لَعَمرُكَ مَا مِقلاَءُ عُوِّدَ عُودُهَا
جِذَابَ الكُرِينَ النُّورُ حِينَ تَعُودُهَا
By your life, the polished bat was never accustomed to its sanding
The glistening ball attracts light when she returns to it
أقِيمًَت ومُلَّت واستُمِيلَ ثِقَافُها
عَلَى وِجهَةِ اليُمنَى وسَاغَت عُنُودُهَا
It was set straight, filled, and its leather was softened
In the direction of prosperity, and its stubbornness was amenable
تُخِّيرَ من دَوحٍ مِنَ النَّبعِ غُصنَها
فَكَانَت كما يُهوَى ولاَحَت سُعُودُهَا
It was chosen from an orchard a branch for it
So it came to be as desired, and its bleaching succeeded
وبالقِشرِ منها نُمِّقَت غَيرَ أنَّهَا
يَسُرُّ الفَتَى إقبالُهَا وَصُدّ وُدهَا
With its peel it was tanned, yet
The youth is pleased by its coming and refusal of his advances
إِذا احرَ نَجمَ النَّادِى عليها وقُسِّمَت
ونَاحَت نَواحِيهَأ وشّبَّ وَقُودُها
When the star of the caller ignites upon it, and it is divided
Its sides mourn and its fuel kindles
وجالت بها الفُتيانُ شَرقاً وَمَغرِباً
وقد خِيفَ فِيهَا أن تُجَارَ حُدُودُهَا
The young men carry it around, east and west
And it was feared in it that its boundaries would be violated
وخَان مُدَهدِيهَا عَواصِى عِصِيِّها
فأَيدِيهم تَشكُو العِصِىَّ جُلُودُهَا
And the extremities of its unruly self betrayed it
So their hands complain of the bat through its hide
تَرى الكُرَةَ انقَادت إليها كَأنَّها
تُقَادُ وما إِن ثَمَّ شَىءٌ يَقُودُهَا
You see the ball moved toward it as if
It is led, though there is nothing that leads it
وفي كل مِقلاَءٍ مُلاَقِيةٍ لَهَا
كَوادِحُ ضَربٍ ما تُخَانُ عُهُودُهَا
And in each polished bat it encounters
Like toilers of a breed whose pacts are not betrayed
يَوَدُّ المَبَارِى كَسرَهَا حَسَداً لها
وكُلُّ فَتًى يَأتِى الكُرِينَ حَسُودُها
The opponents wish to break it out of envy for it
And every young man who comes to the ball is jealous of it
بِمُجدَيَةِ شيئاً يسودُ بِه الفَتَى
إِذَا اشتَبَهتُ بيضُ المَعَاني وُسودُها
With glory, something with which the young man prevails
When the meanings’ black and white become confused
وفي الناس ذُوبَانٌ واشدو لم تَكُن
سَوسِيَةً ذُؤ بَانُها وأُسودُها
And in people there is melting, and they sang though it had not been
A temptation, their melting and their blackness
