متى الأرحُلُ مَحْطُوطَه

وعِيرُ الشَّوْقِ مَرْبُوطَهْ

When will my camels be loaded up

And my yearning tied with ropes

بأعلى ديرِ مرَّانَ

فدارَيَّا إلى الغُوطَه

To the summit of Marran's monastery -

So I head to Al-Ghotah from Daryaa.

فشطَّيْ بردى في حَيْ

ثُ بُسْطُ الرَّوضِ مَبْسُوطَه

I sped my camel through the valley

Where the garden's expanse is outstretched,

وأعلامُ الأزاهي ك

دماءِ البُدْنِ مَعْبوطَه

And the standards of flowers like

The slain's blood clots congealed.

رباعٌ تهبطُ الأنها

رُ منها خَيْرُ مَهبوطَه

Arable lands where the rivers

Of goodness cascade down,

وروضٌ أحْسَنَتْ تكتي

بَهُ المزنُ وتَنْقِيطَه

And a garden the April clouds

Have perfumed with their drizzling.

ومَدَّ الوردُ والآسُ

حِفَافَيْهِ فَساطيطَه

The roses and myrtles have extended

Their hems, laying out their carpets,

ووالى طيرُهُ تَرْجي

عهُ فيه وتمطيطه

And its birds always soar about it

Chirping within and fluttering.

وراعينا به الوحْشَ

يراعي سِرْبُه خِيطَه

Our shepherd there herds the wildlife -

Each group tends to its own thread.

دع الحائطَ بلْ دَعْهُ

إِن استغربتَ تَحْويطَه

Leave the wall be - leave it -

If its plan intrigues you.

وَصِفْ تقديره إن كن

تَ ذا وصفٍ وتمشيطه

Describe its design if you are

Of description and arrangement.

صفِ المحرابَ صف تشني

فَ بانيه وتقريطه

Describe the prayer niche - describe the one

Who built it and its decoration.

أَما يخشى إِمامٌ قا

م في المحرابِ تغليطه

Does not an imam fear -

Standing in the niche - his deceit?

ووسَّطْ طَرْفكَ القِبْلَ

ةَ إن حاولتَ توسيطَهْ

Focus your eyes on the qiblah

If you attempt its centering.

ترى سُلطان حُسنٍ لا

يَمَلُّ الطرفُ تسليطه

You will see a sultan of beauty whom

The eyes never tire of unleashing.

وأدى بَرُّهُ يَعْفُو

رَه والبحرُ شَبُّوطَه

Its righteousness forgives its sins

While the sea is turbulent and choppy.

محلٌّ لا وَنَتْ فيه

مزَادُ المزنِ مَعْطوطه

A place whose April bounty was never

Lessened or withheld.

نعمنا في دمشق نع

مة ليست بمغموطه

We were blessed in Damascus -

A blessing that is no illusion.

فيا بهجتها إذ هِ

يَ في البهجة مغطوطه

Oh, its bliss, since it

Is immersed in bliss!

ويا غِبْطَتَها إذ هِ

يَ بالجامعِ مَغْبوطه

Oh, its glory, since it

Is the mosque's pride!

تأمَّلْهُ تجدْ فيه شروطَ

الحُسْنِ مَشْروطَه

Contemplate it - you will find in it

The prerequisites of beauty conditioned.

ترى إفراط بانٍ يأ

مَنُ الرَّاؤونَ تفْرِيطه

You see the excess of a builder who

Secured the observers, leaving no gap.

أَبِحْ ترخيمَهُ فكرَ

كَ إن شيتَ وَتَبْليطَهْ

Let your reflection meander

If you wish, to ponder and evaluate.

تجدتفويفَه يَسْتَغ

رِقُ الفكرَ وتَخطِيطَه

You will find it perplexes thinking

And occupies the mind's sketching.

إذا المنقوشُ من جَوهَ

رِهِ ضاحَكَ مَخروطَه

When the engraved pearl

Smiles convexly from its surface,

ومِن مَقْدودةٍ من قُ

ضُبِ العقيانِ مَقطُوطَه

And the proportioned, delicate line

Of text inscribed with hailstones,

حِفافَيْ أَسطرٍ مكتو

بةٍ بالتبرِ مَنقُوطه

You see the restless observer

Who never tires of gazing.

رأيتَ الناظرَ العجلا

نَ لا يَسأم تَثبيطَه

It is paradise on earth -

Could I be exaggerating paradise?

هو الجنَّة في الأرض

أفي الجنَّةِ أُغلُوطَه

Palaces between which trees

Line the rivers densely planted.

