وواكفٍ ظلَّ طولَ لَيْلَتِهِ

وواكفٍ ظلَّ طولَ لَيْلَتِهِ

يَهطلُ حتى تَبلَّجَ الفجرُ

يَهطلُ حتى تَبلَّجَ الفجرُ

And a leak that kept on all night long,

And a resident who stayed up all night long

pouring until dawn broke.

Kept pouring until dawn whitened

ما زالَ حتى الصباحِ منهملاً

ما زالَ حتى الصباحِ منهملاً

من سقفِ بيتٍ كأَنَّه قَبْر

من سقفِ بيتٍ كأَنَّه قَبْر

It kept streaming until morning

He continued listless until morning

from the roof of a house that seemed a grave.

From the roof of a house that was like a grave

إِذا التماعُ البروقِ ضاحَكَهُ

إِذا التماعُ البروقِ ضاحَكَهُ

بكى بعينٍ دُموعُها القَطْر

بكى بعينٍ دُموعُها القَطْر

Whenever the gleam of lightning smiled at it,

When lightning flashed smiling at him

it wept through an eye whose tears were rain.

He cried with eyes whose tears were drops of rain

كأنما سَقْفُهُ السَّحابُ إِذا

كأنما سَقْفُهُ السَّحابُ إِذا

جاد سحابٌ وأَرضُهُ البحرُ

جاد سحابٌ وأَرضُهُ البحرُ

As though its roof were the clouds whenever

As if its roof was the clouds when

a cloud poured forth, and its floor were the sea.

A cloud poured down and its floor was the sea