1. تَرامى اللَيلُ كَالهَمِّ الثَقيلِ

    يَجُرُّ ذُيولَ مِعطَفهِ الطَويلِ

    Night spread out like heavy sorrow,

    Dragging the skirts of its long cloak,

  2. وَيُبرِزُ في مَشارِفهِ نُجوماً

    بِلَونٍ بُرتُقالِيٍّ ضَئيلِ

    And revealing stars along its fringes,

    In a faint orange hue.

  3. وَكانَت زوق ميكائيل تُصغي

    الى هَمسِ النَياسم في الحُقولِ

    And Zouk Mikael was listening

    To the whisper of breezes in the fields,

  4. فَتَبسِمُ عَن كَواكِبها النَحيلَه

    وَتَحلمُ في جَواذِبِها الجَميلَة

    So it smiles, revealing its slender stars,

    And dreams amid its lovely charms

  5. بِعَهدٍ مَرَّ في الدُنيا جَميلِ

    وَكانَت قُبَّةُ الجَرَس المُقيمَه

    Of a beautiful age that passed through the world.

    And the bell-dome, standing

  6. عَلى عَمَدَي كَنيسَتُها القَديمَه

    تَقَطَّعُ في السَماءِ وَقد تَرامى

    On the two pillars of its ancient church,

    Was fragmented against the sky, while there fell

  7. عَلَيها النورُ أَفلاذاً سَقيمَه

    كَطَيفٍ يَخفر الأَمواتِ لَيلاً

    Upon it light in sickly shards,

    Like a ghost guarding the dead by night,

  8. وَيَبقى ساهِراً سَهَرَ الأُمومه

    وَكانَ اللَيلُ مُنفَطِرَ الشُعورِ

    And staying awake, keeping motherhood's vigil.

    And night was riven with feeling;

  9. أَحَسَّ لَهيبَ سُكّانِ القُبورِ

    فَلَطَّفَ في مَعابِرِهِ نَسيمَه

    It felt the burning of the graves' inhabitants,

    So it softened its breeze along its passages.

  10. وَكانَت أَغصُنُ الدَوح القَديمِ

    يَهزُّ رُؤوسَها مَرُّ النَسيمِ

    And the branches of the ancient spreading trees

    Had their heads shaken by the passing breeze,

  11. فَيُسمَع في الدُجى مِنها حَفيفٌ

    كَصَوتِ الوَخزِ في قَلبٍ أَثيمِ

    So a rustling was heard from them in the darkness,

    Like the sound of pricking in a sinful heart.

  12. وَفي الاِكواخِ أَقباسٌ ضِعافٌ

    كَأَخيِلَةِ الكَواكِبِ في الأَديمِ

    And in the huts were feeble flames,

    Like reflections of the stars upon the earth,

  13. تُصَعِّدُ في نَوافِذها الصَغيرَه

    زَفيراً من أَشعَّتها الحَقيرَه

    Sending up through their little windows

    A sigh from their paltry rays,

  14. كَأَنَّ بزيتها بَعضَ الهُمومِ

    وَفي الأَبعادِ كان يُرى الخَليجُ

    As though there were some sorrows in their oil.

    And in the distance the gulf could be seen,

  15. تَمجُّ مِياهُهُ نوراً يَموجُ

    كَلَوحٍ أَسوَدٍ مُلقىً عَلَيهِ

    Its waters spewing rippling light,

    Like a black panel upon which was laid

  16. إِطارٌ فيهِ من ذَهَبٍ نَسيجُ

    تُدبِّجهُ مَصابيحٌ وَزُهرٌ

    A frame with a weave of gold within it,

    Embroidered by lamps and bright stars,

  17. لَها في الماءِ مَنظَرُها البَهيجُ

    وَأَضواءُ النُجوم عَلى الشَواطِىءُ

    Whose appearance in the water is delightful.

    And the stars' lights upon the shores,

  18. إِذا اِمتَزَجَت بِأَضواءِ المرافىء

    يَكونُ مِنَ الخَيالِ بِها مَزيجُ

    When mingled with the harbor lights,

    Hold a mingling of fantasy within them.

