روضةٌ لا تحبُّ سلمي سواها

معبداً في صباحها ومساها

A garden that loves no one but her

A temple in her morning and evening

كلما حانتِ الصلاةُ توافيها

وتخلو لِلّه في نجواها

Whenever it was time for prayer, she would attend

And be alone with God in her intimacy

آيةٌ في الحسانِ قد خصها ال

باري بكل الجمال لما براها

A sign of beauty that God endowed her

With all grace when He created her

واصطفاها لحبه فحماها

في ذمارٍ من زهدها وتقاها

And chose her for His love and protected her

Among those distinguished by their asceticism and piety

واصطفته لها حبيباً ولم تر

حم من الناس هالكاً بهواها

And He chose for her a lover, and she saw

No protector from people destroyed by passion

عشقته ولا تراه ولكن

حسبها من عشيقها أن يراها

She loved him though she cannot see him

But it's enough that her lover can see her

وأتت مرّةً تناجيه في الرو

ض وقد باكرته قبل ضحاها

And she came once to whisper to him in the garden

And went early before dawn

وتمشت على الرياحين لا تؤ

ذي الرياحينَ بالخطى قدماها

She walked on the meadows without disturbing

The meadows with her steps

وجثت في ظلالِ صفصافة حا

كت ذؤاباتها وحاكت حياها

And knelt in the shade of a willow, speaking

Of her sorrows and weaving her life

والأزاهير حولها مثل أحدا

ق المها قد تفتحت ترعاها

The flowers around her like the eyes

Of startled does had blossomed watching her

وأكبت على الصلاةِ وعينا

ها إلى ساكنِ السما وبداها

And she bowed to pray with her eyes

To the Dweller of the Skies and its Creator

فإذا بالنسيم من خلل الأغ

صان كاللص جاء يلثم فاها

When a breeze through the branches like a thief

Came and kissed her mouth

قبلةٌ تلوُ قبلةٍ تلو أخرى

اقلقت بالها وهاجت شجاها

A kiss followed by another that stirred

Her mind and ignited her passion

واستغاثت سلمى بيسوعها تش

كو إليه النسيمَ مما دهاها

And Salma cried for help from her Jesus

Complaining of the breeze that seduced her

تلطم الخد تلدم الصدر والمح

بوبُ عنها محجبٌ يتلاها

Beating her cheek, pounding her chest, while her Beloved

Was veiled from her, receding

وأعاد النسيم كراته يل

ثم خداً ومقلةً وشفاها

The breeze returned, kissing

Her cheek, eyelid, and lips

وتمادى حتى تغلغل ينسل

انسلال الثعبانِ تحت رداها

And persisted, creeping like a snake

Beneath her clothes

فتولى فؤادها جزعٌ مما

أحست واجهشت في بكاها

So her heart was filled with grief at what

She felt, and she wept loudly

وتخلت عن الصلاة وخفت

كالغزال الغضبان تنحو حماها

She neglected her prayer and fled

Like an angry gazelle seeking refuge

وأفاضت لوالديها بشكوى

أضحكت أمها بها وأباها

And told her parents of her complaint

Her mother laughed, and her father

ضحكاً للصبا المغفل حتى

أضحكاها فسريا بلواها

A laugh at the heedless youth

Until they made her laugh, easing her torment

وخلت أمها بها تشرح السر

لها كيف تم نضجُ صباها

Then her mother explained the secret to her

Of how her youth had ripened

وغدت بعد ذاك سلمى توافي

روضها والنسيمُ ملءُ رضاها

After that Salma kept attending her garden

With the breeze full of her consent

واستباحت غير الصلاة صلاةً

واستحلت غير الإله آلها

She permitted what was not prayer as prayer

And took what was not God as her god