Sol 6

  1. Peace upon those vanished dwelling places,

    though they have emptied since their familiar neighbors left.

  2. Innocent maidens never faltered in catching the unwary

    with their calm, languid glances.

  3. May God water my days at Rahbat Hashim,

    as far as Shirshir, the dwelling place of gazelles,

  4. with clouds that draw their trailing shadows across the earth,

    so that, through them, the flowers grow moist-eyed.

  5. Those were the homes of my pleasures and the dwelling of my longing,

    and of my play with women like shining stars.

  6. The hand of fate shot us from the bow of separation,

    and fate’s arrow did not miss us at the appointed hour.

  7. Ah, is there a way back to the island’s shade in the morning,

    and the garden’s sweet breeze after the midday heat,

  8. and its branches, where birds lament their sorrow

    among its trees and surging waters,

  9. and the delicate veil of air, while the wind is gentle,

    borne along by a rain bearer with wings outspread?

  10. Is there a way, when all paths have narrowed around me in bewilderment

    and longing for its shade in the heat of noon?

Sol 6