وَقيتَ العَنا يا حادى الرَكبِ بالعيسِ

تَحَمَّل تَحيّاتِ إِلى دارِ دَنّيس

You passed by the grove, O guide of the caravan at Eisa,

Bear my greetings to the house of Dannis.

وَحَيِّ نَدامايَ الذينَ أَلِفتُهُم

بِها وَعُيونُ اللَهوِ تَرنو بِتأنيس

And greet those I befriended there,

And the eyes of pleasure glance at it gently.

وَأَيامَ لَذَّاتٍ تَقَضَّت بِقُربِهِم

رَكَضنا بِها خَيلَ السُرورِ بِلا كَيسٍ

And days of delights I spent being close to them,

We raced through them the horses of joy without bridle.

بِفُرسانِ أنسٍ يُقبِلونَ إِذا رَأوا

ظِباء كِناسٍ في ثيابِ الطَواويس

With horsemen of intimacy who turn towards

Gazelles in cloaks, if they see them.

أَلا في سَبيلِ اللَهوِ نَفسٌ مَشوقَةٌ

تَحِن لإنجِيلٍ وَقَرعِ نَواقيسِ

Verily for the sake of pleasure a passionate soul

Yearns for the Bible and the ringing of bells.

وَتَصبو إِلىَ ذِكرِ الصُبوحِ وَفِتيَةٍ

شِعارُهُم سَدلُ الشُعورِ عَلى الروسِ

And it aspires to the mention of dawn and youths

Whose motto is the cascading of hair over heads.

إِذا ذَكَروا شَرعَ اليسوعِ تَمَسَّحوا

بِآثارِهِم ما بَينَ حَبرٍ وَقسيّسِ

When they remember the law of Jesus, they wiped themselves

With its traces between ink and priest.

وَيسقونَ مَن راحٍ كَأَنَ نَسيمَها

رَسولٌ إِلى قَلبِ المَشوقِ بِتَنفيسِ

And they serve drink to the one taking rest as if its breeze

Were a messenger to the heart of the passionate one with ventilation.

إِذا ما شَرِبناها يَقولُ مُديرُها

قَراتسي سنيور أَفيفا أَيا موس

When we drink it, its server says:

"Greetings senior, long live sir."

فتَهتَز أَعطافُ النَدامى لَقَولِهِ

كَما هَزت الإِنجيلُ أَسماعَ شِميِّسِ

So the sides of the boon companions shake for his words

As the Bible shook the hearings of Shimis.

لك الخَير يا ماتيل بادِر بِأوبَةٍ

فَإِن أَبي لولو عَدوّ المَفاليسِ

Good for you O Mattil, set out repenting,

For my father Lulu is the enemy of the bankrupt.

وَإِن ابنَ قُسطَنطينَ حالَ وِدادُهُ

لَعلك تَرثي أَن تَراني بِلا كيسِ

And the son of Constantine, his affection changed,

Maybe you inherit to see me without purse.

فَأَنتَ كَبيرُ القَومِ غَيرَ مُدافَع

تُلاقي بِنَشر للثياب بِتَنفيس

For you are the greatest of people, not objecting,

You meet with spreading clothes with ventilation.

لَعَلَّ اللَيالي أَن تَعود إِليكُمُ

فَنَلبِس أَثوابَ الصَفا خَير مَلبوس

Maybe the nights will return to you,

And we wear the clothes of clarity, the best clothes.

وَنَلتَذ مِن بير الحِجارِ بِشَربَةٍ

وَيُقرَعُ سَمعي مِن خَميسٍ بِتَخميسِ

And we enjoy from the wells of Al-Hijar a drink,

And my hearing gets rung from Thursday with pentatonic tunes.

هُوَ المَنزِلُ الرحب الرَفيعُ عِمادُهُ

عَلى الهضبَة الشماءِ مِن قَصرِ باديسِ

It is the vast, lofty residence, its pillar

On the plateau from the palace of Badis.

لَو أَنَّ لِسانَ الدينِ عاناهُ لَم يَقُل

عَسى وَقفَةٌ بالرَكبِ يا حاديَ العيسِ

If the tongue of religion tested it, it wouldn't say:

"Maybe a stopover with the caravan, O guide of Eisa."