ألِمَّا بِى عَلَى دِمَنٍ تَذُوبُ

غَرَاماً مِن تَذَكَّرِهَا القلُوبُ

My heart melts for a ruin where love dwells

From the memory which makes hearts ache.

سَحِبتُ مَطَارِفَ الغفلاتِ فيها

زمانا لا تنوبُ به الخُطُوبُ

For a time I drew aside the veils of neglect from it,

When misfortunes do not come round.

ولاَ نَصَبٌ يَمَسُّي القومَ فِيهِ

ولا فَيه يَمَسُّهُمُ لُغُوبٌ

Neither does any toil afflict the people in it,

Nor in it are they touched by wasting diseases.

شققتُ به جلابيبَ كُلَّ خَودٍ

وشُقِّقَتِ البراقعُ والجُيُوبُ

I rent with it the garment of every smiling cheek,

And tents and cheek-veils were torn.

وكَم غَنِيَت بساحِتها فَتَاةٌ

مُهَفهَفَةٌ مُعَمَّةٌ عَرُوبُ

Many a beautiful, delicate, proud-necked damsel

Has sung in its court.

وَبانَت عن مَعَاهِدِهَا واضحَت

قِفَاراً والنَّوائِبُ قَد تَنُوب

Revealed were their abodes plainly,

And the wild cattle were roaming.

فيا ليتَ العهودَ كما عهدنا

وليتَ الدهرَ ذَاهِبُهُ يَئوبَ

Oh would that the days were as we knew them,

And would that departing fortune might turn back!