لقد جَمع الكانونُ نورا وظلمة

لقد جَمع الكانونُ نورا وظلمة

وجالَسنا في هيئة الرجلِ الحُكْل

وجالَسنا في هيئة الرجلِ الحُكْل

The brazier indeed combined light and darkness,

The fireplace gathered light and darkness

and sat with us in the guise of a mute man.

And we sat in the form of an old man

ودَبَّت سُلافُ النارِ في قارِ فحمِه

ودَبَّت سُلافُ النارِ في قارِ فحمِه

كمادَبَّ نورُ الشمسِ في طَرف الظِّلِّ

كمادَبَّ نورُ الشمسِ في طَرف الظِّلِّ

And fire’s pure wine crept through the pitch of its charcoal,

And the flames crept in its embers

just as sunlight crept into the edge of shadow.

As the light of the sun crept at the edge of the shade

وكنا نُفَدِّيه وفيه شبيبةٌ

وكنا نُفَدِّيه وفيه شبيبةٌ

ونَخْتصُّه بالقُربِ منا وبالوصل

ونَخْتصُّه بالقُربِ منا وبالوصل

And we would give our lives for it while it was young,

And we were redeeming it, in it is youth

and favored it with closeness to us and companionship,

And we reserve it close to us and in contact

إلى أنْ عَلا شيبُ الرمادِ قَذاله

إلى أنْ عَلا شيبُ الرمادِ قَذاله

وأصبح شيخا في المزاج وفي الفُكْلِ

وأصبح شيخا في المزاج وفي الفُكْلِ

until the gray hair of ash covered the back of its head,

Until the grayness of ashes covered its forehead

and it became an old man, in both temperament and trembling.

And it became an old man in temper and form

هَجَرْناه هجرَ الغانياتِ ضرورةً

هَجَرْناه هجرَ الغانياتِ ضرورةً

فصار لدينا لا يُمِرُّ ولا يُحْلى

فصار لدينا لا يُمِرُّ ولا يُحْلى

We had to forsake it, as beautiful women do,

We abandoned it, as the singers abandoned necessarily

so it came to bring us neither bitterness nor sweetness.

So it became for us neither passing nor sweet