عِندي لَكُم نَبَأٌ عَجيبٌ شَيِّقٌ

سَأَقُصُّه وَعَلَيكُمُ تَفسيرُهُ

I have wondrous and fascinating news for you

I have for you some strange and captivating news,

I will recount it, and it is for you to interpret

I shall recount it, and it is for you to interpret.

إِنّي رَأَيتُ البَحرَ أَخرَسَ ساهِياً

كَالشَيخِ طالَ بِما مَضى تَفكيرُهُ

I saw the sea silent and pensive

I saw the sea standing mute and absent-minded,

Like an old man, lost in thought of the past

Like an elder lost in long contemplation of the past.

فَسَأَلتُ نَفسي حائِراً مُتَلَجلِجاً

يا لَيتَ شِعري أَينَ ضاعَ هَديرُهُ

So I asked myself, confused and restless

So I asked myself, bewildered and stammering,

Oh how I wish I knew, where has its roar gone?

"I wonder, where has its mighty roaring vanished?"

بَِلأَمسِ قالَت مَوجَةٌ ثَرثارَةٌ

وَمَضَت فَأَكمَلَتِ الحَديثَ صُخورُهُ

Yesterday, a babbling wave said

Yesterday, a chattering wave spoke out,

As it passed by, completing the speech of its rocks

And as it passed, the rocks completed the tale:

بِالأَمسِ مَرَّ بِنا فَتىً مِن قَومِكُم

رَقَّت شَمائِلُه وَدَقَّ شُعورُهُ

Yesterday, one of your tribe passed us by

"Yesterday, a young man from your people passed us by,

His features were delicate, and his feelings were tender

His manners were gentle, and his sensibilities refined.

مُتَرَنِّحٌ مِن خَمرَةٍ قُدسِيَّةٍ

فيها الهَوى وَفُتونِه وَفُتورُهُ

Swaying as if drunk on holy wine

Swaying as if drunk on a divine wine,

In it desire, charm, and languor

Containing passion, its enchantments, and its languor.

مُتَرَفِّقٌ في مَشيِهِ يَطَءُ الثَرى

وَكَأَنَّما بَينَ النُجومِ مَسيرُهُ

Walking gently, barely touching the ground

He walks gently, treading upon the soil,

As if his path were among the stars

As though his path lay amongst the stars.

يَلهو بِأَوتارِ الكَمَنجَة وَالدُجى

مَرخِيَّةٌ فَوقَ العُبابِ سُتورُهُ

Toying with the strings of the lute and the dusk

He toys with the strings of the violin, while the darkness

His curtain billowing over the mist

Has lowered its curtains over the swelling waves.

يَهدي إِلى الوَطَنِ القَديمِ سَلامَهُ

وَيُناشِدُ الوَطَنَ الَّذي سَيَزورُهُ

Conveying greetings to the ancient homeland

He sends his greetings to the ancient homeland,

And singing of the land he will soon visit

And calls out to the land he is destined to visit.

فَشَجا الخِضَمَّ نَشيدُه وَهُتافُهُ

فَسَها فَضاعَ هَديرُه وَزَئيرُهُ

His fervent song and cheers inspired awe

The vast ocean was deeply moved by his song and call,

So it wandered and its roar and growl were lost

So it drifted into a daze, and its roar and bellow vanished."

أَعَرفتُموهُ إِنَّهُ هَذا الفَتى

هَذا الَّذي سَحَرَ الخِضَمَّ مُرورُهُ

You know him, this is that youth

Have you recognized him? It is this very youth,

He whose passing charmed the rocks

The one whose mere passing cast a spell upon the sea.

داوُد وَالمِزمارُ في نَغَماتِهِ

وَالموصِلِي وَمَعبَد وَسَريرُهُ

David and his psalms in his melodies

David and his psalms reside within his melodies,

Al-Mawsili, Ma'bad and his bed

As do Al-Mawsili, Ma'bad, and his throne.

يا ضَيفَنا وَالأُنسُ أَنتَ رَسولُهُ

وَبَشيرُه وَالفَنُّ أَنتَ أَميرُهُ

Oh our guest, you are the messenger of companionship

O our guest, for whom joy is the messenger,

Its harbinger, and art is your commander

And the herald; and of Art, you are the prince.

لَو شاعَ في الفِردَوسِ أَنَّكَ بَينَنا

لَمَشَت إِلَينا سافِراتٍ حَورُهُ

If it were known in Paradise that you are among us

If word spread in Paradise that you are amongst us,

Virgin houris would come to us in caravans

Its celestial maidens would have walked to us unveiled.

ذَهَبَ الرَبيع وَجِئتَنا فَكَأَنَّما

جاءَ الرَبيعُ زُهورُه وَطُيورُهُ

Spring left, and you came, so it is as if

Spring had departed, but when you came to us, it was as if

Spring returned with its flowers and birds

Spring had returned with all its flowers and birds.

الفَنُّ هَشَّ إِلَيكَ في أُمَرائِهِ

وَتَفَتَّحَت لَكَ دورُه وَقُصورُهُ

Art rushed to you with its princes

Art smiled warmly upon you among its princes,

And its houses and palaces opened for you

And its mansions and palaces were flung open for you.

