بَكَت أَن رأت إِلفَين ضَمهُما وَكرُ

مَساءً وَقَد أَخنى عَلى إِلفها الدَهرُ

She wept when she saw two thousand of them gathered

One evening, after time had been harsh to her thousand

بَكَت لَم تُرِق دَمعاً وَأَسبلتُ عَبرَةً

يُقصّرُ عَنها القطر مَهما هَما القطرُ

She wept without shedding a tear as I poured out sorrow

However much the drops try, they fall short

وَناحَت فَباحَت وَاِستَراحَت بِسرّها

وَما نَطقَت حَرفاً يَبوحُ بِهِ سِرُّ

And she moaned, so she found relief and eased her secret

Yet she spoke not a letter that would betray her secret

فَماليَ لا أَبكي أَمِ القَلبُ صَخرَةٌ

وَكَم صَخرَةٍ في الأَرضِ يَجري بِها نَهرُ

So why do I not weep? Is my heart made of rock?

And how many rocks on earth have rivers flowing through them?

بَكَت واحِداً لَم يُشجِها غَيرُ فَقدِهِ

وَأَبكِي لألّافٍ عديدهُمُ كُثرُ

She wept for one whose loss alone distressed her

While I weep for thousands upon thousands

بُنيٌّ صَغيرٌ أَو خَليلٌ مُوافِقٌ

يُمزّقُ ذا قَفرٌ وَيُغرِقُ ذا بَحرُ

A little boy or an agreeing friend

One ripped apart there, another drowned at sea

وَنجمان زَينٌ لِلزَمان اِحتواهما

بِقُرطبةَ النكداء أَو رُندَةَ القَبرُ

And two stars that adorned the times, contained

In wretched Cordoba or the grave of Ronda

عُذرتُ إِذاً إِن ضَنَّ جِفني بِقَطرَةٍ

وَإِن لؤُمَت نَفسي فَصاحِبُها الصَبرُ

So I am excused if my eyelids scarce let fall a tear

And if I blamed my soul, patience would answer it

فَقل لِلنُجومِ الزهرِ تبكيهِما معي

لِمِثلِهِما فلتَحزَنِ الأَنجُمُ الزهرُ

Say to the starry flowers they should weep with me

For the like of them, let the starry flowers grieve