Sol 6.1

  1. أبتاه ماذا قد يخطُّ بناني

    والحبلُ والجلادُ ينتظراني

    Father, what might my fingers write,

    While the rope and the executioner await me?

  2. هذا الكتابُ إليكَ مِنْ زَنْزانَةٍ

    مقْرورَةٍ صَخْرِيَّة الجُدْرانِ

    This letter comes to you from a cell,

    Freezing cold, with walls of stone.

  3. لَمْ تَبْقَ إلاَّ ليلةٌ أحْيا بِها

    وأُحسُّ أنَّ ظلامَها أكفاني

    Only one night remains for me to live,

    And I feel that its darkness is my shrouds.

  4. سَتَمُرُّ يا أبتاهُ لستُ أشكُّ في

    هذا وتَحمِلُ بعدَها جُثماني

    It will pass, Father; I have no doubt of

    This, and afterward you will carry my corpse.

  5. الليلُ مِنْ حَولي هُدوءٌ قاتِلٌ

    والذكرياتُ تَمورُ في وِجْداني

    The night around me is a deadly stillness,

    And memories churn within my inner being.

  6. وَيَهُدُّني أَلمي فأنْشُدُ راحَتي

    في بِضْعِ آياتٍ مِنَ القُرآنِ

    My pain wears me down, so I seek my solace

    In a few verses of the Qur'an.

  7. والنَّفْسُ بينَ جوانِحي شفَّافةٌ

    دَبَّ الخُشوعُ بها فَهَزَّ كَياني

    And my soul, within my ribs, is transparent;

    Reverence crept into it and shook my whole being.

  8. قَدْ عِشْتُ أُومِنُ بالإلهِ ولم أَذُقْ

    إلاَّ أخيراً لذَّةَ الإيمانِ

    I have lived believing in God, yet never tasted

    The delight of faith until now.

  9. والصَّمتُ يقطعُهُ رَنينُ سَلاسِلٍ

    عَبَثَتْ بِهِنَّ أَصابعُ السَّجّانِ

    And the silence is broken by the ringing of chains

    With which the jailer's fingers have toyed.

  10. ما بَيْنَ آوِنةٍ تَمُرُّ وأختها

    يرنو إليَّ بمقلتيْ شيطانِ

    Between a passing moment and its sister,

    He gazes at me with a devil's eyes.

  11. مِنْ كُوَّةٍ بِالبابِ يَرْقُبُ صَيْدَهُ

    وَيَعُودُ في أَمْنٍ إلى الدَّوَرَانِ

    Through a peephole in the door, he watches his prey,

    And safely returns to his rounds.

  12. أَنا لا أُحِسُّ بِأيِّ حِقْدٍ نَحْوَهُ

    ماذا جَنَى فَتَمَسُّه أَضْغاني

    I feel no hatred toward him;

    What wrong has he done that my grudges should touch him?

  13. هُوَ طيِّبُ الأخلاقِ مثلُكَ يا أبي

    لم يَبْدُ في ظَمَأٍ إلى العُدوانِ

    He is good-natured, like you, Father;

    He has not appeared thirsty for aggression.

  14. لكنَّهُ إِنْ نامَ عَنِّي لَحظةً

    ذاقَ العَيالُ مَرارةَ الحِرْمانِ

    But if he sleeps, neglecting me for a moment,

    His family tastes the bitterness of deprivation.

  15. فلَرُبَّما وهُوَ المُرَوِّعُ سحنةً

    لو كانَ مِثْلي شاعراً لَرَثاني

    So perhaps, though his visage is terrifying,

    If he were a poet like me, he would lament me;

  16. أوْ عادَ مَنْ يدري إلى أولادِهِ

    وماً تَذكَّرَ صُورتي فَبكاني

    Or he might return—who knows?—to his children

    One day, recall my image, and weep for me.

  17. وَعلى الجِدارِ الصُّلبِ نافذةٌ بها

    معنى الحياةِ غليظةُ القُضْبانِ

    And in the solid wall is a window holding

    The meaning of life, its bars thick.

  18. قَدْ طالَما شارَفتُها مُتَأَمِّلاً

    في الثَّائرينَ على الأسى اليَقْظانِ

    How often I have approached it, contemplating

    Those rebelling against wakeful sorrow.

