حَرَدُ

I returned to sharpen the sword of my memory

And I went back to sharpening my memory's sword,

to cleave oblivion, anger burning within me.

To cleave forgetfulness, anger within me.

يا أمس يا حلما نصبت له

يا أمس يا حلما نصبت له

فخًّا لأدركَه فيبتعدُ

فخًّا لأدركَه فيبتعدُ

O yesterday, O dream for which I set

O yesterday, O dream for which I laid

a snare so I might catch it—yet it recedes.

A snare, to catch it—yet it recedes.

ماذا بقيْ من غصن داليتي

ماذا بقيْ من غصن داليتي

ليعود عصفورٌ لها غرد ؟

ليعود عصفورٌ لها غرد ؟

What remains of my vine’s branch

What remains of my grapevine's branch

for a bird that sang upon it to return?

For a warbling sparrow to return to it?

ليميط عن أترابه غبشًا

ليميط عن أترابه غبشًا

فهم هناك هناك قد رقدوا ؟

فهم هناك هناك قد رقدوا ؟

That it might clear a haze from its peers—

To lift the haze from its peers,

for they are there, there, and have lain down?

For there, there they have lain asleep?