أَما الرياضُ فقد بَدت ألوانها
صاغت فنون حُليّها أفنانُها
As for the gardens, their colors have now appeared.
Their branches have fashioned the varied arts of their adornment.
دقَّت معانيها ورقَّ نسيمها
وَبَدت محاسنُها وطابَ زمانها
Their meanings grew subtle, and their breeze grew gentle;
their beauties appeared, and delightful became their season.
نُظمت قلائدُ زهرها كجواهرٍ
نُظمت زمردها إلى عقيانها
The necklaces of their blossoms were strung like jewels;
their emerald was strung beside their pure gold.
هذا خُزَاماها وذا قيصومُها
هذي شقائقها وذا حوذانها
Here is their lavender, and there their qayṣūm;
here are their anemones, and there their buttercups.
لو أن غدرانَ السحابِ تواصلتْ
سَحْاً إذاً لتواصلتْ غدرانها
If the cloud’s waters kept coming one after another,
then, in a downpour, their pools would join one another.
تبكي عليها عينُ كلِّ سحابةٍ
ما إِنْ تملُّ من البكا أجفانها
Over them weeps the eye of every cloud;
never do its eyelids tire of weeping.
منقادةٌ طوعَ الجنوب إذا بدت
فكأنها بِيَدِ الجنوب عنانها
Obediently led whenever the south wind appears,
as though its reins were in the south wind’s hand.
واهاً لرافقةِ الجنوب مَحَلَّةً
حَسُنَتْ بها أنهارها وجنانها
Ah, what a dwelling-place for the south wind’s companion!
How fair within it are its rivers and gardens!
يا بلدةً ما زال يعظمُ قدرُهَا
في كلِّ ناحية ويعظمُ شانها
O town, whose worth has never ceased to grow,
in every quarter, and whose renown grows ever greater.
أما الفراتُ فإنه ضحضاحها
أما الهنيّ فإنه بستانها
As for the Euphrates, it is but her shallow water;
as for al-Hanī, it is her orchard.
وكأن أيامَ الصِّبا أيامُها
وكأنَّ أزمانَ الهوى أزمانها
As though the days of youth were her days,
and the times of love were her times.
مهما نصدْ غزلانها يوماً فقد
ظلت تصيدُ قلوبَنا غزلانُها
However much we hunt her gazelles one day, still—
her gazelles have continued to hunt our hearts.
حُثَّ الكؤوسَ فإن هذا وقتها
وَصِلِ الرياضِ فإنّ ذا إِبّانها
Send the cups around, for this is their time;
visit the gardens, for this is their season.
