يا واحَةً في ظُلمَةِ اليَأسِ
فيها صَفاءُ القَلبِ وَالنَفسِ
O oasis in the darkness of despair
Wherein is the serenity of heart and soul
أَرقَصَتِ قَلبي مِن مُرَقرَقَةِ
خَمرٍ تَصفِقُ في مَدى الحِسِّ
My heart danced from the tinkling
Of wine clapping through the realm of senses
وَتَدُبُّ في قَلبِ اِبنِ نَشوَتِها
حَتّى يَبيتَ مُؤَرِّقُ الأُنسِ
And creeping in the heart of the son of its intoxication
Until he stays up disturbing companionship
هَل أَنَّةٌ أَم رَنَّةٌ صَدَحَت
أَمر بِهِ الأَفهامُ في لَبسِ
Is it a moan or a joyful cry that rang out?
The minds were confused in perplexity
هَذي الأَغاني زَفرَةٌ صَعَدَت
واسَت فَجَلَّت عَن دَوا النُطسِ
These songs are a cry that rose up
And transcended the medicine of depression
أَنّي لَمَفضوحٌ بِعَبرَتِهِ
يُرثي لِمَفضوحٍ مِنَ الجَرَسِ
I am exposed by his tears
Mourning an exposed one from bells
لَيسَ الَّذي تُشقيهِ أَدمُعُهُ
مِثلَ الَّذي يَشدو مِنَ الحَبسِ
Not the one whose tears make you suffer
Like the one who chants from prison
بِاللَهِ خَبِّرني أَمِن وَرسٍ
رَيَّشَت أَم مِن صَبغَةِ الشَمسِ
By God, tell me, from blossoms
Did it rain or from the dye of the sun?
صُفرُ الغَلائِلِ تَزدَهي طَرَباً
حَتّى لَقَد ثَمِلَت بِلا رَسِّ
The yellow flowers bloom, crazed with rapture
To the point they have ripened without irrigation
وَأَكَلَّةُ الجادي في عُرسٍ
وَلَو أَنَّها في حَلبَةِ العُرسِ
And the guest of generosity is celebrating a wedding
As if it were in the racecourse of the wedding
وَالدوحُ وَالأَغصانُ مائِسَةٌ
وَالماءُ وَالأَظلالُ في مِسِّ
The jujube and the branches are intoxicated
The water and the shadows in ecstasy
تَرنو سَكارى في عَوالِمِها
حَتّى لَتُحسَبَ دَولَةَ الفُرسِ
They warble drunk in their worlds
To the point you'd think them a horse race
نَظارَةً لِمُغَرِّدٍ نَدبٍ
يَنفي الهُمومَ وَطارِقُ النَحسِ
A gaze for a singing mourner
Dispelling worries and misfortune
يَسمو وَيَهوي في السَما غَرداً
كَشَرارَةٍ طارَت في القَبسِ
He rises and plunges in the sky, singing
Like a spark that flew into tinder
أَو سَهمِ رامٍ راحَ عَن قَوسٍ
أَو حُلمُ صَبٍّ في هَوى الأَمسِ
Or an archer’s arrow gone from his bow
Or a youth’s dream in the love of yesterday
مُتَهَلِّلاً مُتَبَسِّماً طَلِقا
يَطَأُ النُجومَ وَرائِقَ الغَرسِ
Frolicking, smiling, set free
Stepping on stars and slender saplings
يَصِلُ السَماءَ يَمَسُّ جِلدَتِها
وَيَحِطُّ بِالغُدرانِ في غَطسِ
Reaching the sky, touching its skin
And landing on hills in a dive
فَرِحاً يَدُرُّ عَلَيهِ صَفوَتَهُ
فَرَحُ الغَرامِ وَنَشوَةُ الأُنسِ
Happily he pours over him his elite
The joy of passion and the bliss of company
مَثواهُ في الأَجواءِ مُرتَفِعٌ
بَينا هَواهُ بَينَنا يُرسي
His abode is high in the air
While his love is down here spreading
تَرنيمَةُ الإِصباحِ رائِقَةً
في الجَوِّ صافِيَةً مِنَ الرِجسِ
The dawn’s chant delicate
In the air, pure of filth
تَسري إِلى الغيطانِ مُترَعَةً
مِنها الرِياضُ بِغَيرِها حَدَسِ
Flowing to the meadows drunk
The gardens sensed from them no less
فَوقَ اليَنابيعِ الَّتي غَمَرَت
ساحَ الحُقولِ بِدائِمِ البَجسِ
Above the springs that flooded
The fields’ expanse with abundant irrigation
وَسَلاسِلُ الأَنوارِ دافِقَةً
غَطَّت ذُرى الأَشجارِ بِالقَمسِ
And the chains of light pouring down
Covered the trees’ atoms with the sun
وَرَمَت قِلاعَ المُدنِ صائِبَةً
وَالشَمسُ تَعلو الأَرضَ في خَلَسِ
And pelted the cities’ fortresses unerringly
As the sun rises over the earth in concealment
يَسمو إِلَيها صَوتُهُ صَعداً
وَيُصافِحُ الأَرواحَ بِاللَمسِ
His voice ascends to it rising
And shakes hands with souls in a touch
في حُمرَةِ الشَفَقِ الَّتي شَرَقَت
فيها الزُهورُ وَيافِعُ الوَرَسِ
In the redness of the horizon that shone
Wherein flowers blossom and tender grass
وَالنَبتُ وَالأَشجارُ لامِعَةٌ
مِن حُمرَةِ الأَضواءِ في يَبَسِ
And the plants and trees are gleaming
From the redness of lights in dryness
فيها تَنامُ مُمتِعاً ثَمِلاً
مِن رَحمَةِ الرَحمَنِ في حَرَسِ
Wherein you sleep gratified, sated
With the mercy of the Merciful under guard
