وَيَومٍ كَأَنَّ الدَهرَ سامَحَني بِهِ

وَيَومٍ كَأَنَّ الدَهرَ سامَحَني بِهِ

فَصارَ أَسمه ما بَينَنا هِبَةَ الدَهرِ

فَصارَ أَسمه ما بَينَنا هِبَةَ الدَهرِ

And a day with which Time seemed to indulge me,

And a day when it seemed as though time forgave me for it

so its name among us became “Time’s Gift.”

So its name between us became a gift of time

جَرَت فيهِ أَفراسُ الصِبا بِاِرتِياحِنا

جَرَت فيهِ أَفراسُ الصِبا بِاِرتِياحِنا

إِلى دَيرُ مُرّان المُعَظَّمِ وَالعُمرِ

إِلى دَيرُ مُرّان المُعَظَّمِ وَالعُمرِ

That day the steeds of youth galloped in our delight,

On it the steeds of youth flowed happily

to revered Dayr Murran and the monastery,

To the honored monastery of Mourad and life

بِحَيثُ هَواءَ الغَوطَتَينِ مُعَطَّرِ الن

بِحَيثُ هَواءَ الغَوطَتَينِ مُعَطَّرِ الن

نَسيمِ بِأَنفاسِ الرِياحينَ وَالزَهرِ

نَسيمِ بِأَنفاسِ الرِياحينَ وَالزَهرِ

where the air of the two Ghoutas is fragrant,

Where the air of the two hills is fragrant

its breeze scented by the breaths of fragrant herbs and flowers,

With the breeze of the winds and flowers

فَمِن رَوضَةٍ بِالحُسنِ تُرفِدُ رَوضَةً

فَمِن رَوضَةٍ بِالحُسنِ تُرفِدُ رَوضَةً

وَمِن نَهرٍ بِالفيضِ يَجري إِلى نَهرِ

وَمِن نَهرٍ بِالفيضِ يَجري إِلى نَهرِ

and one garden enriches another with beauty,

So from a garden of beauty another is fed

and one river pours its overflow into another.

And from a river of plenty another river flows

وَفي الهَيكَلِ المَعمورِ مِنهُ اِفتَرَعتُها

وَفي الهَيكَلِ المَعمورِ مِنهُ اِفتَرَعتُها

وَصَحبي حَلالاً بَعدَ تَوفيةِ المَهرِ

وَصَحبي حَلالاً بَعدَ تَوفيةِ المَهرِ

And in its frequented sanctuary I deflowered her,

And in the frequented shrine I took my fill of it

with my companions, lawfully, after paying the dowry in full.

And my friends, lawful after paying the dowry

وَنَزَّهتُ عَن غَيرِ الدَنانيرِ قَدرَها

وَنَزَّهتُ عَن غَيرِ الدَنانيرِ قَدرَها

فَما زِلتُ مِنها أَشرَبُ التَبرَ بِالتبرِ

فَما زِلتُ مِنها أَشرَبُ التَبرَ بِالتبرِ

And I deemed her worthy of nothing less than dinars,

And I valued it beyond mere dinars

so I kept drinking gold from her, in exchange for gold.

Thus have I continued to drink pure from the pure

وَحَلَّ لَنا ما كانَ مِنها مُحَرَّماً

وَحَلَّ لَنا ما كانَ مِنها مُحَرَّماً

وَهَل يُحظَرُ المَحظورُ في بَلَدِ الكُفرِ

وَهَل يُحظَرُ المَحظورُ في بَلَدِ الكُفرِ

And what had been forbidden of her became lawful for us;

And made lawful what was forbidden of it

and is the forbidden barred in a land of unbelief?

Can the forbidden be forbidden in the land of infidels?

فَأَهدَت لي الأَيّامُ فيهِ مَوَدَّةً

فَأَهدَت لي الأَيّامُ فيهِ مَوَدَّةً

دَعَتني في سِترٍ فَلَبَّيتُ في سِترِ

دَعَتني في سِترٍ فَلَبَّيتُ في سِترِ

So the days bestowed on me there a friendship,

So the days gifted me on it an affection

which called me in secret, and in secret I answered.