  19. فَأَرَى وُجوماً كالضَّبابِ مُصَوِّراً

    ما في قُلوبِ النَّاسِ مِنْ غَلَيانِ

    So I see gloom, like fog, portraying

    The seething within people's hearts.

  20. نَفْسُ الشُّعورِ لَدى الجميعِ وَإِنْ هُمُو

    كَتموا وكانَ المَوْتُ في إِعْلاني

    The same feeling is in everyone, though they

    Conceal it, while death lay in my declaring it.

  21. وَيدورُ هَمْسٌ في الجَوانِحِ ما الَّذي

    بِالثَّوْرَةِ الحَمْقاءِ قَدْ أَغْراني؟

    And a whisper circles within my ribs: what was it

    That lured me into this foolish revolt?

  22. أَوَ لَمْ يَكُنْ خَيْراً لِنفسي أَنْ أُرَى

    مثلَ الجُموعِ أَسيرُ في إِذْعانِ؟

    Would it not have been better for me to be seen

    Walking like the crowds, in submission?

  23. ما ضَرَّني لَوْ قَدْ سَكَتُّ وَكُلَّما

    غَلَبَ الأسى بالَغْتُ في الكِتْمانِ؟

    What harm would it have done me had I kept silent, and whenever

    Sorrow prevailed, redoubled my concealment?

  24. هذا دَمِي سَيَسِيلُ يَجْرِي مُطْفِئاً

    ما ثارَ في جَنْبَي مِنْ نِيرانِ

    Here is my blood: it will spill, flowing to extinguish

    The fires that flared within my sides.

  25. وَفؤاديَ المَوَّارُ في نَبَضاتِهِ

    سَيَكُفُّ في غَدِهِ عَنِ الْخَفَقانِ

    And my heart, surging in its beats,

    Will cease its throbbing tomorrow.

  26. وَالظُّلْمُ باقٍ لَنْ يُحَطِّمَ قَيْدَهُ

    مَوْتي وَلَنْ يُودِي بِهِ قُرْباني

    And oppression remains; its fetter will not be shattered

    By my death, nor will my sacrifice destroy it.

  27. وَيَسيرُ رَكْبُ الْبَغْيِ لَيْسَ يَضِيرُهُ

    شاةٌ إِذا اْجْتُثَّتْ مِنَ القِطْعانِ

    And tyranny's caravan moves on, unharmed by

    A sheep, if torn from the flocks.

  28. هذا حَديثُ النَّفْسِ حينَ تَشُفُّ عَنْ

     بَشَرِيَّتي وَتَمُورُ بَعْدَ ثَوانِ

    This is the soul's talk when it reveals

    My humanity; seconds later it surges

  29. وتقُولُ لي إنَّ الحَياةَ لِغايَةٍ

    أَسْمَى مِنَ التَّصْفيقِ ِللطُّغْيانِ

    And tells me that life is for a purpose

    Higher than applauding tyranny.

  30. أَنْفاسُكَ الحَرَّى وَإِنْ هِيَ أُخمِدَتْ

    سَتَظَلُّ تَعْمُرُ أُفْقَهُمْ بِدُخانِ

    Your burning breaths, even if extinguished,

    Will keep filling their horizon with smoke.

  31. وقُروحُ جِسْمِكَ وَهُوَ تَحْتَ سِياطِهِمْ

    قَسَماتُ صُبْحٍ يَتَّقِيهِ الْجاني

    And your body's sores, as it lies beneath their whips,

    Are the features of a dawn the criminal dreads.

  32. دَمْعُ السَّجينِ هُناكَ في أَغْلالِهِ

    وَدَمُ الشَّهيدِ هُنَا سَيَلْتَقِيانِ

    The prisoner's tears there in his shackles

    And the martyr's blood here will meet.

  33. حَتَّى إِذا ما أُفْعِمَتْ بِهِما الرُّبا

    لم يَبْقَ غَيْرُ تَمَرُّدِ الفَيَضانِ

    Until, when the hills are filled with both,

    Nothing will remain but the flood's rebellion.

  34. ومَنِ الْعَواصِفِ مَا يَكُونُ هُبُوبُهَا

    بَعْدَ الْهُدوءِ وَرَاحَةِ الرُّبَّانِ

    And some storms arise

    After calm and the captain's rest.

