سَأَلتُ وَقَد مَرَّتِ الشَمأَلُ

تَنوحُ وَآوِنَةً تُعُِلُ

I asked, as the North Wind swept on by,

Moaning, and at times, howling wild:

إِلى أَيما غايَةٍ تَركُضينَ

أَلا مُستَقَرٌّ أَلا مَوإِلُ

"Toward what destination do you sprint?

Is there no resting place, no sanctuary?

وَكَم تَعولينَ وَكَم تَصرُخينَ

كَعُصفورَةٍ راعَها الأَجدَلُ

How often you weep, how often you scream,

Like a sparrow terrified by a hawk.

لَقَد طَرَحَ الغُصنُ أَوراقَهُ

مِنَ الذُعرِ وَاِضطَرَبَ الجَدوَلُ

The branch has cast off its leaves

In sheer panic, and the stream trembles.

وَضَلَّ الطَريقَ إِلى عُشِّهِ

فَهامَ عَلى وَجهِهِ البِلبُلُ

The bird has lost the path to his nest,

So the nightingale wanders, frantic and lost.

وَغَطّى السُهى وَجهَهُ بِالغَمامِ

كَما يَنزَوي الخائِفُ الأَعزَلُ

Suha has veiled its face with clouds,

Just as a fearful, unarmed man recoils.

وَكادَت تَحُزُّ لدَيكِ الهِضابُ

وَتَركُضُ قُدّامَكِ الأَجبُلُ

The hills almost crumble in your presence,

And the mountains race ahead of you.

أَبِنتَ الفَضاءِ أَضاقَ الفَضاءُ

فَأَنتِ إِلى غَيرِهِ أَميَلُ

O daughter of the void, has the vastness grown narrow,

That you are now inclined toward somewhere else?

أَغاظَكِ أَنَّ الدُجى لا يَزولُ

وَأَنَّ الكَواكِبَ لا تَأفُلُ

Did it anger you that the darkness does not fade,

And that the stars refuse to set?

أَتَبكينَ آمالُكِ الضائِعاتِ

هَلِ الريحُ مِثلَ الوَرى تَأمُلُ

Do you weep for your lost hopes?

Does the wind possess hope like humankind?

أَيَعدو وَراءَكِ جَيشٌ كَثيفٍ

أَمِثلَكِ يُرهِبُهُ الجَحفَلُ

Does a massive army chase after you,

Or can a legion strike terror in one such as you?

وَما فيكِ عُضوٌ وَلا مِفصَلٌ

فَتَقطَعُ أَوصالُكِ الأَنصُلُ

When you have neither limb nor joint,

That blades might sever your connections?"

فَجاوَبَني هاتِفٌ في الظَلامِ

غَلِطتَ فَما هَذِهِ الشَمأَلُ

Then a voice from the darkness answered me:

"You are mistaken; this is not the North Wind.

وَلَكِنَّها أَنفُسُ الغابِرينَ

تَجوسُ الدِيارَ وَلا تَنزُلُ

Rather, these are the souls of those long gone,

Roaming through dwellings, never to settle."

فَقُلتُ أَيَنهَضُ مَن في القُبورِ

وَفَوقَهُمُ التُربُ وَالجَندَلُ

I said: "Do those in the graves rise again,

When soil and heavy stones lie above them?"

أَجابَ الصَدى ضاحِكاً ساخِراً

إِلى كَم تَحارُ وَكَم تَسأَلُ

The echo replied, laughing in mockery:

"How long will you remain bewildered, how long will you ask?

وَتَرفَع عَينَيكَ نَحوَ السَماءِ

وَلَيسَت تُبالي وَلا تَحفِلُ

Raising your eyes toward the heavens,

Which neither care nor pay heed.

مِنَ البَحرِ تَصعَدُ هَذي الغُيوثُ

وَتَحطُلُ في البَحرِ إِذ تَهطُلُ

From the sea, these rains ascend,

And into the sea they fall when they pour down.

وَفي الجَوِّ إِن خَفيَت نَسمَةٌ

وَفي الأَرضِ إِن نَضَبَ المَنهَلُ

In the air, if a breeze disappears,

And in the earth, if the spring runs dry—

لَقَد كانَ في أَمسِ ما قَبلِهِ

وَفي غَدِهِ يَومُكَ المُقبِلُ

What existed before was already in yesterday,

And within its tomorrow lies your coming day.

عَجِبتُ لِباكٍ عَلى أَوَّلٍ

وَفي الآخِرِ النائِحُ الأَوَّلُ

I marvel at one who weeps for the first to die,

When the first wailer exists within the last.

هُم في الشَرابِ الَّذي نَحتَسي

وَهُم في الطَعامِ الَّذي نَأكُل

They are in the drink that we sip,

And they are in the food that we eat.

وَهُم في الهَواءِ الَّذي حَولَنا

وَفي ما نَقولُ وَما نَفعَلُ

They are in the air that surrounds us,

And in every word we speak and deed we do.

فَمَن حَسِبَ دُنيا وَأُخرى

فَذا رَجُلٌ عَقلُهُ أَحوَلُ

So he who reckons a 'this world' and 'another',

Is but a man whose reason is askew."