1. أَنا إِن أَغمَضَ الحَمامُ جُفوني

    وَدَوى صَوتُ مَصرَعي في المَدينَه

    As for me, if death should close my eyelids,

    and the sound of my death resounds in the city,

  2. وَتَمَشّى في الأَرضِ داراً فَداراً

    فَسَمِعتِ دَوِيَّهُ وَرَنينَه

    and spreads through the land, house after house,

    so you hear its booming and its ringing,

  3. لا تَصيحي واحَسرَتاهُ لِأَلّا

    يُدرِكُ السامِعون ما تُضمِرينَه

    do not cry out, “Alas!” lest

    the listeners discover what you conceal.

  4. وَإِذا زُرتِني وَأَبصَرتِ وَجهي

    قَد مَحا المَوتُ شَكَّهُ وَقينَه

    And if you visit me and see my face,

    death having erased its doubt and certainty,

  5. وَرَأَيتُ الصِحابَ جاثينَ حَولي

    يَندُبونَ الفَتى الَّذي تَعرِفينَه

    and I see the friends kneeling around me,

    mourning the young man you know,

  6. وَتَعالَ العَويلُ حَولَكِ مِمَّن

    مارَسوهُ وَأَصبَحوا يُحسِنونَه

    and wailing rises around you from those

    who have practiced it and become skilled at it,

  7. لا تَشقي عَلى ثَوبُكِ حُزناً

    لا وَلا تَذرُفي الدُموعَ السَخينَه

    do not tear at your dress in grief,

    no, nor shed hot tears.

  8. غالِبي اليَأسَ وَاِجلُسي عِندَ نَعشي

    بِسُكونٍ إِنّي أُحِبُّ السَكينَه

    Conquer despair and sit beside my bier

    in stillness, for I love tranquility.

  9. إِنَّ لِلصَمتِ في المَآتِمِ مَعنى

    تَتعَزّى بِهِ النُفوسُ الحَزينَه

    For silence at funerals has a meaning

    in which sorrowful souls find solace.

  10. وَلِقَولِ العُذّالِ عَنكِ بَخيلٌ

    هُوَ خَيرٌ مِن قَولِهِم مِسكينَه

    And the reproachers’ saying of you, “Stingy,”

    is better than their saying, “Poor woman.”

  11. وَإِذا خُفتِ أَن يَثورَ بِكِ الوَجدُ

    فَتَبدو أَسرارُنا المَكنونَه

    And if you fear that yearning will flare within you,

    so that our hidden secrets come to light,

  12. فَاِرجِعي وَاِسكُبي دُموعُكِ سِرّاً

    وَاِمسَحي بِاليَدَينِ ما تَسكُبينَه

    then return and pour out your tears in secret,

    and wipe away with both hands what you shed.

  13. يا اِبنَةَ الفَجرِ مَن أَحَبَّكِ مَيتٌ

    وَلا أَنتِ بِمِثلِ هَذا مَهينَه

    O daughter of dawn, the one who loved you is dead,

    and you are not dishonored by such a thing.

  14. زايَلَ النورُ مُقلَتَيهِ وَغابَت

    تَحتَ أَجفانِهِ المعاني المُبينَه

    Light has left his eyes, and hidden

    beneath his eyelids are the expressive meanings.

  15. فَأَصيخي هَل تَسمَعينَ خَفوقاً

    كُنتِ قَبلاً في صَدرِهِ تَسمَعينَه

    So listen closely: do you hear a beating

    that you once used to hear within his breast?

  16. وَاِنظُري ثُمَّ فَكِّري كَيفَ أَمسى

    لَيسَ يَدري عَدُوُّهُ وَخَدينَه

    And look, then consider how he has become

    unaware of his enemy and his close friend,

  17. ساكِتاً لا يَقولُ شَيئاً وَلا يَس

    مَع شَيئاً وَلَيسَ يُبصِرُ دونَه

    silent, saying nothing, nor does he

    hear anything, nor see what lies before him.

  18. لا يُبالي أَأَودَعوهُ الثُرَيّا

    أَم رَموهُ في حَمأَةٍ مَسنونَه

    He cares not whether they lodge him among the Pleiades

    or cast him into black, putrid mud.

  19. وَإِذا الحارِسانِ ناما عَياءً

    وَرَأَيتِ أَصحابُهُ يَترُكونَه

    And if the two guards fall asleep from exhaustion,

    and you see his friends leaving him,

  20. فَتَعالَي وَقَبِّلي شَفَتَيهِ

    وَيَدَيهِ وَشَعرِهِ وَجَبينَه

    then come and kiss his lips,

    and his hands, his hair, and his forehead,

  21. قَبلَ أَن يُسدَلَ الحِجابُ عَلَيهِ

    وَيُوارى عَنكِ فَلا تُبصِرينَه

    before the veil is lowered over him,

    and he is hidden from you, so you cannot see him.

  22. وَاِحذَري أَن تَراكِ عَينُ رَقيبٍ

    وَلَئِن كانَ جُلَّ ما تَحذَرينَه

    And beware lest a watcher’s eye should see you,

    even if that is the chief thing you fear.

  23. فَإِذا ما أَمِنتِ لا تَترُكيهِ

    قَبلَما يَفتَحُ الصَباحُ جُفونَه

    Then, if you are safe, do not leave him

    before the morning opens its eyelids.

