سلِask الزهورَthe flowers الغوافيslumbering فيin مَخابيهاtheir hiding places
سلِ الزهورَ الغوافي في مَخابيها
عنabout غادةِthe maiden الهَضْبةِthe plateau العَذْراvirgin وشاديهاand her singer
عن غادةِ الهَضْبةِ العَذْرا وشاديها
Ask the flowers slumbering in their hiding places
Ask the drowsy flowers in their beds
About the maiden of the virgin plateau and her singer,
About Ghada of the virginal plateau and its slopes
عنabout اللياليthe nights البكارىvirgin فيin صبابتهاtheir ardor
عن الليالي البكارى في صبابتها
عنabout الأمانيthe wishes العذارىvirgin فيin تَصابيهاtheir youthful play
عن الأماني العذارى في تَصابيها
About the virgin nights in their ardor,
About the chaste nights in their prime
About the virgin wishes in their youthful play.
About the virginal wishes in their whispers
سلْask سُنبلَears of grain الحقلthe field، سلْask عناabout us زنابقَهُits lilies
سلْ سُنبلَ الحقل، سلْ عنا زنابقَهُ
سلِask الكرومَthe vineyards، وسلْand ask عناabout us دواليهاtheir grapevines
سلِ الكرومَ، وسلْ عنا دواليها
Ask the field's ears of grain; ask its lilies about us.
Ask the wheat stalk, ask it about its bluebells
Ask the vineyards, and ask their grapevines about us.
Ask the vineyards, and ask about their creeper plants
سلْask هضبةَthe plateau الأملِhope المنشودِlonged-for كمhow often رقصتْdanced
سلْ هضبةَ الأملِ المنشودِ كم رقصتْ
بهاupon her القلوبُthe hearts، وكمand how often زفَّتْled in bridal procession أغانيهاher songs!
بها القلوبُ، وكم زفَّتْ أغانيها!
Ask the plateau of longed-for hope how often there danced
Ask the plateau of hoped-for dreams, how often it danced
Hearts upon her, and how often she led her songs in bridal procession!
To it the hearts sang, and its songs marched along!
وكمand how often تألَّقshone عُرْساناour two weddings بغابتِهاin her forest
وكم تألَّق عُرْسانا بغابتِها
وكمand how often تضاحكَlaughed together قلْباناour two hearts بواديهاin her valley
وكم تضاحكَ قلْبانا بواديها
And how often our two weddings shone in her forest,
How our wedding feasts glittered in its thickets
And how often our two hearts laughed together in her valley,
And how our hearts smiled in its valleys
وعانقand embraced الحلمُthe dream فيin تَحنانِهِits tender longing حلُمًاa dream
وعانق الحلمُ في تَحنانِهِ حلُمًا
علىupon الروابيthe knolls السكارىdrunken فيin ضواحيهاher outskirts
على الروابي السكارى في ضواحيها
And the dream, in its tender longing, embraced a dream
And dreams in their tenderness embraced dreams
Upon the drunken knolls on her outskirts.
On the tipsied hilltops in its suburbs
كنّاwe were علىupon ثغرهاher mouth الضحّاكِever-laughing أغنيةًa song
كنّا على ثغرها الضحّاكِ أغنيةً
يزفُّهاbears it in bridal procession الفجرthe dawn فيin ضاحيthe sunlit part of مغانيهاher haunts
يزفُّها الفجر في ضاحي مغانيها
We were a song upon her ever-laughing lips,
We were on its smiling lips, a song
Dawn bore it in bridal procession through her sunlit haunts.
That dawn sings in the suburbs of its songs
عصفورتانtwo sparrows لناfor us فيin الغابthe woods زقزقةٌa chirping
عصفورتان لنا في الغاب زقزقةٌ
سلْask غافياتِthe sleepers الرَّوابيthe knolls عنabout معانيهاits meanings
سلْ غافياتِ الرَّوابي عن معانيها
Two sparrows, with a chirping of our own in the woods—
Two little birds chirping for us in the woods
Ask the sleepers of the knolls about its meanings.
Ask the drowsy hilltops about their meanings
وكانand there was للهضْبَةِfor the plateau العذراءِvirgin أمنيةٌa wish
وكان للهضْبَةِ العذراءِ أمنيةٌ
بشاعرَيْهاfor her two poets، فخابتْso she was disappointed فيin أمانيهاher hopes
بشاعرَيْها، فخابتْ في أمانيها
And the virgin plateau had a wish
The virginal plateau had a wish
For her two poets—but her hopes were dashed.
