قَدَّْسَ اللهُ ذِكْرَهُ مِنْ صَبَاحٍ

ساحرٍ في ظِلالِ غابٍ جميلِ

God sanctified his memory one charming morning

May God sanctify the memory of that morning,

In the shades of a beautiful forest

Enchanting within the shadows of a lovely grove,

كانَ فيه النَّسيمُ يرقُصُ سَكْراناً

على الوردِ والنَّباتِ البَليلِ

Where the breeze danced intoxicated

Where the breeze danced in a drunken sway,

On the roses and frail plants

Upon the roses and the dew-kissed fern,

وضَبابُ الجبالِ يَنْسابُ في رفقٍ

بديعٍ على مُروج السُّهولِ

And the mist of mountains flowed gently

And the mountain mist flowed with gentle grace,

In wonderful ease on the meadows of plains

Wondrously over the meadows of the plains,

وأَغاني الرُّعاةِ تخفُقُ في الأَغوارِ

والسَّهْلِ والرُّبى والتُّلولِ

And songs of shepherds fluttered in the valleys,

And shepherds' songs drifted through the deep ravines,

On the flatlands, hillsides, and hillocks

Across the flatlands, the hillocks, and the knolls,

ورحابُ الفضاءِ تعبُقُ بالأَلحانِ

والعِطْرِ والضِّياءِ الجَميلِ

And the expanse of space was fragrant with melodies,

While the vastness of space was fragrant with melodies,

Scents and beautiful light

With perfume, and with beautiful light,

والملاكُ الجميلُ مَا بَيْنَ ريحانٍ

وعُشْبٍ وسِنديانٍ ظَليلِ

And the beautiful angel amidst basil,

And the beautiful angel, amidst the basil,

Grasses and shaded lote trees

The grass, and the shady oak trees,

يتغنَّى مع العَصافيرِ في الغابِ

ويرنو إلى الضَّبابِ الكَسُولِ

Sang with the birds in the forest

Was singing along with the birds of the wood,

And gazed at the lazy mist

And gazing toward the lazy, drifting mist,

وشعورُ الملاكِ ترقُصُ بالأَزهارِ

والضوءِ والنَّسيمِ العَليلِ

And the angel's hair danced with the flowers

While the angel's hair danced with the blossoms,

The light and gentle breeze

With the light, and the gentle breeze,

حُلُمٌ ساحرٌ به حَلُمَ الغابُ

فَوَاهاً لحُلْمِهِ المَعْسولِ

A magic dream wherein the forest dreamed

An enchanting dream the forest had dreamt,

Alas for its sweet dream

Oh, how sweet was its honeyed dream!

مِثْلُ رؤيا تَلوحُ للشَّاعرِ الفنَّانِ

في نشوَةِ الخيالِ الجَليلِ

Like a vision that appears to the talented poet

Like a vision appearing to the artist-poet,

In the thrill of a fertile imagination

In the ecstasy of majestic imagination,

قَدْ تَمَلَّيْتُ سحرَهُ في أناةٍ

وحنانٍ ولَذَّةٍ وذُهولِ

I savored its magic in gentleness,

I contemplated its magic with patience,

Tenderness, pleasure and awe

With tenderness, pleasure, and awe,

ثُمَّ ناديتُ حينما طفحَ السِّحْرُ

بأَرجاءِ قلبيَ المبتولِ

Then I called out when the magic overflowed

Then I called out, when the magic overflowed,

In every space of my infatuated heart

Through the corners of my devoted heart:

يا شُعورٌ تميدُ في الغابِ بالرَّ

يحانِ والنّورِ والنَّسيمِ البَليلِ

O feeling floating in the forest amidst

"O tresses that sway in the forest with basil,"

Basil, light and gentle breeze

"With light, and the moist, fresh breeze,"

كَبِّليني بهاتِهِ الخِصَلِ المرخَاةِ

في فتنَةِ الدَّلالِ المَلُولِ

Bind me with these tresses let loose

"Shackle me with these loosened locks,"

In the seduction of the soft coercion

"In the charm of languid coquetry,"

كبِّلي يا سَلاسلَ الحبِّ أفكا

ري وأحلامَ قلبيَ الضَّلِّيلِ

Bind me o shackles of love, my thoughts

"Fetter, O chains of love, my thoughts,"

And dreams of my straying heart

"And the dreams of my wayward heart,"

كبِّليني بكلِّ مَا فيكِ من عِطْرٍ

وسحرٍ مُقَدَّسٍ مَجْهولِ

Bind me with all the scent in you

"Bind me with all that you hold of perfume,"

And magic holiness unknown

"And of magic, sacred and unknown,"

كبِّليني فإنَّما يُصْبِحُ الفنَّان

حرًّا في مِثْلِ هذي الكُبولِ

Bind me for the artist becomes free

"Bind me, for truly the artist becomes"

In the likes of such shackles

"Truly free within fetters like these."