  24. وَإِذا الساعَةُ الرَهيبَةُ حانَت

    وَرَأَيتِ حُرّاسَهُ يَحمِلونَه

    And when the dreadful hour arrives,

    and you see his guards carrying him,

  25. وَسَمِعتِ الناقوسَ يَقرَعُ حوزناً

    فَيَرُدُّ الوادي عَلَيهِ أَنينَه

    and hear the bell toll sorrowfully,

    so the valley answers it with its moan,

  26. زَوِّدي الراحِلَ ماتَ وَجداً

    بِالَّذي زَوّدَ الغَريقُ السَفينَه

    provision the departing one, who died of yearning,

    with what the drowning man gave the ship:

  27. نَظرَةً تَعلَمُ السَماواتُ مِنها

    أَنَّهُ ماتَ عَن فَتاةٍ أَمينَه

    a glance from which the heavens will know

    that he died leaving a faithful young woman behind.

  28. طَوَتِ الأَرضُ مَن طَوى الأَرضَ حَيّاً

    وَعَلاهُ مَن كانَ بِالأَمسِ دونَه

    The earth enfolded him who traversed the earth alive,

    and he who was beneath him yesterday has risen above him.

  29. وَاِختَفى في التُرانِ وَجهَ صَبيحٍ

    وَفُؤادٍ حُرٍّ وَنَفسٌ مَصونَه

    And a handsome face has vanished into the dust,

    and a free heart, and an inviolate soul.

  30. وَإِذا ما وَقَفَت عِندَ السَواقِ

    وَذَكَرَت وُقوفَهُ وَسُكونَه

    And if you stand beside the streams,

    and recall his stance and his stillness,

  31. حَيثُ أَقسَمتِ أَن تَدومي عَلى العَه

    دِ وَآلى بِأَنَّهُ لَن يَخونَه

    where you swore to remain true to the pledge,

    and he vowed that he would never betray it,

  32. حَيثُ عَلَّمتِهِ القَريضَ فَأَمسى

    يَتَغَنّى كَي تَسمَعي تَلحينَه

    where you taught him poetry, and he began

    to sing so you might hear his melody,

  33. فَاِذكُريهِ مَعَ البُروقِ السَواري

    وَاِندُبيهِ مَعَ الغُيوثِ الهَتونَه

    then remember him with the lightning that wanders by night,

    and mourn him with the pouring rains.

  34. وَإِذا ما مَشَيتِ في الرَوضِ يَوماً

    وَوَطَأتِ سُهولَهُ وَحُزونَه

    And if one day you walk in the garden,

    and tread its plains and its rugged ground,

  35. وَذَكَرتِ مَواقِفَ الوَجدِ فيهِ

    عِندَما كُنتِ بِالهَوى تُغرينَه

    and recall the scenes of passion there,

    when you used to entice him with love,

  36. حَيثُ عَلَّمتِهِ الفُتونَ فَأَضحى

    يَحسِبُ الأَرضَ كُلَّها مَفتونَه

    where you taught him enchantment, and he came

    to think the entire earth enchanted,

  37. حَيثُ وَسَدَتهُ يَمينِكِ حَتّى

    كادَ يَنسى شِمالَهُ مِن يَمينَه

    where your right hand pillowed him, until

    he almost forgot which was his left and which his right,

  38. حَيثُ كُنتِ وَكانَ يَصقيكِ طَوراً

    مِن هَواهُ وَتارَةً تَسقينَه

    where you were with him, and sometimes he gave you drink

    of his love, and sometimes you gave him drink,

  39. حَتّى حاكَ الرَبيعُ لِلرَوضِ ثَوباً

    كانَ أَحلى لَدَيهِ لَو تَرتَدينَه

    until spring wove a garment for the garden

    that would have been lovelier to him had you worn it,

  40. فَاِلثُمي كُلَّ زَهرَةٍ فيهِ إِنّي

    كُنتُ أَهوى زُهورَهُ وَغُصونَه

    then kiss every flower in it, for I

    used to love its blossoms and its branches.

  41. ثُمَّ قولي لِلطَيرِ ماتَ حَبيبي

    فَلِماذا يا طَيرُ لا تَبكينَه

    Then say to the birds, “My beloved is dead;

    so why, O birds, do you not weep for him?”

  42. وَإِذا ما جَلستِ وَحدَكِ في اللَي

    لِ وَهاجَت بِكِ الشُجونُ الدَفينَه

    And if you sit alone at night,

    and buried sorrows stir within you,

  43. وَرَأَيتِ الغُيومَ تَركُضُ نحوَ الغَر

    بِ رَكضاً كَأَنَّها مَجنونَه

    and see the clouds racing toward the west,

    racing as though they were mad,

  44. وَلَحَظتِ مِنَ الكَواكِبِ صَدّاً

    وَنُفاراً وَفي النَسيمِ خُشونَه

    and notice the stars turning away,

    and their aversion, and harshness in the breeze,

  45. فَغَضِبتِ عَلى اللَيالي البَواقي

    وَحَنَنتِ إِلى اللَيالي الثَمينَه

    and so grow angry at the nights that remain,

    and yearn for the precious nights,

  46. فَاِهجُري المَخدَعَ الجَميلَ وَزوري

    ذَلِكَ القَبرَ ثُمَّ حَيِّ قَطينَه

    then leave the beautiful bedchamber and visit

    that grave, then greet its dweller.

  47. وَاِنثُري الوَردَ حَولَهُ وَعَلَيهِ

    وَاِغرُسي عِندَ قَلبِهِ ياسَمينَه

    And scatter roses around it and upon it,

    and plant a jasmine beside his heart.