هَلُمَّ فَجَفْنُ الدَّهْرِ قَدْ لاَذَ بِالْغَمْضِ

وَأَمْكَنَ مَيْدَانُ التَّصَابِي مِنَ الرَّكْضِ

Come now as the eyelid of time has grown weary with blinking

And the field of contention is open for racing

إِلَى مَجْلِسِ حَيَّى مَقَاصِيرَهُ الْحَيَا

وَرَاحَ بِهِ الرَّيْحَانُ فِي الطُّولِ وَالْعَرْضِ

To the gathering of Hayya, its expanse perfumed

With sweet basil spreading far and wide

وَيَوْمٍ كَأَخْلاَقِ الصَّبِيّ إِذَا بَكَى

حَبتْهُ مِنَ الصَّحْوِ السَّمَاءُ بِمَا يُرْضِي

On a day like the temper of a child, when he weeps

The heavens soothe him with whatever would please

فَيَضْحَكُ أَحْيَاناً وَيَعْبِسُ تَارَةً

فَمِنْ ضَحِكٍ يَأَتِي وَمِنْ عَبْرَةٍ تَمْضِي

So he laughs at times and frowns at others

With a laugh he comes and with a tear he leaves

وَرَوْصٍ دَنَتْ لِلْهَاصِرِينَ قِطَافُهَا

فَكَانَ كَلاَمُ الْقَوْمِ بَعْضاً إِلَى بَعْضِ

With a trot whose harvest drew near for the reapers

And the people's words were shared between them

أَهَذِي الَّتِي كُنَّا لِلْهَاصِرِينَ قِطَافُهَا

فَكَانَ كَلاَمُ الْقَوْمِ بَعْضاً إِلَى بَعْضِ

"Are these the same we were promised to harvest

And the people's words were shared between them?"

أَهَذِي الَّتِي كُنَّا وُعِدْنَا بِنَيْلِهَا

وَجَنَّةُ عَدْنٍ فِي السَّمَا أَمْ مِنَ الأَرْضِ

"Is this the garden of Eden we were promised

In the heavens or from the earth?"

كَأَنَّ الصَّبَا جَاءَتْ تُخَبِّرُ قُضْبهَا

سُحَيْراً بِأَنَّ الْوَقْتَ ضَاقَ عَنِ الْفَرْضِ

As if the morning breeze came to tell its twigs

Hurriedly that the time for duty had grown tight

فَأسْرَعَتِ الأَغْصَانُ تَبْتَدِرُ الثَّرى

وَتَعمُرُ بَاقِي الْوَقْتِ مِنْهَا بِمَا تَقْضِي

So the branches raced to grasp the soil

And fill the rest of time with all they could fulfill

وَسَالَتْ دُمُوعُ الطَّلِّ عِنْدَ سُجُودِهَا

كَمَا بَكَتِ الْعُبَّادُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ الْعَرْضِ

And the raindrops flowed when kneeling in prayer

As the worshippers wept in awe and dread

وَنَامَتْ جُفُونُ النَّرْجِسِ الغَضِّ بَيْنَهَا

كَأَنَّ خَطِيبَ الطَّيْرِ قَالَ لَهَا غُضِّي

And the narcissus petals slept among themselves

As if the orator of birds told them: close now

فَمنْ أَبْيَضٍ كَالدُّرِّ حُفَّ بِأَصْفَر

هُنَاكَ ومُصْفرٍّ يَحُفُّ بِمُبْيَضِّ

So rings of white nestled with rings of yellow

While over them the bees swarmed like money changers counting dirhams

تَرَى النَّحْلَ فِي أَثْنَائِهِنَّ كَأَنَّهَا

صَيَارفُ عَاثَتْ فِي الدَّرَاهِمِ بِالْقَرْضِ

And a wetnurse suckling a child of fragrant wood

Who learns nothing but good manners

وَمُرْضِعَةٍ طِفْلاً مِنَ الْعُودِ ثَدْيُهَا

وَلاَ دَرَّ إِلاَّ مِنْ أَدَبٍ مَحْضِ

As if his father Douha turned his cheek

With the roses of April in first bloom

كَأَنَّ أَبَاهُ الدَّوْحَ وَرَّدَ خَدَّهَا

بِمَا جَادَهُ النِّيسَانُ مِنْ وَرْدِهِ الْغَضِّ

And sometimes seeks by right of nursing

To pinch those coins in legal tender

وَتَطْلُبُ أَحْيَاناً بِفَرْضِ رِضَاعِهِ

فَيبتَزُّ مِنْ تِلْكَ الدَّرَاهمِ بِالْفَرْضِ

When she touches him with her fingertips, like a doctor

Feeling the pulse of the expert in healing

إِذَا لَمَستْهُ بِالْبَنَانِ تَخَالُهَا

طَبِيباً مِنَ الْحُذَّاقِ جَسَّ عَلَى نَبْضِ

And brings her ear close, listening as if

To determine the force of contraction and expansion

وتُدْنِي إِلَيْهِ السَّمْعَ تُصْغِي كَأَنَّهُ

يُحَقِّقُ قَدْرَ الْبَسْطِ فِيهِ مِنَ القَبْضِ

And the soul of wine, when whispering in the cup

You see the spirit's connection to the earthly realm

وَرَاحٍ إِذَا نَاجَيْتَ فِي الْكَأَسِ رُوحَهَا

رَأَيْتَ اتِّصَالَ الرُّوح بِالْعَالَمِ الأَرضِي

When it rises cheerful in its clarity

The laws of happiness foretell what's to come

إِذَا طَلعَتْ مُفْتَرَّةً فِي سُعُودِهَا

تُبشِّرُ أَحْكَامُ السُّرورِ بِمَا تَقْضِي

If time's miser relents with an hour

Seize it vigorously, bite down hard as you can

إِذَا سَمحَ الدَّهْرُ الضَّنِينُ بِسَاعَةٍ

فَعَضَّ عَلَيْهَا جَاهِداً أَيَّمَا عَضٍّ

But if fortune does not favor you

Your being in the days is like pure nothingness

فَإِنْ لَمْ يُسَاعِدْكَ الزَّمَانُ فَإِنَّمَا

وُجُودُكَ فِي الأَيَّامِ كَالْعَدَمِ المَحْضِ