For its two poets, but failed in its wishes
لَهْفيmy anguish علىfor القمَّةِthe summit البيضاءِwhite غافيةًslumbering
لَهْفي على القمَّةِ البيضاءِ غافيةً
مثلَlike البتولةِthe virgin فيin أحضانthe arms غاويهاher seducer
مثلَ البتولةِ في أحضان غاويها
Alas for the white summit, slumbering
I yearn for the white summit sleeping
Like a virgin in the arms of her seducer.
Like a damsel in the arms of her crazed lover
لهفيmy anguish عليهاfor her فلاfor no الأحلامthe dreams تُؤنِسُهاkeep her company
لهفي عليها فلا الأحلام تُؤنِسُها
ولاnor رواقصُthe dancers عُرسَيْناour two weddings تغنِّيهاsing to her
ولا رواقصُ عُرسَيْنا تغنِّيها
Alas for her, for no dreams keep her company,
I yearn for it but neither dreams console it
Nor do the dancers of our two weddings sing to her.
Nor the dancers at our weddings sing to it
هبطتُهاI descended to her أمسِyesterday، لمdid not ألقَfind علىupon فمهاher mouth
هبطتُها أمسِ، لم ألقَ على فمها
ذاكthat النشيدَthe song ولمand did not تبسمْsmile روابيهاher knolls
ذاك النشيدَ ولم تبسمْ روابيها
I descended to her yesterday; I did not find upon her lips
I went down it yesterday, but did not find
That song, nor did her knolls smile.
On its lips that anthem, nor did its hilltops smile
كأنماas though لمnot أكنI was شاديthe singer صنَوبَرِهاher pines
كأنما لم أكن شادي صنَوبَرِها
فتّانَthe enchanter زنْبقِهاher lilies، غاويthe seducer أقاحيهاher daisies
فتّانَ زنْبقِها، غاوي أقاحيها
As though I had never been the singer of her pines,
As if I'd never been a chanter of its pine tree
The enchanter of her lilies, the seducer of her daisies,
Or a debaucher of its bluebell, a craver of its brambles
كأنماas though لمnot أكنI was حلْمًاa dream وزقزقةًand a chirping
كأنما لم أكن حلْمًا وزقزقةً
ورقصةَand the dance المرجةِthe meadow الخضراgreen وحاديهاand its chanting guide!
ورقصةَ المرجةِ الخضرا وحاديها!
As though I had never been a dream and a chirping,
As if I'd never been a dream and chirping
And the green meadow's dance and its chanting guide!
And the dance of the green prairie and its singer!
ورعشةَand the tremor الزنبقِthe lily الغافيslumbering بمضجعهin its bed
ورعشةَ الزنبقِ الغافي بمضجعه
وهمسةَand a whisper الحبِّlove تهفوwafts منfrom سواقيهاher watercourses
وهمسةَ الحبِّ تهفو من سواقيها
And the tremor of the lily slumbering in its bed,
And the shiver of the drowsy bluebell in its bed
And a whisper of love wafting from her watercourses.
And the whisper of love sighing from its streams
عادتreturned إلىto الأرضthe earth، ياO علياAlya، عرائسهاher brides
عادت إلى الأرض، يا عليا، عرائسها
وافترَّand parted in a smile ثغرُthe mouth الأقاحيthe daisies فيin مخابيهاtheir hiding places
وافترَّ ثغرُ الأقاحي في مخابيها
Back to the earth, O Alya, have come her brides,
The brides returned, O Lofty One, to the earth
And the daisies' lips parted in a smile in their hiding places.
And the lips of the brambles parted in their beds
وعادand returned نيسانُApril للواديto the valley عروستِهِhis bride
وعاد نيسانُ للوادي عروستِهِ
يلهوfrolics علىupon صدرهاher breast حينًاawhile ويلهيهاand amuses her
يلهو على صدرها حينًا ويلهيها
And April returned to the valley, his bride,
And April returned its bride to the valley
Frolicking awhile upon her breast and amusing her.
Toying on her breast awhile and diverting her
فيin مقلتيهاher two eyes رشاشٌa spray منof مدامعهhis tears
في مقلتيها رشاشٌ من مدامعه
ومنand from أزاهرهhis blossoms طيبٌfragrance علىupon فِيهاher mouth
ومن أزاهره طيبٌ على فِيها
In her eyes is a spray of his tears,
In her eyelashes a patter of his tears
And fragrance from his blossoms lies upon her lips.
And from his flowers a scent upon her mouth
Sol 6.1