That called me in secret and I responded in secret

أَتى مِن شَريفِ الطَبعِ أَصدَقَ رَغبَةً

أَتى مِن شَريفِ الطَبعِ أَصدَقَ رَغبَةً

تُخاطِبُني عَن مَعدَنِ النظمِ وَالنَثرِ

تُخاطِبُني عَن مَعدَنِ النظمِ وَالنَثرِ

A most sincere wish came from one of noble nature,

It came from noble nature, sincere inclination

addressing me from the wellspring of verse and prose.

Addressing me on the essence of poetry and prose

وَكانَ جَوابي طاعَةً لا مَقالَةً

وَكانَ جَوابي طاعَةً لا مَقالَةً

وَمَن ذا الَّذي لا يَستَجيبُ إِلى اليُسرِ

وَمَن ذا الَّذي لا يَستَجيبُ إِلى اليُسرِ

My answer was compliance, not words,

And my reply was obedience not refusal

and who would not answer the call of ease?

For who does not respond to ease?

فَلاقَيتُ مِلءَ العَينِ نُبلاً وَهِمَّةً

فَلاقَيتُ مِلءَ العَينِ نُبلاً وَهِمَّةً

مَحَلّى السَجايا بِالطَلاقَةِ وَالبَشرِ

مَحَلّى السَجايا بِالطَلاقَةِ وَالبَشرِ

Then I met one who filled the eye with nobility and high resolve,

I found eyes full of grace and resolve

his character adorned with affability and cheer.

Features sweetened with cheerfulness and glad tidings

وَأَحشَمَني بِالبِرِّ حَتّى ظَنَنتُهُ

وَأَحشَمَني بِالبِرِّ حَتّى ظَنَنتُهُ

يُريدُ اِختِداعي عَن جَناني وَلا أَدري

يُريدُ اِختِداعي عَن جَناني وَلا أَدري

He abashed me with kindness until I thought he

And it shamed me with righteousness until I thought

meant to beguile me out of my heart, though I did not know.

It wanted to cheat me of my heavens though I knew not

وَنَزَّه عَن غَيرِ الصَفاءِ اِجتِماعَنا

وَنَزَّه عَن غَيرِ الصَفاءِ اِجتِماعَنا

فَكُنتُ وَإِيّاهُ كَقَلبَينِ في صَدرِ

فَكُنتُ وَإِيّاهُ كَقَلبَينِ في صَدرِ

He kept our meeting free of all but sincerity,

And it was pure from all but sincerity in our gathering

so he and I were like two hearts in one breast.

So we were like two hearts in one chest

وَشاءَ السُرورُ أَن يَلينا بِثالِثٍ

وَشاءَ السُرورُ أَن يَلينا بِثالِثٍ

فَلا طفنا بِالبَدرِ أَو بِأَخي البَدرِ

فَلا طفنا بِالبَدرِ أَو بِأَخي البَدرِ

And joy wished to draw near us with a third,

And happiness willed that a third join us

so it favored us with the full moon, or the full moon’s brother,

Whether we floated by the full moon or my brother the moon

بِمُعطى عُيون ما اِشتَهَت مِن جَمالِهِ

بِمُعطى عُيون ما اِشتَهَت مِن جَمالِهِ

وَمَضني قُلوبٍ بِالتَجَنُّبِ وَالهَجرِ

وَمَضني قُلوبٍ بِالتَجَنُّبِ وَالهَجرِ

with one who gave eyes what they craved of his beauty,

With eyes that grant what they desire of his beauty

and made hearts languish through avoidance and abandonment.