إِنَّ الجَواهِرَ بِالجَواهِرِ أُنسُها

أَمّا التُرابُ فَبِالتُرابِ حُبورُهُ

Jewels are comforted by jewels

For truly, gems find their comfort only with other gems,

As for dust, dust is its comfort

While dust finds its joy only in the dust.

يا شاعِرَ الأَلحانِ إِنّي شاعِرٌ

أَمسى ضَئيلاً عِندَ نورِكِ نورُهُ

Oh minstrel of melodies, I am a poet

O poet of melodies, I too am a poet,

Whose light is dim next to your light

Whose light has grown dim in the presence of yours.

أَسمى الكَلامِ الشِعرُ إِلّا أَنَّهُ

أَسماهُ ما أَعيا الفَتى تَصويرُهُ

Poetry is the highest speech, except

Poetry is the most sublime of speech, except that

That which the youth's portrayal made higher

Its highest form is that which defies description.

وَأُحِبُّ أَزهارِ الحَدائِقِ وَردَها

وَأُحِبُّ مِن وَردِ الرِياضِ عَبيرُهُ

And I love the roses of gardens, their scent

And of all garden blooms, I love the roses best,

Is what I love most of the garden's roses

And of the meadow's roses, I cherish their fragrance most.

أَنتَ الفَتى لَكَ في النَسيمِ حَفيفُهُ

وَلَكَ الغَديرُ صَفائُه وَخَريرُهُ

You are the youth, the breeze whispers for you

You are the youth who holds the rustle of the breeze,

The stream's clarity and murmur are for you

And the clarity and murmur of the running brook.

القَومُ صاغِيَةٌ إِلَيكَ قُلُبَهُم

وَاللَيلُ مُنصِتَةٌ إِلَيكَ بُدورُهُ

The people's hearts are moldable by you

The hearts of the people incline toward you listening,

And the night listens to you in its homes

And the full moons of the night are silent in attention.

وَبِهَذِهِ الأَوتارِ سِحرٌ جائِلٌ

مُتَمَلمِلٌ كَالوَحيِ حانَ ظُهورُهُ

With these strings there is irresistible magic

Within these strings lies a wandering magic,

Undulating like revelation at its appearance

Restless as a divine revelation whose time to appear has come.

إِن كُنتَ لا تَهتاجَه وَتُثيرُهُ

فَمَنِ الَّذي يَهتاجَه وَيُثيرُهُ

If you do not inspire and arouse it

If you do not stir it and provoke it,

Then who can inspire and arouse it?

Then who else is there to awaken and ignite it?

دَغدِغ بِريشَتِكَ الكَمَنجَةَ يَنطَلِق

وَيَدُبُّ في أَرواحِنا تَأثيرُهُ

Strum your lute, and it bursts forth

Caress the violin with your bow, and let its magic soar,

Flowing into our souls with its influence

Letting its influence creep deep into our souls.

وَاِمشِ بِنا في كُلِّ لَحنٍ فاتِنٍ

كَالماءِ يَجري في الغُصونِ طُهورُهُ

Walk with us in every charming melody

Guide us through every enchanting melody,

Like water flowing through branches, pure

Like pure water flowing through the branches.

وَأَدرِ عَلى الجَلّاسِ أَكوابَ الهَوى

في راحَتَيكَ سُلافُه وَعَصيرُهُ

Pass around to those seated cups of passion

And pass the cups of passion among those seated,

In your hands its drink and its juice

For in your hands lie its vintage and its extract.

فَيَخُفُّ في الرَجُلِ الحَليمِ وَقارُهُ

وَيُراجِعُ الشَيخَ المُسِنَّ غُرورُهُ

So the dignified man's composure slips away

So the solemn man feels his dignity lighten,

And the old man reconsiders his pride

And the elderly sheikh revisits his youthful pride.

وَتَنامُ في صَدرِ الشَجِيِّ هُمومُهُ

وَيُفيقُ في قَلبِ الحَزينِ سُرورُهُ

The anxious man's worries fall asleep

And the worries in the sorrowful breast are lulled to sleep,

And joy awakens in the heart of the sad one

While joy awakens within the grieving heart.

هَذي الجُموعُ الآنَ شَخصٌ واحِدٌ

لَكَ حُكمُه وَكَما تَشاءُ مَصيرُهُ

These crowds are now one person

These crowds have now become a single entity,

Yours to command, and however you wish is their fate

Yours is the command over it, and its destiny is as you will.

إِن شِئتَ طالَ هُتافُه وَنَشيدُهُ

أَو شِئتَ دامَ نُواحُه وَزَفيرُهُ

If you want, their cheers and singing last

If you wish, its cheers and anthems are prolonged,

Or you want, their wailing and growling persist

Or if you wish, its wailing and sighing endure.

إِنّا وَهَبناكَ القُلوب وَلَم نَهَب

إِلّا الَّذي لَكَ قَبلَنا تَدبيرُهُ

We have given you our hearts and taken nothing

We have bestowed upon you our hearts, yet we have only given

Except what was yours before we arranged it

That which was already under your sway before we offered it.