  19. دَعِ الأَبعادَ في اللَيلِ الجَميلِ

    تَنَم سَكرى مَعَ النورِ الضَئيلِ

    Leave the far reaches in the lovely night

    To sleep, drunk, with the faint light;

  20. وَخَلِّ أَنامِلَ النَسَماتِ تَلعَب

    كَما شاءَت بِأَوراقِ الحُقولِ

    And let the fingers of the breezes play

    As they please with the leaves of the fields.

  21. وَدَع قَطرَ النَدى المَخمورَ يَسقُط

    عَلى جَسَد الجَنائِنِ وَالطلولِ

    And let the drunken drops of dew fall

    Upon the body of the gardens and the ruins.

  22. وَهَيّا بي نَلِج قَصراً صَغيرا

    تَرى المِصباحَ يَملاُوه شُعورا

    And come with me; let us enter a little palace—

    You see the lamp filling it with feeling—

  23. رَسا في الزَوق من عَهدِ طَويلِ

    فَتُبصِرَ إِن وَلَجتَ فَتىً كَئيبا

    That has stood in Zouk since long ago.

    Then, if you enter, you will see a sorrowful youth,

  24. مِنَ الإِحساسِ يوشِكُ أَن يَذوبا

    إِذا أَمعَنتَ فيه رَأَيتَ جِسماً

    Almost melting away from sheer feeling.

    If you study him closely, you see a body

  25. يَفور كَأَنَّ في دَمِهِ لَهيبا

    لَهُ قَلبٌ يُرى في كُلِّ قَلبٍ

    Seething as though a flame were in his blood.

    He has a heart that is seen in every heart,

  26. كَأَنَّ اللَهَ ذَرَّ بِهِ قُلوبا

    فَتىً كَالفَجرِ أَلواناً وَعُمرا

    As though God had scattered hearts within him.

    A youth like dawn in color and in age;

  27. إِذا أَبصَرتَه أَبصَرتَ فَجرا

    يَمُدُّ جَمالُهُ ظِلّا غَريبا

    When you see him, you see a dawn.

    His beauty casts a strange shadow.

  28. وَإِن أَصغَيتَ تَسمَعُهُ يَقولُ

    لِوالِدَةٍ أَلَمَّ بِها النُحولُ

    And if you listen, you hear him say

    To a mother whom wasting has afflicted,

  29. لِأُمٍّ فارَقَت زوجاً حَبيباً

    طَواهُ من الرَدى لَيلٌ ثَقيلُ

    To a mother parted from a beloved husband,

    Whom a heavy night of death enfolded:

  30. أُحِسُّ لَها اِضطِّراباً في فُؤادي

    وَدَمعاً في حَناياهُ يَجولُ

    I feel a trembling for her in my heart,

    And tears that roam through its recesses.

  31. وَما أَحسَستُ امسِ بِمِثلِ هذا

    فَاِمسي كان لا ادري لِماذا

    And I felt nothing like this yesterday;

    For my yesterday was—I do not know why—

  32. جَميلاً كُلُّ ما فيهِ جَميلُ

    أَجل يا أُمِّ صِرتُ فَتىً شَقيّا

    Beautiful; everything in it was beautiful.

    Yes, Mother, I have become an unhappy youth;

  33. يَكادُ اليَأسُ يُطفىءُ مُقلَتَيّا

    فَأَينَ مَضَت لَيالِيَّ الخَوالي

    Despair almost extinguishes my eyes.

    Where, then, have my bygone nights gone,

  34. وَقَلبٌ كان في الماضي خَلِيّا

    أَرى غَلواءَ تُعرِضُ عن هُيامي

    And the heart that was carefree in the past?

    I see Ghalwa turning away from my passion,

  35. وَيَكتُمُ قَلبُها سِرّاً خَفِيّا

    وَتَسمَعُها تَقولُ لَهُ شَفيقُ

    And her heart conceals a hidden secret.

