1. لم يَعْدُ عامَيْنِ وكانتْ له

    من ثقةٍ بالنفس أعوامُ

    He was no more than two years old, yet he had

    years of confidence in himself.

  2. يمشِي الهُوَينى يستشفُّ الرؤى

    كما أَتَى المرسَمَ رسّام

    He walks at an easy pace, discerning visions,

    like a painter coming to the studio.

  3. على " الرصيفِ " لم يَعُقْ سيرَه

    خَلْفٌ، ولم يزْحَمْه قُدّام

    On the sidewalk, his progress was not hindered

    by what lay behind, nor crowded by what lay ahead.

  4. وأمُّه ترعاهُ قَوّامةً

    وهو غداً راعٍ وقوّام

    And his mother tends him, a steadfast guardian,

    and tomorrow he will be a caretaker and guardian.

  5. بينا ابنُ ستينَ وفي زَعْمِه

    من عبقرٍ يأتيهِ إلهام

    While a man of sixty—who, by his own claim,

    receives inspiration from Abqar—

  6. يَختَبِطُ " الشارع " مِنْ حولِه

    تنهالُ للأخطارِ أكوام

    blunders through the street; all around him

    heaps of dangers rain down.

  7. حَيَّيْتُهُ فردَّها لي فمٌ

    مثلُ فَمِ البُلْبلِ تَمْتام

    I greeted him; a mouth returned my greeting,

    like a nightingale's mouth, babbling.

  8. وافترَّ وَجْهٌ ما به غَيْمةٌ

    ويشجُبُ البَدْرَ ويَغْتام

    And a face broke into a smile, without a cloud upon it,

    shaming the full moon, which grows gloomy.

  9. لم يعدُ عامَيْنِ، وفي عَينِه

    مَلْيونُ عامٍ لمَّها عام

    He was no more than two years old, yet in his eye

    lay a million years, gathered by a single year.

  10. يابنَ الحَضاراتِ أباً عن أبٍ

    شَدَّتْكَ أخوالٌ وأعمام

    O son of civilizations, father after father,

    maternal and paternal uncles have strengthened you.

  11. باقٍ على الأنطافِ من لُطْفِها

    وَشْمٌ، وفي الأصلابِ أختام

    On the drops of seed there remains, from their refinement,

    a tattoo, and in the loins, seals.

  12. في كل حَقْل من مَيادينها

    عِطْرٌ من التاريخ نَمّام

    In every field of their domains

    is a telltale fragrance of history.

  13. غَذَتْكَ أمٌّ ثَدْيُها نِعمةٌ

    ودَرُّه فَهْمٌٌ وإفهام

    A mother nourished you, her breast a blessing,

    and its milk, understanding and instruction.

  14. حَنَتْ على وجهِك أنفاسُها

    فهو كلَوْحِ الزَهْر بَسّام

    Her breaths bent tenderly over your face,

    so it beams like a panel of flowers.

  15. وراوَحَتْه بَسَماتُ الصِبا

    وداعَبَتْ روحَك أنسام

    And the smiles of childhood visited it in turn,

    and breezes caressed your soul.

  16. وغَنَّتِ الحُبَّ وأنغامَه

    فأرهفَتْ سَمْعَك أنغام

    And she sang of love and its melodies,

    so melodies sharpened your hearing.

  17. يابنَ الحضاراتِ: وكم قِسمةٍ

    ضِيزَى، وكَمْ أجْحَفَ قَسّام

    O son of civilizations, how many an allotment

    is unfair, and how often an allotter has wronged!

  18. أوَسْوَساتٌ هنَّ ؟ أم حكمة ؟

    أم هُنَّ أقداحٌ، وأزلامُ ؟

    Are they whisperings, or wisdom?

    Or are they lot-casting arrows and divining arrows?

  19. كم لكَ في هذي الدنى من أخٍ

    حُلْوٍ بسُوقِ الذُّل يُستام

    How many brothers you have in these worlds,

    sweet, yet bid for in the market of humiliation;

  20. وهامَةٍ مثلِك جَبّارةٍ

    تُحنى لها لو سَلِمَت هام

    and a mighty head like yours,

    to which, were it spared, other heads would bow.

  21. خَلاّقةٍ كانتْ ومن خَلْقِها

    قد كانَ " خَلاّقٌ " وعَلاّم

    Creative it was, and among its creations

    was a "Creator" and an All-Knower.

  22. أقعدَه أَنْ لم يكنْ عندَه

    أهلٌ كأهليكَ، وأقوام

    He was held back by the fact that he had no

    kin like yours, nor communities.

  23. هزَّتْه في المهد يَدٌ هَزَّها

    جُوعٌ، وإذلالٌ، وأسقام

    A hand rocked him in the cradle, itself shaken

    by hunger, humiliation, and sickness.

  24. دِيفَتْ أغانيها بها وارْتَمَتْ

    سوداءَ أطيافٌ وأحلام

    Her songs were steeped in them, and there fell

    black phantoms and dreams.

