أَولا تَراهُم يَرتَدونَ

اللَيلَ حَتّى منتَهاه

They don first the night to its end

Draining the youths’ blood

يَستَنزِفونَ دم الشَبا

بِ وَيَرقُصونَ عَلى قواه

Dancing on their vigor

This was a lad lured

هذا فَتىً كانَت تَموَّ

جُ بِالجَواذِبِ وُجنَتاه

By charms and his cheeks’ bloom

Dew floated over his dreams and his prime

كانَ النَدى يَطفو عَل

ى آمالِهِ وَعَلى صِباه

Wildflowers would get drunk on his fragrance at dusk

And the mountain tops when they saw him would say “how lofty his heights”

كانَت أَزاهيرُ الربى بِالأَ

مسِ تَسكَرُ مِن شَذاه

What has time done to him today? You’d know not what it has done

As for beauty, it no longer remains for you to recognize his blood

وَذُرى الجِبالِ إِذا رَأَتهُ تَ

قولُ ما أَعلى ذُراه

And how often have I heard roses deny him and ask “who is he?”

Dawn has come to know the whole world but him

ماذا دَهاهُ اليَومَ الشَه

واتُ تَعرفُ ما دَهاه

Two eras—one of a sincere love that died in its first days

And one raging in my blood and drying in my cup

أَما الجَمالُ فَإِنَّهُ لَم تَب

قَ تَعرفه دُماه

I know not who his Arab mother is nor who his father is

A sea of doubts, mirror to the horrors of life

وَلَكَم سَمِعتُ الوَردَ يُن

كِرُهُ فَيَسأَل مَن تُراه

Its small pebbles and its banks inspired him

Do not bridle love—leave it to roam freely in its plateau

وَالفَجرُ أَصبَحَ يَعرِفُ الد

نيا جَميعاً ما عَداه

Leave it be—a mother owns her child as no other owns him

For her bed are his writhings and for her pillows his pillows

عَهدانِ عَهد هَوىً نَق

يٍّ ماتَ في سَرف وجاه

The women of this age—if they love they kiss their lips

As for the hearts of female lovers, they are burnt embers and ashes

وَهوىً يعربِد في دمي

وَتنشّ في كَأسي دِماه

لَم أَدرِ مَن هيَ أُمه الع

رّى وَلم أَعرِف أَباه

بَحرٌ مِن الشُبهات مِر

آةٌ لِأَهوالِ الحَياه

أَلهمَّ صخرتُه الصَغي

رَة وَالمَساخِر شاطِئاه

لا تطعمِ الحُبَّ اللجام

وَدَعه يَدلج في سراه

دَعهُ فَأَمُّ الطِفل تم

لكهُ كَما مَلَكَت سِواه

لِسَريرِها خَلجاته وَل

مرشَفيها مرشفاه

وَنِساء هذا العَصر إِن

أَحبَبنَ أَطعَمنَ الشفاه

أَما قُلوب العاشِقاتُ

فَإِنَّها وَآخجَلتاه