كانَت لَنا عِندَ السِياجِ شُجَيرَةٌ

أَلِفَ الغِناءَ بِظِلِّها الزَرزورُ

We had a shrub by the fence

Where the sparrow used to sing in its shade

طَفقَ الرَبيعُ يَزورُها مُتَخَفِّياً

فَيَفيضُ مِنها في الحَديقَةِ نورُ

Spring used to visit it secretly

Overflowing light into the garden from within

حَتّى إِذا حَلَّ الصَباحُ تَنَفَّسَت

فيها الزُهورُ وَزَقزَقَ العُصفورُ

Until when morning came

The flowers breathed in it and the sparrow chirped

وَسَرى إِلى أَرضِ الحَديقَةِ كُلِّها

نَبَأُ الرَبيعِ وَرُكبَهُ المَسحورُ

And news of spring spread

To the whole garden, captivating it

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted

قَد كُنتُ أَجلِسُ صَوبَها في شُرفَتي

أَو كُنتُ أَجلِسُ تَحتَها في ظِلَّتي

I used to sit facing it on my balcony

Or sit under it in its shade

أَو كُنتُ أَرقُبُ في الضُحى زَرزورَها

مَتَهَلِّلاً يَغشى نَوافِذَ غُرفَتي

Or watch in the morning its sparrow

Cheerfully covering the windows of my room

طوراً يُنَقِّرُ في الزُجاجُ وَتارَةً

يَسمو يُزَرزِرُ في وُكارِ سَقيفَتي

Sometimes pecking on the glass and sometimes

Rising, chirping on my ceiling rafters

فَإِذا رَآني طارَ في أَغرودَةٍ

بَيضاءَ وَاِستَوفى غُصونَ شُجَيرَتي

So when it saw me it flew in white joy

And fulfilled the branches of my shrub

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted

فَمَتى يَؤوبُ هُتافُهُ وَمَتى أَرى

نُوارُكَ الثَلجِيِّ يا نارِنجَتي

When will its shouting stop and when will I see

Your snowy blossoms, my orange tree

وَمَتى أَطيرُ إِلَيكِ تَرقُصُ مُهجَتي

فَرَحاً وَآخُذُ مَجلِسي مِن شُرفَتي

And when will I fly to you, my soul dancing

With joy, taking my seat from my balcony

هَيهاتَ لَن أَنسَ بِظِلِّكِ مَجلِسي

وَأَنا أَراعي الأُفقَ نِصفَ مُغَمِّضِ

Alas! I will not forget its shade my seat

As I watch the horizon, half-asleep

خَنَقَت جُفوني ذِكرَياتٌ حُلوَةٌ

مِن عِطرِكِ القَمَري وَالنَغَمِ الوَضي

Sweet memories have choked my eyelids

Of your moonlike scent and the soft melody

فَاِنسابَ مِنكِ عَلى كَليلِ مَشاعِري

يَنبوعُ لَحنٍ في الخَيالِ مُفضَضِ

So from you a stream of melody poured

On my heart's lethargy in my imagination

وَهَفَت عَلَيكِ الروحُ مِن وادي الأَسى

لِتَعُبَّ مِن خَمرِ الأَريجِ الأَبيَضِ

And my soul sighed for you from the valley of grief

To be drunk on the pure white wine

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted

هَيهاتَ لَن أَنسى ضُحى سِبتَمبَرٍ

وَالنَحلُ يَغشى نورَكِ المُتَلالي

Alas! I will not forget the morning of September

With bees covering your shimmering light

وَمَساءَ مارِسَ كَيفَ يَهبِطُ تَلَّةً

شَفَقِيَّةً مَحدودَةَ الإِظلالِ

And the evening of March how it descended

Like a sunset hill, limited in shade

نَزَلَ الحَديقَةَ تَحتَ أَوهامِ النَدى

وَضَفا عَلَيكِ مُعَطَّرُ الأَذيالِ

It landed in the garden beneath the dewy dreams

And the scented hem flowed over you

فَهُناكَ كَم ذَهَبِيَّةٍ شَغَفَت بِها

روحي فَتاهَت في مُروجِ خَيالِ

For there, how much gold captivated my soul

Wandering in the meadows of imagination

وَهُنا تَحَرَّكَتِ الشُجَيرَةُ في أَسى

وَبَكى الرَبيعُ خَيالَها المَهجورِ

