مرّت سنينٌ سودٌ ثلاثٌ

وكلُّ يومٍ منهنَّ عامُ

Three black years have passed,

And each of their days was a year.

وأنت من " واعل " حَلال

ومن عميدٍ صبٍّ حرامُ

You were lawful to me from Wa'il,

And from Umayyad a forbidden drink.

يَقْظَتُهُ أنت في نهار

وأنت في ليلهِ المنامُ

You woke me up during the day,

And you were in my night dream.

عُجْتُ بمغنى الهوى عليه

منّي وإن صَوَّحَ السّلام

I was perplexed by the melody of passion for him,

Even if he bid farewell.

قفر فلا ظبيةٌ لعوبٌ

فيه، ولا يَصْدَحُ البُغام

An empty wasteland where there is no playful gazelle

Nor a singing sandgrouse in it.

وساحُهُ موحشٌ حزينٌ

يَلقُط حَبّا به الحمام

And its plain is gloomy and sad,

Where a dove picks up a seed.

كأنَّ حيطانَهُ حصيدٌ

شبَّ بعيدانه ضِرام

As if its walls are an arid land,

Whose remoteness is covered with reddish sand.

واصَّعَّدَتْ آهةٌ، وغطّى

عينيَّ من رهبةٍ قتام

And a sigh has ascended, and fear's darkness,

Has covered my eyes.

ودِدْتُ لو كانَ لي مقامٌ

أو أن لحدي فيه يُقام

I wished I had a place to stay

Or that I had a grave in it to rest.

يا لَلَّيالي .. في أمس ضوّى

وحشةَ ليلي هذا الحُطام

O nights! Yesterday, loneliness of my night

Has demolished this ruins.

يا حلوةَ المجْتَلى سلامُ

كيفَ التوى العهدُ والذمام

O beauty of Majtaly, greetings,

How has our covenant and pact changed?

كيف انطوت صفحةٌ وأخرى

فواحةٌ مِسْكُها خِتام

How has one page been folded, and another

With a musky scent has been sealed?

يا حلوةَ المُجتلى، سلام

قريرة العين إذ تنام

O beauty of Majtaly, greetings,

The delight of the eye when you sleep.

تدرين أم لا ؟ .. إني حُطامُ

غلّفه اللّحمُ والعِظام

Do you know or not? I am in ruins,

Covered with flesh and bones.

يا حلوة المجتلى، فداءٌ

لوجهكِ الأوجُهُ الوِسام

O beauty of Majtaly, devotion,

To your face, the most beautiful of faces.

عُرْيُكِ عُرْيُ الرِمّالِ بِكراً

لم يتهدّجْ بها النّعام

Your naked body is like the virgin sands

Not roamed by ostriches.

وحين تُكْسَيْنَ فالروابي

خضرٌ تمشّى بها الغمام

And when you dress up, the hillsides

Are green, roamed by clouds.

حطمت قيثارة وأخرى

مما اشتكى الوجدُ والهُيامُ

You have broken one lyre and another,

Which passion and love have complained of.

أعلَمُ أنْ لا تُصْغينَ سمعاً

أُريد أن يسمعَ الأنام

I know you don't listen,

I just want people to hear.

فيم على صخرة عتابٌ

وممّ عن صدّها ملام

Why complain to the rock of reproach?

And who can blame it for being hard?

هل غيرُ أن تَتْعَبَ القوافي

وغيرُ أن يَرْخُصَ الكلام

What else but the rhymes get tired,

And the words become cheap?

يا لكِ " سبعين " لا توفي

نذراً ! ولا يخمد الضرام

O you, may your seventy sacrifices not fulfil

A vow! Nor the firewood extinguish!

لا يعدُ ذامٌ قبيحُ صُنْع

من حُلْوِ وجهٍ عداه ذام

An ugly blame should not be made

Of a sweet face that adorns it.

أديمةٌ أنتِ عند " روما "

سح، وعندي برق جَهام؛

You are forever Rome's bride,

While to me you are striking lightning.

عرسُك لا كان من مَشوم

يَرْفَضُّ عن مأتمٍ يقام

Your wedding was ill-omened,

Refusing a mourning ceremony.

لا بوركتْ بيعةٌ حَوَته

ولا زكا " قَسُّها " الإمام

Neither your pledge was blessed,

Nor did the judge approve it.

وليتَ " عُشّا " أفرختِ فيه

قوّضه البغضُ والخصام

I wish the nest you have hatched

Would be demolished by hatred and conflict.

و " غرفة " تُسرجان شبّت

ناراً لها أنتما طعام

And the bridal chamber you have adorned

You both were its firewood.

فإنّ ظلماً دمٌ بريءٌ

وإنّ عدلاً منه انتقام !

For injustice is innocent blood,

And justice is taking revenge!

أعجِبْ بشَرْعِ الغرامِ شرعاً

يُدانُ فيه من لا يُضام

Be fascinated by the law of passion,

Where one who does not care is condemned.

وليس منه من لم يُغَرِّر

به، ولم يُخْفَرِ الذِّمام

And none is exempt if he is not

Infatuated by it, and debased by blame.

أَعْجِبْ به حائراً عسوفاً

وهو بهذا، وذا ، إمام

Be fascinated by it, confused and captive,

For by this, that one is the imam.

الناسُ من حولِهِ سُجُودٌ

فهمْ قعودٌ له، قيام

People around him bow down,

Sitting for him, standing for him.

قلت وقد راعني مُصابٌ

إنّا لنار الهوى طعام

I said as misery has alarmed me,

We are indeed firewood for the fire of passion.

علامَ يُلْوى بالحبّ بغضٌ

وفيم ضَيْمٌ، ومُستضام

Why is hatred twisted with love?

And why is there narrowness and injustice?

قالوا: نظامٌ يسوم كونا

قلت وهل كائن سوام

They said: A system that fates the universe.

I said: And is there a ruling injustice?

أفظع من أخرقٍ مسودٍ

سيّدُه الأخرقُ، النظام

Uglier than a ragged black man

Whose master is the ragged, the system.