And hearts that avoid me and keep distant

جَنينا جَنيَ الوَردِ في غَيرِ وَقتِهِ

جَنينا جَنيَ الوَردِ في غَيرِ وَقتِهِ

وَزَهرَ الرُبا مِن رَوضِ خَدَّيهِ وَالثَغرِ

وَزَهرَ الرُبا مِن رَوضِ خَدَّيهِ وَالثَغرِ

We gathered a harvest of roses out of season,

We plucked roses in their off season

and hillside blossoms from the garden of his cheeks and mouth.

And the basil bloomed from the gardens of his cheeks and lips

وَقابَلَنا مِن وَجهِهِ وَشَرابِهِ

وَقابَلَنا مِن وَجهِهِ وَشَرابِهِ

بِشَمسَينِ في جُنحى دُجى اللَيلِ وَالشَعرِ

بِشَمسَينِ في جُنحى دُجى اللَيلِ وَالشَعرِ

And from his face and his wine he greeted us

And he met us with his face and wine

with two suns in the twin wings of darkness—night and hair.

Like two suns amid the darkness of night and hair

وَغَنّى فَصارَ السَمعُ كَالطَرفِ آخِذاً

وَغَنّى فَصارَ السَمعُ كَالطَرفِ آخِذاً

بِأَوفَرِ حَظٍّ مِن مَحاسِنِهِ الزُهرِ

بِأَوفَرِ حَظٍّ مِن مَحاسِنِهِ الزُهرِ

And he sang, so hearing, like sight, partook

And sang till hearing became like seeing

of the fullest share of his radiant charms.

Grasping the amplest share of his brilliant charms

وَأَمتَعَنا مِن وَجنَتَيهِ بِمِثلِ ما

وَأَمتَعَنا مِن وَجنَتَيهِ بِمِثلِ ما

تَمَزَّجَ كَفّاهُ مِنَ الماءِ وَالخَمرِ

تَمَزَّجَ كَفّاهُ مِنَ الماءِ وَالخَمرِ

And he delighted us with his cheeks, like the blend

And delighted us from his two cheeks with the likes of what

his two hands mixed from water and wine.

His hands mixed of water and wine

سُرورٌ شكرنا منة الصحو إذ دعا

سُرورٌ شكرنا منة الصحو إذ دعا

إِلَيهِ وَلَم نَشكُرُ بِهِ مِنَّةَ السُكرِ

إِلَيهِ وَلَم نَشكُرُ بِهِ مِنَّةَ السُكرِ

A joy for which we thanked sobriety’s gift when it called

A sober joy we thanked when it called

us to it, but for which we did not thank drunkenness’s gift.

To it and did not thank the joy of drunkenness

كَأَنَّ اللَيالي نمنَ عَنهُ فَعِندَما

كَأَنَّ اللَيالي نمنَ عَنهُ فَعِندَما

تَنَبَّهَنَّ نَكَّبنَ الوَفاءَ إلى الغَدرِ

تَنَبَّهَنَّ نَكَّبنَ الوَفاءَ إلى الغَدرِ

As though the nights had slept heedless of it; then, when

As though the nights forgot him, so when

they awoke, they forsook fidelity for betrayal.

They awoke they turned loyalty to betrayal

مَضى وَكَأَنّي كُنتُ فيهِ مُهَوِّماً

مَضى وَكَأَنّي كُنتُ فيهِ مُهَوِّماً

يُحَدِّثُ عَن طَيفِ الخَيالِ الَّذي يَسري

يُحَدِّثُ عَن طَيفِ الخَيالِ الَّذي يَسري

It passed, and it was as though I had been dozing through it,

He left and it was as though I had been

telling of the phantom vision that travels by night.

Worried, speaking of a phantom of the imagination passing

وَهَل يَحصُلُ الإِنسانُ مِن كُلِّ ما بِهِ

وَهَل يَحصُلُ الإِنسانُ مِن كُلِّ ما بِهِ

تُسامِحُهُ الأَيّامُ إِلّا عَلى الذِكرِ

تُسامِحُهُ الأَيّامُ إِلّا عَلى الذِكرِ

And does anyone gain, from all that

Can man gain from all with which

the days graciously grant him, anything but remembrance?

Days indulge him save by remembrance?