  35. إِنَّ اْحْتِدامَ النَّارِ في جَوْفِ الثَّرَى

    أَمْرٌ يُثيرُ حَفِيظَةَ الْبُرْكانِ

    Indeed, fire raging in the depths of the earth

    Is something that stirs the volcano's wrath.

  36. وتتابُعُ القَطَراتِ يَنْزِلُ بَعْدَهُ

    سَيْلٌ يَليهِ تَدَفُّقُ الطُّوفانِ

    And after the succession of drops comes

    A torrent, followed by the deluge's surge,

  37. فَيَمُوجُ يقتلِعُ الطُّغاةَ مُزَمْجِراً

    أقْوى مِنَ الْجَبَرُوتِ وَالسُّلْطانِ

    Then it surges, roaring as it uproots tyrants,

    Stronger than despotic might and authority.

  38. أَنا لَستُ أَدْري هَلْ سَتُذْكَرُ قِصَّتي

    أَمْ سَوْفَ يَعْرُوها دُجَى النِّسْيانِ؟

    I do not know whether my story will be remembered

    Or whether the darkness of oblivion will cover it.

  39. أمْ أنَّني سَأَكونُ في تارِيخِنا

    مُتآمِراً أَمْ هَادِمَ الأَوْثانِ؟

    Or whether, in our history, I will be

    A conspirator, or a destroyer of idols.

  40. كُلُّ الَّذي أَدْرِيهِ أَنَّ تَجَرُّعي

    كَأْسَ الْمَذَلَّةِ لَيْسَ في إِمْكاني

    All I know is that drinking

    The cup of humiliation is beyond my power.

  41. لَوْ لَمْ أَكُنْ في ثَوْرَتي مُتَطَلِّباً

    غَيْرَ الضِّياءِ لأُمَّتي لَكَفاني

    If in my revolt I had sought

    Nothing but light for my nation, that would have sufficed me.

  42. أَهْوَى الْحَياةَ كَريمَةً لا قَيْدَ لا

    إِرْهابَ لا اْسْتِخْفافَ بِالإنْسانِ

    I love life with dignity: no fetters, no

    Terror, no contempt for human beings.

  43. فَإذا سَقَطْتُ سَقَطْتُ أَحْمِلُ عِزَّتي

    يَغْلي دَمُ الأَحْرارِ في شِرياني

    So if I fall, I fall bearing my dignity;

    The blood of the free boils in my artery.

  44. أَبَتاهُ إِنْ طَلَعَ الصَّباحُ عَلَى الدُّنى

    وَأَضاءَ نُورُ الشَّمْسِ كُلَّ مَكانِ

    Father, if morning rises over the worlds

    And the sunlight brightens every place,

  45. وَاسْتَقْبَلُ الْعُصْفُورُ بَيْنَ غُصُونِهِ

    يَوْماً جَديداً مُشْرِقَ الأَلْوانِ

    And the sparrow, amid its branches, greets

    A new day, radiant with colors,

  46. وَسَمِعْتَ أَنْغامَ التَّفاؤلِ ثَرَّةً

    تَجْري عَلَى فَمِ بائِعِ الأَلبانِ

    And you hear rich melodies of optimism

    Flowing from the milk seller's mouth,

  47. وَأتى يَدُقُّ كما تَعَوَّدَ بابَنا

    سَيَدُقُّ بابَ السِّجْنِ جَلاَّدانِ

    And he comes knocking at our door, as usual,

    Two executioners will knock at the prison door.

  48. وَأَكُونُ بَعْدَ هُنَيْهَةٍ مُتَأَرْجِحَاً

    في الْحَبْلِ مَشْدُوداً إِلى العِيدانِ

    And after a little while I will be swaying

    On the rope, bound to the timbers.

  49. لِيَكُنْ عَزاؤكَ أَنَّ هَذا الْحَبْلَ ما

    صَنَعَتْهُ في هِذي الرُّبوعِ يَدانِ

    Let your consolation be that this rope was not

    Made by two hands in these lands.

