تَرامى اللَيلُ كَالهَمِّ الثَقيلِ

يَجُرُّ ذُيولَ مِعطَفهِ الطَويلِ

The night sprawls like heavy worries

Dragging the tails of its long cloak

وَيُبرِزُ في مَشارِفهِ نُجوماً

بِلَونٍ بُرتُقالِيٍّ ضَئيلِ

And reveals in its outskirts stars

Of faint orange hue

وَكانَت زوق ميكائيل تُصغي

الى هَمسِ النَياسم في الحُقولِ

And Michael's taste was listening

To the whispers of jasmine in the fields

فَتَبسِمُ عَن كَواكِبها النَحيلَه

وَتَحلمُ في جَواذِبِها الجَميلَة

So she smiles at her slender stars

And dreams in her beautiful allure

بِعَهدٍ مَرَّ في الدُنيا جَميلِ

وَكانَت قُبَّةُ الجَرَس المُقيمَه

Of an era that was beautiful in the world

And the dome of the steady bell

عَلى عَمَدَي كَنيسَتُها القَديمَه

تَقَطَّعُ في السَماءِ وَقد تَرامى

On the two columns of its old church

Was chopped up in the sky, and light had sprawled

عَلَيها النورُ أَفلاذاً سَقيمَه

كَطَيفٍ يَخفر الأَمواتِ لَيلاً

On it, sick rays

Like a specter that keeps vigil over the dead at night

وَيَبقى ساهِراً سَهَرَ الأُمومه

وَكانَ اللَيلُ مُنفَطِرَ الشُعورِ

And stays awake like a mother's vigil

And the night was broken in feelings

أَحَسَّ لَهيبَ سُكّانِ القُبورِ

فَلَطَّفَ في مَعابِرِهِ نَسيمَه

Felt the flame of the inhabitants of the graves

So it softened its breeze in its corridors

وَكانَت أَغصُنُ الدَوح القَديمِ

يَهزُّ رُؤوسَها مَرُّ النَسيمِ

And the branches of the old palm tree

Shook their heads as the breeze passed

فَيُسمَع في الدُجى مِنها حَفيفٌ

كَصَوتِ الوَخزِ في قَلبٍ أَثيمِ

So a rustling is heard in the gloom from it

Like the sound of sting in a sinful heart

وَفي الاِكواخِ أَقباسٌ ضِعافٌ

كَأَخيِلَةِ الكَواكِبِ في الأَديمِ

And in the huts, weak lanterns

Like the imagination of stars in the horizon

تُصَعِّدُ في نَوافِذها الصَغيرَه

زَفيراً من أَشعَّتها الحَقيرَه

Make in their small windows

A sigh from their miserable flames

كَأَنَّ بزيتها بَعضَ الهُمومِ

وَفي الأَبعادِ كان يُرى الخَليجُ

As if some worries were in its oil

And in the distance, the bay could be seen

تَمجُّ مِياهُهُ نوراً يَموجُ

كَلَوحٍ أَسوَدٍ مُلقىً عَلَيهِ

Its waters swelling with light waves

Like a black board thrown over it

إِطارٌ فيهِ من ذَهَبٍ نَسيجُ

تُدبِّجهُ مَصابيحٌ وَزُهرٌ

A golden frame on it, embroidered

With lamps and flowers

لَها في الماءِ مَنظَرُها البَهيجُ

وَأَضواءُ النُجوم عَلى الشَواطِىءُ

That have their splendid sight in the water

And the light of the stars on the coasts

إِذا اِمتَزَجَت بِأَضواءِ المرافىء

يَكونُ مِنَ الخَيالِ بِها مَزيجُ

When blended with the lights of the harbors

Makes an imagination of it at night beautiful

دَعِ الأَبعادَ في اللَيلِ الجَميلِ

تَنَم سَكرى مَعَ النورِ الضَئيلِ

Leave the distances on a beautiful night

To sleep intoxicated with dim light

وَخَلِّ أَنامِلَ النَسَماتِ تَلعَب

كَما شاءَت بِأَوراقِ الحُقولِ

And let the fingers of the breeze play

As it wishes with the leaves of the fields

وَدَع قَطرَ النَدى المَخمورَ يَسقُط

عَلى جَسَد الجَنائِنِ وَالطلولِ

And let the drunk dew drop fall

On the body of the gardens and hills

وَهَيّا بي نَلِج قَصراً صَغيرا

تَرى المِصباحَ يَملاُوه شُعورا

Come with me, let's enter a small palace

Where you see the lamp fill it with feelings

رَسا في الزَوق من عَهدِ طَويلِ

فَتُبصِرَ إِن وَلَجتَ فَتىً كَئيبا

Lingering in taste from a long era

So if you entered you'd see a gloomy youth

مِنَ الإِحساسِ يوشِكُ أَن يَذوبا

إِذا أَمعَنتَ فيه رَأَيتَ جِسماً

From feeling about to melt

If you looked closely, you'd see a body

يَفور كَأَنَّ في دَمِهِ لَهيبا

لَهُ قَلبٌ يُرى في كُلِّ قَلبٍ

Seething as if there were flames in its blood

He has a heart that appears in every heart

كَأَنَّ اللَهَ ذَرَّ بِهِ قُلوبا

فَتىً كَالفَجرِ أَلواناً وَعُمرا

As if God had scattered hearts in it

A youth like dawn in colors and age

إِذا أَبصَرتَه أَبصَرتَ فَجرا

يَمُدُّ جَمالُهُ ظِلّا غَريبا

