ماذا بِوِسعِ الزَمَن المُدَّعي

ما دمتِ في شِعري وَفي أَضلعي

What can time the pretender do

As long as you are in my poetry and in my ribs

لَن يُقطَعَ الدَهرَ لَنا أُلفَةٌ

مَهما يُفَرِّقنا الوَرى نُجمَعِ

Our lifelong companionship will never be severed

No matter how far the world separates us, we will reunite

نَقول لِلنّاسِ إِذا صَيَّحوا

ما قالَهُ البُلبُلُ لِلضِفدَعِ

We say to people if they scream

What the bulbul said to the oleander

شَبابُنا إِن يَفنَ يَبقَ الهَوى

نَفنى بِهِ كَالخَلقِ في المبدِعِ

If our youth passes, passion remains

We perish with it like creation with the Maker

ماذا عَلى الحُبِّ إِذا لَم يُفق

هَل وَعَتِ الخَمرَةُ حَتّى نَعي

What of love if infatuation is lacking

Has the wine ever sobered until it's chastised?

رَأَيتُني شَيخاً مَديد الرُؤى

مُتَّصِلَ السالِفِ بِالمزمِعِ

You saw me as an old man with far-sighted vision

My past is connected to my destiny

عَلى فَمي أُنشودَةٌ لا تَني

وَنَغوَةٌ خَضراءُ في مَسمَعي

On my mouth an ode that doesn't fade

And a verdant melody in my hearing

أَعيشُ في الذِكرى بِغَيبوبَةٍ

كَما يَعيشُ الطِفلُ في المرضعِ

I live in memories in absent-mindedness

As a child lives suckling at the wet nurse

طيورُ أَحلامِيَ وَحيُ الهَوى

مِن حُوَّمٍ حَولي وَمن وُقَّعِ

The birds of my dreams and the passion's rapture

Encircling me and alighting

إِن تُمحِلِ الدُنيا وَتَعبس لَنا

فَأَيُّ أَرضٍ فيكِ لَم تُمرعِ

If life becomes difficult and frowns at us

Which ground in you hasn't been cultivated?

غَنِمتُ في عَينَيكِ كُنهَ المُنى

فَالكَونُ يَحيا بي وَيَفنى مَعي

I attained through your eyes the essence of wishes

So the universe lives through me and dies with me