  25. وامتصّ ضَرْعاً سَمَّمت لحمَه

    وأدْغَلَتْ في الدَّمِ آلام

    And he sucked an udder whose flesh was poisoned,

    and whose blood was corrupted by pains.

  26. رَعَى مُحيطاً مُجدِباً فانضَوَى

    كما انْضَوَتْ في القَفْرِ أغنام

    He grazed in barren surroundings and wasted away,

    as sheep wasted away in the wilderness.

  27. يابنَ الحضارات: وأُسطورةٌ

    المثلُ العليا، وأوهام

    O son of civilizations, a myth

    are the highest ideals, and illusions.

  28. يُخدِّرُ الجَوْعَى بها، والرُؤَى

    سُودٌ، ولَمْحُ النورِ إيهام

    With them one drugs the hungry, while visions

    are black, and a glimpse of light is an illusion.

  29. والجَهْلُ كُفْرانٌ بما في الوَرَى

    من رَوْعةٍ .. والعُدْمُ إعدامُ

    And ignorance is denial of what humankind holds

    of splendor; destitution is execution.

  30. يابنَ الحضاراتِ: وهل بُدِّلَت

    بُؤْساً، دَساتيرٌ وأحكام

    O son of civilizations, have they been turned

    into misery—constitutions and laws?

  31. خَدّاعةُ الوجْهِ وفي جَوْفِها

    أسوأُ ما ضَمَّتْه أرحام

    Their face is deceptive, and within them

    is the worst that wombs have held.

  32. يُضحِكُكَ المُبكِي بها لا تَرَى

    كيفَ يُمازُ الحَمْدُ والذّام

    What brings tears makes you laugh there; you cannot see

    how praise and blame are told apart.

  33. كواكِبٌ دِيسَتْ .. سِوَى كوكبٍ

    لم يكتَشِفْهُ بَعدُ مِقدام

    Planets have been trodden upon—save a planet

    no daring adventurer has yet discovered.

  34. فيه أعاجيبٌ، ومن تُرْبِه

    صِيغت عَماليقٌ .. وأقزام

    Within it are marvels, and from its soil

    giants and dwarfs were fashioned.

  35. يسحَقُ بَعْضاً هارِساً لحمَه

    بعضٌ .. ولا تُسْأَلُ أَقدام !

    One is crushed, his flesh pulverized,

    by another; no feet are called to account!

  36. ويَسرِق الناسَ .. وأوطانَهم

    لِصٌّ، ولا يُقطَع إبهام

    And the people and their homelands are stolen

    by a thief, yet no thumb is cut off.

  37. وشِرْعةٌ ذَبْح الفَتَى جارَه

    وأن يُجادَ الذَّبحُ إلزام

    And a young man's slaughter of his neighbor is law,

    and perfecting the slaughter is compulsory.

  38. وتُعبَدُ الأعرافُ فيهِ كما

    تُعْبَدُ أحجارٌ، وأصنام

    And customs are worshipped there, just as

    stones and idols are worshipped.

  39. لكلِّ عُرفٍ قدرُه، مِثْلَما

    تُوزَنُ أقدارٌ، وأحجام

    Each custom has its worth, just as

    values and sizes are weighed.

  40. ويلكِزُ الفِكرَ وأربابَه

    ما شاء سرّاجٌ، ولجّام

    And thought and its masters are punched

    at will by a saddler and a bridle-maker.

  41. جِرمٌ بحَجْمِ الكَفِّ .. في عالَمٍ

    عَدَّ الحَصَى غَطَّتْه أجرام

    A body the size of a palm, in a universe

    covered by bodies as numerous as pebbles.

  42. نَزَّتْ مَلايينُ قُروحٍ به

    كانَتْ بعَهدِ الغابِ تَلتام

    Millions of sores have oozed upon it,

    that used to heal in the age of the jungle.

  43. والأرضُ غابٌ فيهِ من خَيْرِها

    وشَرِّها .. نُورٌ وإظلام

    And earth is a jungle, where from its good

    and its evil come light and darkness.

  44. ويَخلُفُ الوَحْشَ بها مِثلَه

    ذئبٌ، وثُعْبانٌ، وضِرْغام

    And a beast is succeeded there by its like:

    a wolf, a serpent, a lion.

  45. ومن دَمٍ طُلَّ بها ساربٍ

    تفَتَّحتْ للزَّهْر أكمام

    And from flowing blood shed there unavenged,

    the flowers' calyxes have opened.

  46. قد يأكُلُ المحكومُ من لَحْمِه

    فيه، وقد تُؤْكَل حُكّام

    The ruled may eat of their own flesh

    there, and rulers may be eaten.

  47. أَيَعْمَرُ المِرِّيخُ من هِمّةٍ

    في الأرض أن تُزرَعَ ألغامُ ؟

    Can Mars be peopled by an ambition

    whose aim on earth is to plant mines?