ومُرِنّةٍ قَدَحَتْ زنادَ صبابتي

والبرقُ يَقْدَحُ في الظلامِ شَرارَهُ

With a supple grace my youth once kindled

As lightning kindles through the gloom its sparks

ورقاءُ تأرَقُ مقلتي لبكائها

ليلاً إذا ما هَوَّمتْ سمَّارُهُ

My eyelids, Raqa's, weep with many tears

When nightly halts the litter and its poles

إيهٍ بعيشكِ يا حمامةُ خبِّري

كيف الكثيبُ ورَنْدُهُ وعَرارُهُ

Ah, of your life, dove, tell me, inform me

How is the sand-hill and its shrubs and stones?

أَتَنَفّسَت بتنفُّسي أَثْلاتُهُ

أم أَيْنَعَتْ بمدامعي أزهارُهُ

Have they breathed in my breathing its plants' scents

Or bloomed in my tears their many flowers?

أم ذلك الخِشْفُ الذي بجوانحي

مثواهُ لكن بالمشقَّرِ داره

Or is it but my fancy in my heart

Which made its home in a broken abode?

حَفِظَ العهودَ وأيّ عهدِ مُهفهفٍ

ما جُذَّ في حُكْمِ الغرام مُغاره

It kept the troth. What troth and vows tossed to the winds

Were ever torn by passion's sentence down?

كيف العزاءُ ودونَ ذاك الظبي مِنْ

أدواتِ أُسْدِ الغيل ما يختاره

How can consolation come? Without that fawn

Among the roes what can the lion choose?

فمن الخيولِ جيادُها ومن السيو

فِ حدادُها ومن القنا خَطَّاره

Of horses, its steeds; of weapons, their keen blades;

Of lances, their points,-what can the choice prefer?

أما الفوارسُ فاستداروا حَوْلَهُ

حيث استقلَّ كما استدار سواره

The horsemen stand around his resting-place

As round its pivot moves the circling star.

أنضَوْا شفارَهُمُ الصقيلة دونَهُ

حتى حَسِبْنا أنها أشفاره

They bared for him their Indian blades before

We thought them very eyelids and eyebrows

ولربَّما هَزُّوا الذوابلَ مثلما

هَزَّ المعاطفَ لحظُه وعُقارُهُ

The pennons tossed like turbans to and fro

In mourning for that face of moon in clouds

أحْبِبْ به منْ شادنٍ مُتربِّبٍ

دانٍ وإنْ ألوى وشطَّ مزاره

Let him love of a truthful friend profess

To him if he submit, or wayward prove.

في وجنتيه من المهنّدِ ما اكتسي

يومَ الوغى وبمقلتيه غِراره

The double coat of mail his form once wore

Upon the day of battle and its dust

هو ميّتٌ لولا رجاءُ وصاله

والعيشُ لولا صدُّه ونفاره

He is not dead except in hope to meet-

Without it life itself would nought avail.

حيّا الإلهُ مَراحَهُ ومقيله

ما قرَّ في مَثوى الضلوعِ قراره

God guard his resting place and burial!

May he find quiet resting in the tomb!