If you saw him, you saw dawn

His beauty casts a strange shadow

وَإِن أَصغَيتَ تَسمَعُهُ يَقولُ

لِوالِدَةٍ أَلَمَّ بِها النُحولُ

And if you listened, you'd hear him say

To a mother that emaciation afflicted

لِأُمٍّ فارَقَت زوجاً حَبيباً

طَواهُ من الرَدى لَيلٌ ثَقيلُ

To a mother who left a beloved husband

Whom a heavy night shrouded

أُحِسُّ لَها اِضطِّراباً في فُؤادي

وَدَمعاً في حَناياهُ يَجولُ

I feel disturbance in my heart for her

And a tear wandering in its folds

وَما أَحسَستُ امسِ بِمِثلِ هذا

فَاِمسي كان لا ادري لِماذا

I did not feel this yesterday

So yesterday I did not know why

جَميلاً كُلُّ ما فيهِ جَميلُ

أَجل يا أُمِّ صِرتُ فَتىً شَقيّا

Beautiful, everything in it is beautiful

Yes, O mother, I have become a wretched youth

يَكادُ اليَأسُ يُطفىءُ مُقلَتَيّا

فَأَينَ مَضَت لَيالِيَّ الخَوالي

Despair almost extinguishes my eyelids

So where have the nights of dreams gone

وَقَلبٌ كان في الماضي خَلِيّا

أَرى غَلواءَ تُعرِضُ عن هُيامي

And a heart that was empty in the past

I see a flirtation turn away from my love

وَيَكتُمُ قَلبُها سِرّاً خَفِيّا

وَتَسمَعُها تَقولُ لَهُ شَفيقُ

And her heart hides a secret, hidden thing

And you hear her guardian say to her

بُنَيَّ لَقَد أَضلَّتكَ الطَريقَ

فَهَل نَبَّهت قَلبَكَ يا بُنَيّا

My daughter, the path has led you astray

Have you awakened your heart, my daughter

جَميلٌ يا وَحيدي أَن تُحبّا

وَتَرفَعَ لِلهَوى عَيناً وَقَلبا

It is beautiful, my only one, to love

And lift eyes and heart to passion

وَتَسمَعَ مِنهُ أَنغاماً عِذاباً

وَتَشرَب من يَدَيهِ الماءَ عَذباء

And hear tormenting tunes from it

And drink fresh water from its hands

لَقَد أَحسَستُ قَبلَكَ بِاِضطِرابٍ

وَقاسَيتُ الهَوى سَهلا وَصَعبا

I felt disturbance before you

And endured love, easy and difficult

وَلكِن لَيسَ يَندَمُ مَن تَأَنّى

فَغلوا يا اِبنِ أَكبَرُ مِنكَ سِنّا

But one who is patient does not regret

Take your time, O son, older than you in years

اِذا رَضِيَ الهَوى فَالعُمرُ يَأبى

تَأَنَّ فَسَوفَ تَهوى مَن تُريدُ

If passion is pleased, life refuses

Be patient, and you will love whom you want

وَتَهواكَ العَذارى وَالوُرودُ

فَمِثلُكَ لا يُجاوِرُهُ قُنوطٌ

And the virgins and roses will love you

One like you, despair does not accompany

وَمِلءُ شَبابِهِ عَقلٌ رَشيدُ

أَمامك يا اِبن أَعوامٌ طِوالٌ

And his prime filled with a reasonable mind

Before you, my son, are long years

وَمن زَهَرِ الهَوى عَدَدٌ عَديدُ

تَأَنَّ فَسَوفَ تَقطِفُ مِنهُ زَهرَه

And of the flowers of love, many

Be patient, and you will pluck its flower

تَكونُ أَشَدَّ من غَلواءَ نُضرَه

يُبارِكُ عِطرَها العَهدُ الجَديدُ

It will be fresher than the flirtation's blossom

Its fragrance will bless the new era

فَيُطلِقُ زَفرَةَ التَمِسِ الكَئيبِ

وَيَغرَقُ في دُجى فِكرٍ غَريبِ

So he utters the sigh of gloomy longing

And drowns in the gloom of strange thought

وَيَذهَبُ لا يُجيبُ وَفي هَواهُ

لَظى شَكٍّ أَشَدُّ مِنَ اللَهيبِ

And goes without answering, and in his love

A doubt more intense than flames

وَكَيفَ يُجيبُ أُمّا جَفَّ فيها

عُصارُ الحُبِّ في عَهد الغُروبِ

And how can he answer a mother in whom

The juice of love dried up in the sunset

أَيا أُمي اِصرِفي ذي الكَأسَ عَنّي

فَما في الحُبِّ شَأنٌ لِلتَأَنّي

O mother, turn the cup away from me

For there is no matter of patience in love

وَما لِلعُمر شَأنٌ في القُلوبِ

وَيَذهبُ لا يُجيبُ وَفي هَواهُ

And life has no matter in hearts

And he goes without answering, and in his love

من الاِشجانِ ما يُضني قِواهُ

دَعي يا أُمِّ زَهرَ الناسَ يَبسِم

Is agony that strains his strength

Leave me, O mother, people's flowers smile

وَيَنشَق في الوَرى غَيري شَذاهُ

فَلي في جَنَّةِ الاِشواكِ زَهرٌ

And apart from me, their joy splits in the land

I have a flower in the garden of thorns

غَريبُ اللَونِ لا أَرضى سِواهُ

Strange in color, I am pleased with none but it