طال انتظارُكَ في الظلام ولم تَزَلْ

عينايَ ترقب كلَّ طيف عابرٍ

Long has been your wait in the dark, while

My eyes still watch every passing shadow

ويطير سمعي صوبَ كلِّ مُرِنَّةٍ

في الأفق تخفقُ عن جَناحيْ طائِرِ

And my hearing flies towards every murmur

In the horizon, fluttering with the wings of a bird

وترفُّ روحي فوق أنفاسِ الرُّبَا

فلعلَّها نَفَسُ الحبيبِ الزائرِ

And my soul hovers above the breaths of the breeze

Perhaps it is the breath of my beloved visitor

ويَخِفُّ قلبي إثرَ كل شُعاعةٍ

في الليلِ تومض عن شهابٍ غائرِ

And my heart trembles at every glimmer

In the night, flashing from a fading star

فلعلَّ من لمحات ثغرِكَ بارقٌ

ولعلَّه وضحُ الجبينِ الناضرِ

Perhaps from the glances of your smile a lightning bolt

Perhaps it is the brightening of the splendid forehead

ليلٌ من الأوهام طالَ سهادُه

بين الجوى المضني وهجسِ الخاطرِ

A night of fantasies, prolonged is its slumber

Between the pressing nostalgia and the whims of thought

حتى إذا هتفتْ بمقدمكَ المُنى

وأصختُ أسترعي انتباهَةَ حائِرِ

Until when wishes called for your arrival

And I shouted to get the attention of the perplexed

وسَرَى النسيمُ من الخمائِلِ والرُّبى

نشوانَ يعبِقُ من شذاكَ العاطِرِ

And the breeze blew from the meadows and hills

Exhilarated, fragrant with your sweet scent

وترنَّم الوادي بسلسلِ مائه

وتَلَتْ حمائِمُهُ نشيدَ الصافرِ

And the valley sang with chains of its water

And its doves trilled the song of the whistler

وأطلَّتِ الأزهارُ من وَرَقاتِها

حيرى تَعَجَّبُ للربيعِ الباكِرِ

And the flowers peered from their leaves

My bewilderment wondering at the early spring

وجرى شعاعُ البدر حولَكَ راقصًا

طربًا على المرح النضيرِ الزاهرِ

And the beam of the moon danced around you

Delighted by the splendid, flourishing cheer

وتجلَّتِ الدنيا كأبهج ما رأتْ

عينٌ وصوَّرَها خيالُ الشاعِرِ

And the world appeared as beautiful as an eye has seen

And a poet's imagination portrayed

ومضت تكذبني الظنونُ فأَنْثَنِي

مُتَسَمِّعًا دقاتِ قلبي الثائِرِ

The suspicions kept deceiving me, so I leaned

Listening to the beats of my raging heart

أَقْبَلْتَ بالبسماتِ تملأ خاطري

سحرًا وأملأُ من جمالِك ناظري

You came with smiles filling my mind

With magic and filling my sight with your beauty

وأظلَّنَا الصمتُ الرهيبُ ونحن في

شَكٍّ من الدنيا وحلمٍ ساحرِ

And frightening silence shadowed us while we were in

Doubt about the world and a magical dream

حتى إذا حانَ الرحيلُ هتفتَ بي

فوقفتُ واستبقتْ خطاك نواظري

Until when it was time to leave you called me

So I stood up and my eyes followed your steps

وصرختُ بالليلِ المودِّع باكيًا

ويداكَ تمسك بي وأنتَ مغادري

And I cried to the departing night

While your hands held me as you were leaving

يا ليتنا لم نَصْحُ منكَ وليتها

ما أعجلتكَ رحَى الزمانِ الدائرِ

Oh, if only we never bid farewell

If only the cycle of time didn't rush you

ولقد أتت بعدُ الليالي وانقضت

وكأننا في الدهر لم نتزاوَرِ

And after that the nights came and went

As if we never visited each other in life

بُدِّلْتُ من عطفٍ لديك ورِقَّةٍ

بحنين مهجورٍ وقسوةِ هاجرِ

I was changed from a petal of your affection

To abandoned longing and the cruelty of departure

وكأنني ما كنتُ إلفَكَ في الصِّبَا

يومًا ولا كنتَ الحياةَ مشاطرِي

As if I was never your companion in youth

And never your life partner

ونسيتَ أنتَ، وما نسيتُ، وإِنَّنِي

لأعيشُ بالذكرى ... لعلَّكَ ذاكرِي!!

You forgot, while I didn't forget

And I still live with the memory...maybe you still remember me!