قصورٌ بينها الأشجا

رُ بالأنهارِ مَغطوطَه

So from a palace beauty donned

Its walls and spread across its surface,

فمن قصرٍ كسا تَقْبِيَ

هُ الحسنُ وتَسْفِيطه

To a boulder as though pearls

Coat its surface with their coating.

إلى صخرٍ كأنَّ الدرّ

يكسُو ليطُهُ ليطه

Come, look at the colors

Mixed with the lights in fusion.

تعالَ انظرْ إلى الألوا

نِ بالأنوارِ مَخْلوطه

At mosques not

Of reality outside the imaginary.

إلى فُسَيفسٍ ليست

بغيرِ الوَهمِ مَضْبوطَه

You will find in it the legends

Of vegetation and myths.

تجد فيها أَباطيلَ

نباتٍ وأَغاليطه

So the trees therein have bunches

Of beauty tightly packed,

فللأشجار فيها جُ

مُمٌ بالحُسْنِ ممشوطَه

And the fruits therein have an elegance

The glance flings down loosely.

وللأثمار فيها طُ

رَفٌ بالطَّرْف مَلْقوطه

You see the excess of a builder who

Secured the observers, leaving no gap.

ترى إِفراط بانٍ يأ

مَنُ الرَّاؤونَ تَفْريطَه

Types between sweetest fig

And smoothest apricot.

صُنوفٌ بين مُلْوٍ قِنْ

وه أو مُسْبِلٍ خوطَه

So from a palm tree and from a cypress

That competes with the other in height.

فمنْ نخلٍ ومن سروٍ

يباهي عِيطُهُ عِيطَه

And from pomegranate groves

Lined up along the walls.

ومنْ أفنانِ رمّانٍ

على الحيطانِ مَحْطُوطَه

And from an apple of ruby-red

Topped with a cone.

ومن تفاحةٍ منْ أَح

مر الياقوتِ مخروطه

And from a jujube of yellow

Inscribed with saffron lines.

ومن أترجة من اس

فر العسجدِ مخطوطه

It saddened the doves of Yemen

And their ring-necked turtledoves.

به حُزْنا شماليلَ الت

مني وشماطيطَه

Our life was not locked out

From the gates of paradise.

وما عيشتنا بابَ ال

فراديس بمسخوطه

Nor were we poured at the door

Of Gihon such affliction.

ولا صبوتنا في با

بِ جيرون بأنشوطة

No spies provoke the lazy

To wake or rouse them.

مغانٍ ما تني تبع

ثُ للكسلانِ تنشيطه

They are cloaked from April

With countless unmatched covers.

تَغَشَّتْها من المزنِ

غواشٍ غيرُ مقْشوطَه

So how much my life was mixed

By one I loved and their meddling!

فكم خلَّط عيشي ثَمَّ

مَن أَهوى تخاليطه

And how much my soul was marked

By someone I knew not to mark!

وكم نوَّط روحي ر

شأٌ ما عِفتُ تَنْويطه

Dragging the train of my gown

In their courtyards with gathered skirts.

جَرورَ الذيل في أَفيا

ئها مُنسحِبَ الفُوطه

Obeying the command of a soul

To kill - lethal and knotted.

مُطيعاً أمرَ نفسٍ ب

علاطِ القَتْل معلوطه

Until old age sufficed me -

Content without embalming.

إلى أن سامني تكفي

نَهُ الشيبُ وتحنيطَه

My cheerfulness withered

Or not - so twist it!

وآضتْ بُسْرَتي خَرُّو

بةً أو لا فبَلُّوطه

I stripped myself of reason's

Bridle, frayed and unraveled.

تَعرَّيتُ فنفسي من

عقالِ الهمِّ مَنشوطه

So beware implicating me

In what I hate to be implicated!

فإِياكَ وتوريط

يَ ما أكرهُ توريطَه

How much has time disappointed me,

Yet I have not accepted its disappointment!

فكم قَنَّطني الدهرُ

فما باليتُ تقنيطه

For neither were souls created

To be beaten down with the stick of humiliation.

فلا كانت نفوسٌ ب

عصا الذلّة مَخْبوطه

Nor were hides created

To be branded with the marks of disgrace.

ولا كانتْ جلودٌ بِ

سماتِ الذلِّ مَسْمُوطَه

My chastity refused for me

To enjoy such a life or tie its knot.

أبتْ لي عفتي تحل

ل ذا العيش وتَزْييطَه

And my asceticism from the dinars of wealth -

So leave off its cents!

وزُهْدي في قناطيرِ ال

غنى فاترُكْ قراريطَه