And here the shrub moved in sorrow

And spring cried for its abandoned phantom

وَتَذَكَّرَت عَهدَ الصِبا فَتَأَوهَت

وَكَأَنَّها بِيَدِ الأَسى طَنبورُ

And remembered the days of youth, sighing

As if it were a lute in the hands of grief

وَتَذَكَّرَت أَيّامَ يَرشُفُ نورَها

ريقُ الضُحى وَيُزَرزِرُ الزَرزورُ

And remembered the days when the glow of morning sprinkled it

And the sparrow chirped

وَعَرائِسُ النارِنجِ تَحلُمُ في النَدى

فَيَرِفُّ فيها طَيفُها المَسحورُ

And the blossoms of orange dreamed in the dew

So its enchanted phantom wandered in them

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted

وَتَذَكَّرَت عِندَ السِياجِ أَزاهِرا

صَفراءَ رَفَّت في ظِلالِ العَوسَجِ

And it remembered at the fence yellow flowers

That bloomed in the shade of bamboo

زَهرُ القَطيفَةِ كَيفَ خانَ عُهودَها

نَسِيَ الهَوى في عِطرِها المُتَبَلِّجِ

The marigold's blossom, how it broke its covenant

Forgot love in its gleaming scent

وَتَذَكَّرَت في رَعشَةٍ لَمّا سَبا

زَرزورُها مِنها وَلَم يَتَحَرَّجِ

And it remembered in a quiver when its sparrow

Flew from it without hesitation

وَهُنا تَمَشَّت في الشُجَيرَةِ خِلجَةٌ

وَبَكَت حَنيناً لِلشَّذى المُتَأَرِّجِ

And here a yearning crept into the shrub

And wept nostalgically for the waving aroma

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted

وَتَذَكَّرَت شَفَقاً تَوَهَّجَ حُمرَةً

خَلَلَ الغُيومِ عَلى رُبى الآصالِ

And it remembered a sunset that blushed with red

Through the clouds upon the hillsides

وَبَدَت غُصونُ الجَزورَينِ كَأَنَّها

قِلَعُ تُرَفرِف في بِحارِ خَيالِ

And the branches of the olive tree appeared as if they were

Ships fluttering on the seas of imagination

وَهُنا تَحَرَّكَتِ الشُجَيرَةُ في أَسى

وَبَكى الرَبيعُ خَيالَها المَهجورُ

And here the shrub moved in sorrow

And spring cried for its abandoned phantom

وَتَذَكَّرَت عَهدَ الصِبا فَتَنَهَّدَت

وَكَأَنَّها بِيَدِ الأَسى طَنبورُ

And remembered the days of youth, groaning

As if it were a lute in hands of grief

وَتَذَكَّرَت شَجرَ النَخيلِ وَهُدهُداً

قَد كانَ يَقصِدُها صَباحَ مَساءِ

And it remembered the palm tree and a hoopoe

That used to frequent it morning and evening

وَتَذَكَّرَت في اليوسِفي يَمامَةً

كانَت تَنوحُ اللَيلَةَ القَمراءِ

And it remembered in the jasmine a turtledove

That would moan on the moonlit night

وَهُنا تَحَرَّكَتِ الشُجَيرَةُ في أَسى

وَبَكى الرَبيعُ خَيالَها المَهجورُ

And here the shrub moved in sorrow

And spring cried for its abandoned phantom

وَتَذَكَّرَت عَهدَ الصِبا فَتَرَنَّحَت

وَكَأَنَّها بِيَدِ الأَسى طَنبورُ

And remembered the days of youth, complaining

As if it were a lute in the hands of grief

وَضَفَت عَلى كُلِّ الغُصونِ سَحابَةً

وَزَكا الغَصينُ وَفَتَّحَ النُوارُ

And it draped all the branches with a cloud

And the branch flourished and the bud opened

وَتَهَلَّلَ الزَرزورُ في أَوراقِها

وَزَها السِياجُ وَفاحَتِ الأَعطارُ

And the sparrow rejoiced in its leaves

And the fence bloomed and the fragrances emanated

حَلِمَت بِأَرضٍ في الخَيالِ سَحيقَةٍ

في ذلِكَ الأُفقِ القَصِيِّ النائي

It dreamed of a far distant land

