سَقى دِمَشقَ وَأَياماً مَضَت فيها

مَواطِرُ السحب ساريها وَغاديها

It watered Damascus, and days have passed in it

The rains pouring down, going and coming

مِن كُلِّ أَدهم صهّالٍ له شيَةٌ

صَفراء يسترها طوراً وَيُبديها

From every dark thundercloud it has terror

Yellow it hides sometimes and sometimes reveals

وَلا يَزال جَنينُ النَبت تُرضعه

حَوامِلُ المزن في أَحشا أَراضيها

And the plant embryos are still suckling

From the pregnant clouds in the barren plains

فَما قضى حبّه قَلبي لنيربها

وَلا قَضى نحبه وَذي لواديها

So my heart has not fulfilled its love for it

Nor fulfilled its passion for its valley

وَلا تسليتُ عَن سلسال ربوتها

وَلا نَسيتُ بِبَيتي جار جاريها

Nor consoled from the chains of its cypresses

Nor forgot my neighbor dwelling next to it

كَأَنَّ أَنهارَها ماضي ظُبىً حُشيَت

خَناجِراً مِن لجينٍ في حَواشيها

As if its rivers were returning prey

Daggers of mud in its outskirts

فَلا سَقى اللَهُ أَشواقي بِرؤيَتها

ان راقَ عَيني شيء بَعدَ فَقديها

So may God not water my passions by seeing it

If it pleases my eye after losing it

واهاً لَها حينَ حلّى الغَيث عاطلها

مكلّلاً واِكتَسى الأَوراق عاريها

Oh what misery when the barren rain poured on it

Crowning it and the bare leaves clothed it

وَحاكَ في الأَرض صَوبُ المزّن مخمله

يُنيرُها بغواديه وَيُسديها

And it embroidered velvet on the ground

He lights it with his valleys and shades it

ديباجة لَم تدع حسناً مفوَّفها

إِلّا أَتاه وَلا أَبقى موشّيها

A brocade that left no hidden beauty

But came to it and no embroidered part remains

تَرنو اليك بعين النَور ضاحِكة

إِذ باتَ عين من الوسميّ تَبكيها

It gestures to you with laughing eyes

As a branded eye weeps for it

وَالدوح رَيّا لَها رَيّاً قَد اِكتملت

شَبابها حينَما شابَت نَواصيها

And the stream pours for it pours

Its youth is complete as its hair turned white

نَشوى يُغنّى لَها وَرقُ الحما

م عَلى أَوراقها وَيَدُ الأَنواء تسقيها

It smells the leaves of pomegranate on its leaves

And the soft hand of the breeze waters it

صَفا لَها الشرب فاخضرَّت أَسافلها

حَتّى ضَفا الظل وابيضَّت أَعاليها

It cleared its drinking so its lower part turned green

Until the shade overflowed and its heights turned white

وَصفّق النهر وَالاَغصان قَد رَقَصَت

فَنقَّطته بدرٍّ مِن تراقيها

And the branches clapped and danced

Speckling it with pearls from its necklaces

كَأَنَّما رَقصها أَوهى قَلائدها

وَخانَها النَظمُ فاِنثالَت لآليها

As if its necklaces were dancing Oh she is

And rhythm betrayed her so her jewels fell

وَأَعين الماء قَد أَجرَت سَواقيها

وَالأَعين النجل قَد جارَت سَواقيها

And the eyes of the water poured its channels

And the eyes of the writhing poured its channels

وَقابل الغصنَ غُصنٌ مثله وَشَدت

أَقمارُها فأَجابتها قَماريها

And a branch met a similar branch and

Its moons responded to its moons

فللحاظ وَللأسماع ما اَقترحت

مِن وجه شاذنِها أَو صَوت شاديها

So for delight and hearing however it spurs

From its diverting cheek or shouting voice

إِذا العَزيمة عَن فَرطِ الغَرامِ ثَنَت

قَلباً تَثنّى لَها غصنٌ فيثنيها

When determination faltered from over love

A heart bent for it and a branch bent in it