    And you hear her say to him: Shafiq,

  36. بُنَيَّ لَقَد أَضلَّتكَ الطَريقَ

    فَهَل نَبَّهت قَلبَكَ يا بُنَيّا

    My son, she has surely led you astray;

    Have you, then, warned your heart, my son?

  37. جَميلٌ يا وَحيدي أَن تُحبّا

    وَتَرفَعَ لِلهَوى عَيناً وَقَلبا

    It is beautiful, my only child, to love

    And lift an eye and a heart to love,

  38. وَتَسمَعَ مِنهُ أَنغاماً عِذاباً

    وَتَشرَب من يَدَيهِ الماءَ عَذباء

    And hear sweet melodies from it,

    And drink sweet water from its hands.

  39. لَقَد أَحسَستُ قَبلَكَ بِاِضطِرابٍ

    وَقاسَيتُ الهَوى سَهلا وَصَعبا

    I felt a trembling before you,

    And endured love, both easy and hard.

  40. وَلكِن لَيسَ يَندَمُ مَن تَأَنّى

    فَغلوا يا اِبنِ أَكبَرُ مِنكَ سِنّا

    But whoever takes his time does not regret it;

    For Ghalwa, my son, is older than you.

  41. اِذا رَضِيَ الهَوى فَالعُمرُ يَأبى

    تَأَنَّ فَسَوفَ تَهوى مَن تُريدُ

    If love consents, age refuses.

    Take your time; you will love whomever you wish,

  42. وَتَهواكَ العَذارى وَالوُرودُ

    فَمِثلُكَ لا يُجاوِرُهُ قُنوطٌ

    And maidens and roses will love you.

    For despair does not dwell beside one like you,

  43. وَمِلءُ شَبابِهِ عَقلٌ رَشيدُ

    أَمامك يا اِبن أَعوامٌ طِوالٌ

    And sound judgment fills his youth.

    Long years lie before you, my son,

  44. وَمن زَهَرِ الهَوى عَدَدٌ عَديدُ

    تَأَنَّ فَسَوفَ تَقطِفُ مِنهُ زَهرَه

    And a great many flowers of love.

    Take your time; you will pluck from it a flower

  45. تَكونُ أَشَدَّ من غَلواءَ نُضرَه

    يُبارِكُ عِطرَها العَهدُ الجَديدُ

    That will be fresher than Ghalwa,

    Whose fragrance the new age will bless.

  46. فَيُطلِقُ زَفرَةَ التَمِسِ الكَئيبِ

    وَيَغرَقُ في دُجى فِكرٍ غَريبِ

    Then he lets out a wretched, sorrowful sigh,

    And sinks into the darkness of a strange thought,

  47. وَيَذهَبُ لا يُجيبُ وَفي هَواهُ

    لَظى شَكٍّ أَشَدُّ مِنَ اللَهيبِ

    And goes away without answering, while in his love

    Is a blaze of doubt fiercer than flame.

  48. وَكَيفَ يُجيبُ أُمّا جَفَّ فيها

    عُصارُ الحُبِّ في عَهد الغُروبِ

    And how can he answer a mother in whom

    The sap of love has dried in the age of sunset?

  49. أَيا أُمي اِصرِفي ذي الكَأسَ عَنّي

    فَما في الحُبِّ شَأنٌ لِلتَأَنّي

    O Mother, turn this cup away from me;

    For deliberation has no place in love,

  50. وَما لِلعُمر شَأنٌ في القُلوبِ

    وَيَذهبُ لا يُجيبُ وَفي هَواهُ

    And age has no say in hearts.

    And he goes away without answering, while in his love

  51. من الاِشجانِ ما يُضني قِواهُ

    دَعي يا أُمِّ زَهرَ الناسَ يَبسِم

    There are sorrows that exhaust his strength.

    Let people's flowers smile, Mother,

  52. وَيَنشَق في الوَرى غَيري شَذاهُ

    فَلي في جَنَّةِ الاِشواكِ زَهرٌ

    And let someone else in the world breathe their fragrance;

    For in the garden of thorns I have a flower

  53. غَريبُ اللَونِ لا أَرضى سِواهُ

    Of strange color; I accept no other.