  50. نَسَجُوهُ في بَلَدٍ يَشُعُّ حَضَارَةً

    وَتُضاءُ مِنْهُ مَشاعِلُ الْعِرفانِ

    They wove it in a country that radiates civilization,

    And from which the torches of knowledge are lit.

  51. أَوْ هَكذا زَعَمُوا! وَجِيءَ بِهِ إلى

    بَلَدي الْجَريحِ عَلَى يَدِ الأَعْوانِ

    Or so they claimed! It was brought to

    My wounded country at the hands of accomplices.

  52. أَنا لا أُرِيدُكَ أَنْ تَعيشَ مُحَطَّماً

    في زَحْمَةِ الآلامِ وَالأَشْجانِ

    I do not want you to live shattered

    Amid the crush of pains and sorrows.

  53. إِنَّ ابْنَكَ المَصْفُودَ في أَغْلالِهِ

    قَدْ سِيقَ نَحْوَ الْمَوْتِ غَيْرَ مُدانِ

    Your son, fettered in his shackles,

    Has been driven toward death, though not guilty.

  54. فَاذْكُرْ حِكاياتٍ بِأَيَّامِ الصِّبا

    قَدْ قُلْتَها لي عَنْ هَوى الأوْطانِ

    So recall the stories from the days of childhood

    That you told me about love of one's homeland.

  55. وَإذا سَمْعْتَ نَحِيبَ أُمِّيَ في الدُّجى

    تَبْكي شَباباً ضاعَ في الرَّيْعانِ

    And if you hear my mother's sobbing in the darkness,

    Mourning youth lost in its prime,

  56. وتُكَتِّمُ الحَسراتِ في أَعْماقِها

    أَلَمَاً تُوارِيهِ عَنِ الجِيرانِ

    And stifling regrets deep within her,

    A pain she hides from the neighbors,

  57. فَاطْلُبْ إِليها الصَّفْحَ عَنِّي إِنَّني

    لا أَبْتَغي مِنَها سِوى الغُفْرانِ

    Then ask her to pardon me, for I

    Seek nothing from her but forgiveness.

  58. مازَالَ في سَمْعي رَنينُ حَديثِها

    وَمقالِها في رَحْمَةٍ وَحنانِ

    Her words still ring in my ears,

    And her sayings, in compassion and tenderness:

  59. أَبُنَيَّ: إنِّي قد غَدَوْتُ عليلةً

    لم يبقَ لي جَلَدٌ عَلى الأَحْزانِ

    My dear son, I have grown ill;

    I have no endurance left for sorrows.

  60. فَأَذِقْ فُؤادِيَ فَرْحَةً بِالْبَحْثِ عَنْ

    بِنْتِ الحَلالِ وَدَعْكَ مِنْ عِصْياني

    So let my heart taste joy by searching for

    An honorable girl, and stop disobeying me.

  61. كنَتْ لها أُمْنِيَةً رَيَّانَةً

    يا حُسْنَ آمالٍ لَها وَأَماني

    She had a flourishing wish;

    How lovely were her hopes and wishes!

  62. وَالآنَ لا أَدْري بِأَيِّ جَوانِحٍ

    سَتَبيتُ بَعْدي أَمْ بِأَيِّ جِنانِ

    And now I do not know with what breast

    She will spend the night after me, or with what heart.

  63. هذا الذي سَطَرْتُهُ لكَ يا أبي

    بَعْضُ الذي يَجْري بِفِكْرٍ عانِ

    What I have written for you here, Father,

    Is part of what runs through a suffering mind.

  64. لكنْ إذا انْتَصَرَ الضِّياءُ وَمُزِّقَتْ

    بَيَدِ الْجُموعِ شَريعةُ القُرْصانِ

    But if light triumphs, and torn apart

    By the hands of the masses is the pirate's law,

  65. فَلَسَوْفَ يَذْكُرُني وَيُكْبِرُ هِمَّتي

    مَنْ كانَ في بَلَدي حَليفَ هَوانِ

    Then I shall be remembered, and my resolve honored

    By those in my land who were companions of humiliation.

  66. وَإلى لِقاءٍ تَحْتَ ظِلِّ عَدالَةٍ

    قُدْسِيَّةِ الأَحْكامِ والمِيزانِ

    And until we meet beneath the shade of justice,

    Sacred in its judgments and its balance.