رُؤْيَا مَنَامٍ رُبَّ حُلْمٍ فِي الْكَرَى

فِيهِ تَلُوحُ حَقَائِقُ الْأَشْيَاءِ

A vision of sleep—perhaps a dream in slumber,

Wherein the truths of things appear.

إِنِّي حَلَمْتُ كَأَنَّمَا أَنَا سَائِرٌ

فِي رَوْضَةٍ خَلَّابَةٍ غَنَّاءِ

I dreamed as though I were wandering

In a garden, captivating and lush.

النُّورُ مَفْرُوشٌ عَلَى طُرُقَاتِهَا

وَالْعِطْرُ فِي النَّسَمَاتِ وَالْأَفْيَاءِ

Light was paved upon its pathways,

And fragrance filled the breezes and the shade.

وَالْعُشْبُ فِيهَا سُنْدُسٌ مُتَمَوِّجٌ

وَالْجَوُّ أَضْوَاءٌ عَلَى أَضْوَاءِ

The grass within was rippling brocade,

And the atmosphere was light layered upon light.

وَإِذَا بِصَوتٍ كَالْهَرِيرِ يَطِنُّ فِي

أُذُنِي وَأَنْيَابٍ تَصِرُّ وَرَائِي

When suddenly, a sound like a growl rang in

My ear, with fangs gnashing behind me.

فَأَدَرْتُ طَرْفِي بَاحِثًا مُتَعَجِّبًا

مِمَّا سَمِعْتُ وَلَسْتُ فِي بَيْدَاءِ

I turned my gaze, searching in wonder

At what I heard, for I was not in the wilderness.

فَإِذَا وَرَائِي فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ نَابِحٌ

ضَارِي الْمَحَاجِرِ ضَامِرِ الْأَحْشَاءِ

And lo, behind me in the garden was a barking cur,

Savage of eye, with hollow, starving flanks.

كَادَتْ تُطِلُّ عُرُوقُهُ مِنْ جِلْدِهِ

وَتُطِلُّ مَعَهَا شَهْوَةٌ لِدِمَائِي

His veins seemed ready to burst from his hide,

And with them, a craving for my blood emerged.

أَشْفَقْتُ يَعْلَقَ نَابُهُ بِرِدَائِي

فَرَفَسْتُهُ غَضَبًا فَطَارَ حِذَائِي

I dreaded his fang would snag my robe,

So I kicked him in anger, and my shoe flew off.

فَطَوَى نَوَاجِذَهُ عَلَيْهِ كَأَنَّمَا

عَضَّتْ نَوَاجِذُهُ عَلَى الْعَنْقَاءِ

He clamped his jaws upon it as though

His teeth had seized the Phoenix itself.

وَمَضَى بِهِ لِرِفَاقِهِ فَتَهَلَّلُوا

وَتَقَاسَمُوهُ فَكَانَ خَيْرَ عَشَاءِ

He bore it to his comrades, and they rejoiced,

Dividing it among them—it was the finest supper.

لَا يَعْجَبَنْ أَحَدٌ رَآنِي حَافِيًا

أَبْلَتْ نَعِالِي أَلْسَنَ السُّفَهَاءِ

Let no one wonder if he sees me barefoot;

The tongues of fools have worn out my shoes.