ريمٌ إِذا جَلَبَت حَيناً لواحظه

لِلنفس حَيّا بخديه فيُحييها

Lovely when she brings her gaze for a while

To enliven the soul with her cheek it gives it life

جنايةٌ طرفه المحوّر جاء بِها

وَراس عارضه المخضرّ آسيها

A crime that her twisting lashes have committed

And a head whose arched brows subdued it

يقبلُّ الكأس خجلى كُلَّما شَربت

في ماءِ فيهِ فَقاسته بِما فيها

The cup kisses me in shyness whenever she drinks

So she compared it to what was in it

أَشتاق عيشي بِها قِدماً وَتُذكرني

أَياميَ السود بيضاً مِن لَياليها

I long for my life with it for eternity

And its black nights remind me of whiteness from its nights

وَنَحنُ في جنّة لا ذاق ساكنها

بأساً وَلا عرفت بُؤساً مَغانيها

And we were in a paradise whose inhabitants

Never tasted misery and its songs never knew misery

سَماء دوح تردّ الشمس صاغرةً

عَنّا وَتبدي نُجوماً في نَواحيها

A sky whose stream returns the humbled sun from us

And shows stars in its horizons

تَرى البدور بها في كُلِّ ناحية

مَمدودة لِلنُجوم الزُهر أَيديها

You see the full moons with it everywhere

Stretching the flowers to the stars seeking them with their hands

إِذا الغُصونُ هززناها لنيل جنى

صارَت كَواكِبُها حًصبا أَراضيها

When we shake the branches to get its fruits

Its stars become firebrands on the ground

مِن كُلِّ صَفراء مثل الماء يانعة

تَخالها جمر نارٍ في تَلظّيها

Of every yellow one luscious as water

You would think burning coal in its inflammation

لَذيذة الطَعمِ تَحلو عِندَ آكلِها

بَهيَّة اللَون تحلى عند رائيها

Delicious in taste sweet to its consumer

Splendid in color adorned to its viewer

يا لَيتَ شِعري عَلى بعد أَذاكرتي

عصابة لَستُ طولَ الدهر ناسيها

Oh would that I knew my friends in their distant land Not a band I will forget for all of time

I have talks and fondness after their absence

عِندي أَحاديث وَجد بَعد بعدهم

أَظلَّ أَجحدها وَالعَينُ تَرويها

More recent to erase while my eye waters them

How many I have a companion who owes me

كَم لي بها صاحب عِندي له نَعمٌ

كَثيرَةٌ وَأَيادٍ ما أُؤَديها

Great favors and kind acts I have not repaid

I parted from him against my will so a youth

فارَقتُه غير مختار فَصاحَبَني

صَبابة منه تُخفيني وَأُخفيها

Keeps me company, hiding me while I hide him

I was content with books after closeness so they disappeared

رَضيتُ بالكتبِ بعد القرب فاِنقطعت

حَتّى رَضيتُ سَلاماً في حواشيها

Until I was content with greetings in its margins

If one less worthy than I surpasses me, no wonder

إِن يعلُني غَيرُ ذي فَضل فَلا عَجَبٌ

يَسمو عَلى سابِقاتِ الخَيلِ هابيها

He rises over the noble horses in their power

And scum rises over the water oh and there is Saturn

وَالماء تَعلوهُ أَقذاءٌ وَها زَحلٌ

أَخفى الكَواكِب نوراً وَهوَ عاليها

Hiding the stars' light as he is elevated

If it were a matter of fame based on fame

لَو كانَ جَدّ بِجَدٍّ ما تَقدّمني

عِصابَةٌ قَصَّرَت عَنّي مَساعيها

No band would have preceded me in its efforts

My indifference brings no shame to my manners

ما في خُموليَ مِن عارٍ عَلى أَدَبي

بَل ذاك عارٌ عَلى الدنيا وَأَهليها

Rather that is shame on the world and its people