1. My youth has passed, and youth is but a transient glow,
I tasted not its sweet breath nor its bloom.

2. Love burned in my heart for twenty pilgrimages,
Then sadly I said, "It died in the nest like a chick."

3. I will keep my family and home in my prayers,
This vow has no conditions or release.

4. I am an Arab who loves Damascus as home,
Though Rasafeh and Karkh disown me now.

5. Exile has erased my love for dwellings before,
But this love cannot be erased or undone.