أحسَنُ من موقفٍ على طَلَلِ

وم عُقارٍ جرَت على ثمل

Better than standing on ruins

Far better than a vigil by the ruins,

And a house whose occupants have departed

Or wine that flows to cheer the drunken soul,

ومن حضورِ الربوع تندبُها

ومن بكاءٍ لرحلةِ الإبل

And the winds mourning their absence

Better than mourning at the desert camps,

And the camels' weeping on their journey

Or weeping as the camel caravans roll,

نعتُ رغيفٍ كأنّهُ قمرٌ

لم يكُ خبّازهُ على وجَل

I describe a loaf like a moon

Is the praise of a loaf, resplendent as the moon,

Whose baker was unhurried

Whose baker worked with neither fear nor haste,

مدوّرُ الخلقِ ليّنٌ دمِثٌ

تأكلهُ خالياً على مهَل

Round in shape, soft and smooth

Round in creation, tender to the touch,

Eaten plain, slowly savored

To eat alone and savor at your taste.