In that distant, remote horizon

وَهُناكَ تَحتَ سَمانجونُ سَمائِها

تاقَت إِلى أَحلامِها الزَرقاءِ

And there under its blue poplar trees

It longed for its blue dreams

خَلَدَت إِلى صَمتٍ هُناكَ مُخَيمٌ

تَسجو عَلَيهِ خَوافِقُ الأَفياءِ

A silence prevails there, encamped

With the stars of night over it overlooking

هِيَ جَنَّةُ الأَشجارِ وَالأَظلالِ وَال

أَعطارِ وَالأَنغامِ وَالأَندءِ

It is the paradise of trees, shades,

Fragrances, tunes, and springs

يَتَزاهَرُ البِشنَينُ فَوقَ شُطوطِها

وَيُغازِلُ الدُفلى زَهرَ اللوتَسِ

The pink oleander blooms over its banks

And the lotus seduces the water lily

وَعَرائِسُ النارِنجِ فاحَ عَبيرُها

بِالنَحلِ تَحلُمُ في السُكونِ المُشمِسِ

And orange blossoms, their fragrance smells

Of bees dreaming in the sunny tranquility

وَهُناكَ زَرزورٌ يُغَرِّدُ دائِماً

وَيَقُصُّ أَحلامَ الزُهورِ النُعَسِ

And there a sparrow always chirps

And tells tales to the sleepy flowers

يَروي لَها أَسطورَةً سِحرِيَّةً

مِمّا يَفوحُ بِهِ خَيالُ النَرجَسِ

Relating to them a magical legend

Of what emanates from the narcissus' imagination

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted

نارِنجَتي وَاللَهِ مُذ فارَقَتِني

وَأَنا حَليفُ كَآبَةٍ خَرساءِ

My orange tree, by God, since you left me

And I became an ally of silent sorrow

أَصبَحتُ بَعدَكَ في اِنقِباضٍ موحِشٍ

وَكَأَنَّني مِنهُ مَساءُ شِتاءِ

After you I became withdrawn and desolate

As if I were a winter's sorrowful evening

تَتَناثَرُ الأَعطارُ في آفاقِها

روحي إِلَيكَ وَراءَ كُلِّ فَضاءِ

The fragrances scatter in its horizons

My soul to you beyond every space

وَتَرِفُّ في دِهليزِ كُلِّ أَشِعَّةٍ

قَمراءَ أَو تَرنيمَةٍ بَيضاءِ

And flutter in the corridor of every

Moonlit or white hymn

قَد كُنتُ أَرجو أَن تَكونَ نِهايَتي

في ظِلِّ هذا السورِ حَيثُ أَراكِ

I had hoped my end would be

In the shade of this fence where I see you

وَيَكونُ آخِرَ ما يُخَدِّرُ مَسمَعي

زَرزورُكِ الهَتّافُ فَوقَ ذَراكِ

And the last thing to numb my hearing

Would be your shouting sparrow above your branches

وَيَطوفُ في غَيبوبَتي فَيُفيقُني

فَجرٌ قَصيرُ البَعثِ مِن رَيّاكِ

And dawn would awaken me briefly

From the numbness of your breeze

وَالآنَ إِذ عَجَلَ القَضاءُ فَإِنَّما

سَيَقومُ في الذِكرى خَيالُ شَذاكِ

And now when fate has hastened

So the memory of your aroma will stand

كانَت لَنا عِندَ السِياجِ شُجَيرَةٌ

أَلِفَ الغِناءَ بِظِلِّها الزَرزورُ

We had a shrub by the fence

Where the sparrow used to sing in its shade

طَفِقَ الرَبيعُ يَزورُها مُتَخَفِّياً

فَيَفيضُ مِنها في الحَديقَةِ نورُ

Spring used to visit it secretly

Overflowing light into the garden from within

حَتّى إِذا حَلَّ الصَباحُ تَنَفَّسَت

فيها الزُهورُ وَزَقزَقَ العُصفورُ

Until when morning came

The flowers breathed in it and the sparrow chirped

وَسَرى إِلى أَرضِ الحَديقَةِ كُلِّها

نَبَأُ الرَبيعِ وَرَكبُهُ المَسحورُ

And news of spring spread

To the whole garden, captivating it

كانَت لَنا يا لَيتَها دامَت لَنا

أَو دامَ يَهتِفُ فَوقَها الزَرزورُ

We had it, if only it had lasted for us

Or the sparrow's shouting above it had lasted