ولمّا رأَيْتُ اللَّيْلَ عَسْكَرَ قرّهُ

وهَبَّتْ له رِيحانِ تَلْتَطِمَانِ

When I saw the night encamp its steeds

And the sweet-scented breeze hastened to it,

وعَمَّمَ صُلْعَ الهُضْبِ مِن قَطْرِ ثَلْجِهِ

يَدانِ مِن الصِّنَّبْرِ تَبتَدِرانِ

Covering the bare mountain-tops with its cold rain

Like hands of hail coming from the cloud,

رَفَعْتُ لِسَارِي اللَّيْلِ ناريْنِ فارْتأَى

شُعَاعَيْنِ تَحْتَ النَّجْمِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

I raised for the march of night two fires

With two rays meeting below a star,

فأَقْبَلَ مَقْرُورَ الْحَشَا لم تَكُنْ له

بدَفْعِ صُرُوفِ النَّائِباتِ يدانِ

Then he of the dusty gray horse approached whom no hands could repel

From executing the unavoidable decrees of Fate,

فقُلْتُ إِلى ذاتِ الدُّخانِ فقالَ لِي

وهل عُرفَتْ نارٌ بَغْيرِ دُخَانِ

So I said to the smoky fire, and it replied to me,

“Is a fire known without smoke?”

فمِلْتُ به أَجْتَرُّهُ نَحْوَ جَمْرَةٍ

لها بارِقٌ للضَّيْفِ غَيْرُ يَمانِ

I began to coax it towards a live coal

Which has lightning flashes for the guest but no fickleness,

إِذا ما حَسَا أَلْقَمْتُهُ كُلَّ فِلْذَةٍ

لفَرْخةِ طَيْرٍ أَوْ لسَخْلةِ ضانِ

Whenever it felt hungry I fed it a morsel

Of a bird’s chick or a lamb of the flock,

فَما زالَ في أَكلٍ وشُرْبٍ مُدارَكٍ

إِلى أَنْ تَشَهَّى التَّرْكَ شَهْوَةَ وانِي

So it went on eating and drinking continually

Till it was sated and sought to be left alone,

فأَلْحَفْتُهُ فامتَدَّ فَوْقَ مِهَادِهِ

وخَدّاهُ بالصَّهْبَاءِ تَتَّقِدانِ

Then I wrapped it up and it stretched out over its bed,

Its cheeks glowing with embers that seemed to slumber,

وَما انْفَكَّ مَعْشُوقَ الثَّواءِ نَمُدُّهُ

ببشْر وتَرْحِيب وبَسْطِ لسانِ

And the beloved of the night still watched over it,

Comforting it with greetings and soft murmurs,

تُغَنِّيهِ أَطْيَارُ القِيانِ إِذا انْتَشَى

بصنْجٍ وكَيْثَارٍ وعُودِ كِرانِ

The birds of the thicket sang to it when it woke

With lute, zither, and flute of reed,

وَيَسْمُو دُخَانُ المَنْدَلِ الرَّطْبِ فَوْقَهُ

كَما احْتَمَلَتْ رِيحٌ مُتُون عُثَانِ

And the smoke of the moist kindling rose above it

As the winds once bore the litter of ‘Uthman.

إِلى أَنْ تَشهى البَيْنَ مِن ذاتِ نَفْسِهِ

وحَنَّ إِلى الأَهْلِينَ حَنَّةَ حانِي

Till the severance of soul from body was revealed to it

And it yearned after the next world with yearning of departing,

فأَتْبَعْتُهُ ما سَدَّ خَلَّةَ حالِهِ

وأَتْبَعَنِي ذِكْراً بكُلِّ مَكَانِ

So I followed it to the end of its lowly fortune,

And it followed me with memories in every place.