قَصُرَ العَيشُ بِأَكنافِ الغَضا
وَكَذا العَيشُ إِذا طابَ قَصُر
Life was brief amid the sheltering ghada trees;
and so is life: when it is sweet, it is brief,
في لَيالٍ كَأَباهيمِ القَطا
لَستَ تَدري كَيفَ تَأتي وَتَمُر
through nights as short as a sandgrouse’s tiny hind toes—
you cannot tell how they come and pass.
Sol 5.6