ليت شعري كم بَيْنَ أمواجِكِ السُّو

دِ وطيَّاتِ ليلِكِ المسدولِ

I wonder between your waves of bliss

I wonder how many, amidst your black waves

And the folds of your mysterious night

And the folds of your cascading night,

مِنْ غرامٍ مذَهَّبِ التَّاجِ ميْتٍ

وفؤادٍ مصفَّدٍ مغلولِ

How much passion crested with crown perished

Lie of dead loves that once wore gilded crowns,

And hearts in chains and fettered

And hearts that are fettered and bound,

وزهورٍ من الأَمانيِّ تذوي

في شُحُوبٍ وخيبةٍ وخمولِ

And flowers of wishes melted

And flowers of wishes, withering away

In pallor, disappointment and languor

In pallor, in failure, and gloom.

أنتِ لا تعلمين واللَّيْلُ لا يعلَمُ

كم في ظلامِهِ مِنْ قَتيلِ

You know not and nor does the night know

You do not know, and the night does not know,

How many were killed in its darkness

How many slain lie deep in its dark.

أَنتِ أُرْجوحَةُ النَّسيمِ فميلي

بالنَّسيمِ السَّعيدِ كلَّ مَمِيلِ

You are the swing of the breeze so sway me

You are the swing of the breeze, so sway

With the happy breeze however it sways

With the happy breeze, in every way.

ودَعي الشَّمسَ والسَّماءَ تُسَوِّي

لكِ تاجاً من الضِّياءِ الجميلِ

Let the sun and sky make you

And let the sun and the heavens fashion

A crown of beautiful light

A crown for you of beautiful light.

ودَعي مُزْهِرَ الغُصُونِ يُغَشِّي

كِ بأَوراقِ وَردهِ المطلولِ

And let the blossoms of branches cover you

And let the blossoming boughs enshroud

With their loose rose petals

Your form with petals of dew-kissed rose.

للشُّعاعِ الجميلِ أنتِ وللأنسا

مِ والزَّهر فالْعَبي وأَطيلي

You belong to the beautiful ray, to human

You belong to the beautiful beam and the breeze,

And to flowers so play and lengthen

And the flower—so play, and linger long!

يا عروسَ الجبالِ يا وردَةَ الآ

مالِ يا فتنةَ الوُجُودِ الجليلِ

O bride of mountains, o rose of hopes

O bride of the mountains, O rose of our hopes,

O seduction of great beauty

O charm of existence, majestic and grand!

ليتني كنتُ زَهْرَةً تتثنَّى

بَيْنَ طيَّاتِ شَعْرِكِ المصقولِ

Would that I were a flower bending

Would that I were a flower swaying

Between the curls of your braided hair

Amidst the folds of your silken hair,

أَو فَراشاً أَحومُ حولكِ مسحوراً

غريقاً في نشوتي وذُهُولي

Or a butterfly hovering around you spellbound

Or a butterfly hovering, enchanted by you,

Drowning in my rapture and awe

Drowned in my rapture and in my awe.

أَو غصوناً أَحنو عليكِ بأَوراقي

حُنُوَّ المدَلَّهِ المتبولِ

Or branches leaning over you with my leaves

Or branches bending to shelter your frame,

In the bend of the withered bough

With the tenderness of a lovesick soul,

أَو نسيماً أَضمُّ صدركِ في رِفقٍ

إلى صدريَ الخفوقِ النَّحيلِ

Or a breeze pressing your chest to mine gently

Or a breeze to embrace your breast with care,

Again My fluttering slender chest

Against my beating, fragile chest.

آهِ كم يُسْعِدُ الجمالُ ويُشْقي

مِنْ قلوبٍ شِعْرِيَّةٍ وعقولِ

Alas how happiness gladdens and pains

Ah, how Beauty brings joy and despair

The poetic hearts and minds

To poetic hearts and to reasoning minds.