ما طائِرٌ كانَ فيبَيداءَ موحِشَةٍ

فَساقَهُ قَدَرٌ نَحوَ البَساتينِ

Not a bird that was in a desolate wilderness,

And destiny drove it toward the gardens,

فَباتَ تُسعِدُهُ فيها بَلابِلُها حيناً

وَيُسعُدُها بَعضَ الأَحايِّينِ

Where nightingales delighted it at times,

And it delighted them at others—

مِنّي بِأَسعَدَ حَذّاً نَزَلتُ بِكُم

يا مَعشَرَ السادَةِ الغُرِّ المَيامينِ

Is happier in fortune than I when I settled among you,

O assembly of noble, illustrious, and blessed masters.

فَرَرتُ مِن بَردِ كانونٍ فَقابَلَني

في أَرضِكُم بِالأَقاحي شَهرُ كانونِ

I fled from the chill of winter, yet I was met

In your land by a December blooming with chamomile.

أَنسامُ أَيّارَ تَسري في أَصائِلِها

وَفي عَشياتِها أَنفاسُ تِشرينِ

The breezes of May flow through its late afternoons,

And in its evenings lingers the crisp breath of autumn.

تُوَزِّعُ السِحرَ شَطراً في مَغارِسِها

وَآخَرَ في لِحاظِ الخُرَّدِ العينِ

It distributes enchantment: one share within its groves,

And another in the glances of wide-eyed maidens.

كُلُّ الشِتاءِ رَبيعٌ في شَواطِإِها

وَكُلُّ أَيّامِها عيدُ الشَعانينِ

The entire winter is spring upon its shores,

And all its days are like Palm Sunday festivities.

لَكِن مَيامي وَإِن جَلَّت مَفاتِنَها

لَولا وُجودِكُم لَيسَت يتُغريني

Yet Miami, though its charms are magnificent,

Would hold no allure for me were it not for your presence.

إِنّي لَأَشهَدُ دُنيا مِن عَواطِفِكُم

أَحَبُّ عِندِيَ مِن دُنيا الرَياحينِ

For I witness a world born of your affections,

Dearer to me than a world of fragrant blooms.

وَكُلَّما سَمِعَت نَجاواكُمُ أُذُني

ظَنَنتُ أَنِّيَ في دُنيا تَلاحينِ

And whenever my ear hears your intimate discourse,

I imagine myself in a realm of melodies.

لَأَنتُمُ النورُ لي وَالنورُ مُنطَمِسٌ

وَأَنتُمُ الماءُ إِذ لا ماءَ يَرويني

You are the light to me when all light is extinguished,

And you are the water when no other water can quench my thirst.

أَحبَبتُكُم حُبَّ إِنسانٍ لِإِخوَتِهِ

إِذ لَيسَ بَينَكُم فَوقي وَلا دوني

I have loved you with the love of a man for his brothers,

For amongst you, none is above me, and none below.

إِن كانَ فيكُمُ قَوِيٌّ لا يُقاهِرُني

أَو كانَ فيكُم ضَعيفٌ لا يُداجيني

If there is a strong one among you, he does not subjugate me,

And if there is a weak one, he does not flatter me with deceit.

قُل لِاِمرِئٍ مِثلَ قارونٍ بِثَروَتِهِ

إِنّي اِمرُؤٌ بِصَحابي فَوقَ قارونِ

Say to a man who rivals Qarun in his wealth:

"I am a man who, through my companions, is wealthier than Qarun."

مَن يَكتَسِب صاحِباً تَبقَ مَوَدَّتُهُ

فَهوَ الغَنِيُّ بِهِ لا ذو المَلايِّينِ

He who wins a friend whose affection endures

Is the truly rich man, not the possessor of millions.

فَاِختَر صَحابَكَ وَاِنظُر في اِختِيارِهُمُ

إِلى الطَبائِعِ قَبلَ اللَونِ وَالدينِ

So choose your companions well, and in your selection look

To their character before looking at color or creed.

لَيسَ الوِدادُ الَّذي يَبقَ إِلى أَبَدٍ

مِثلَ الوِدادِ الَّذي يَبقى إِلى حينِ

The affection that lasts for eternity is not

Like the affection that lingers only for a season.

وَالمَرءُ في هَذِهِ الدُنيا عَواطِفُهُ

إِن تَندَرِس فَهوَ بَيتٌ غَيرُ مَسكونِ

A man in this world is defined by his sentiments;

If they perish, he becomes a hollow, uninhabited house.

وَإِنَّ عاطِفَةً هَذي مَظاهِرُها

مِن عالَمِ الروحِ لا مِن عالَمِ الطينِ

Surely, an affection that manifests in such ways

Belongs to the realm of spirit, not the realm of clay.

لَو فاتَني كُلُّ ما في الأَرضِ مِن ذَهَبٍ

وَلَم تَفُتني فَإِنّي غَيرُ مَغبونِ

If I were to lose all the gold upon the earth,

Yet did not lose you, I would not be shortchanged.

لَوِ القَوافي تُؤاتيني شَكَرتُكُمُ

كَما أُريدُ وَلَكِن لا تُؤاتيني

If poetic rhymes would yield to me, I would thank you

As I desire, but they do not yield.

لا يَمدَحُ الوَردَ إِنسانٌ يَقولُ لَهُ

يا وَردُ إِنَّكَ ذو عِطرٍ وَتَلوينِ

No one praises the rose by simply saying to it:

"O rose, you possess fragrance and color."

فَاِستَنطِقوا القَلبَ عَنّي فَهوَ يُخبِرُكُم

فَالحُبُّ وَالقَلبُ مَكنونٌ بِمَكنونِ

So ask the heart to speak on my behalf, for it will tell you,

As love and the heart are secrets wrapped in secrets.

لَولا المَحَبَّةُ صارَ الكَونُ أَجمَعَهُ

طوبى الأَفاعي وَفِردَوسُ السَراحينِ

Were it not for love, the entire universe would become

A dwelling for vipers and a paradise for wolves.

إِنّي سَأَحفَظُ في قَلبي جَميلَكُمُ

وَسَوفَ أَذكُرُهُ في العُسرِ وَاللينِ

I shall preserve your kindness within my heart,

And I will remember it in times of hardship and in times of ease.