طغَى فضوعف منه الحسنُ والخَطَرُ

وفاض فالأرضُ والأشجارُ تنغمِرُ

It surged ragingly, diminishing beauty and peril.

And the earth and trees were flooded over.

وراعت الطائرَ الظمآنَ هيبتُه

فمرَّ وهو جبانٌ فوقَه حذِر

Its awesomeness terrified the thirsty bird,

So it passed by, cowardly and cautious.

كأنما هو في آذيِّه جَبَلٌ

على الضفاف مُطلٌّ وهي تنحدر

As if it were a mountain in its harmfulness

Overlooking from the banks as they descend.

رَبُّ المزارعِ والملاّحِ راعَهما

بالحول منه عظيمُ البطش مقتدِر

The Lord of the farms and the sailors guided them

With power, greatly tyrannical and capable.

باتت على ضَفَّتيه الليلَ تحرُسُه

غُلبُ الرجال لما يأتيه تنتظر

The night stayed guarding it on its banks

The men were overwhelmed awaiting what comes to it.

راحو أُسارى مطأطين الرؤوسَ له

وراح طوعَ يديه النفعُ والضرر

They went as captives, heads downcast to it,

And welfare and harm went willingly to its hands.

مَشَى على رِسْلِه لا الخوفُ يَردَعُه

ولا عن الفِعلة النكراءِ يعتذِر

It walked steadily, fear cannot stop it

Nor does it apologize for its abhorrent actions.

ومر يَهزَأ من أيد تقاومه

تسعَى لتحكيم أسداد وتبتدِر

And it passed mocking the hands that resist it

Seeking to subdue lions and take preemptive action.

فكلُّ ما بلغَ الانسانُ من عَنَتٍ

قُوى الطبيعةِ تأتيه فيندحِر

So everything the human attained of troubles

The powers of nature come to it and are defeated.

وما " الفرات ُ " بمسطاعٍ فمختَضَدٍ

ولا بمستعبَد بالعُنفِ يُقتَسر

And the Euphrates is not with coercion or force

Or subjugation, violently seized.

كم من معاركَ شنَّ الفنُ غارتَها

على " الفرات " ولكنْ كانَ ينتصر

How many battles did art wage against it

Upon the Euphrates but it was victorious.

نَموذَجٌ " للأنانيينَ " ليس له

ولا عليه ، أفازَ الناسُ أم خسِروا

An example for the selfish, it neither

Harmed nor benefited, did people win or lose?

في حينَ باتَ جميعُ الناس يُرهبُهم

في كل ثانيةٍ عن سَيره خَبَر

While all the people at night are terrified of it

In every moment, news of its flow alarms them.

ملءُ القلوب خشوعٌ من مهابتِه

وملءُ أعينهم من خوفِه سَهر

Hearts filled with awe of its reverence

And eyes filled with fear of it, awake.

وراح شُغْل النوادي عن فظاظته

يُجرى الحديثَ وفيه ينقضي السهر

Preoccupying gatherings, its violence

Dominates conversation and consumes the night vigil.

ورُوِّعَ السمعُ حتى بات من ذَهَل

يود سَمعُ الفتى لو أنه بَصَر

Hearing is frightened until the young man wishes

His hearing was sight from confusion.

واستُبطِئت عن نَثَا أخباره بُرُدٌ

واستُنهِضَ البرقُ يُستقصي به الخَبَر

Announcing its news was delayed by coolness

And lightning was roused to investigate the news.

هو " الفرات " وكم في أمره عَجَبٌ

في حالتيهِ وكم في آيِه عِبَر

It is the Euphrates, how wondrous is its affair

In its states and how meaningful are its lessons.

بينا هو البحرُ لا تُسطاع غضبتُه

إذا استشاطَ فلا يُبقي ولا يَذرَ

While it is the sea, its rage cannot be withstood

If it rages, it leaves no trace or vestige.

إذا به واهنُ المَجرى يعارِضُه

عودٌ ويمنعه عن سيره حَجَر

Yet when weakened, a rod resists it

And a rock prevents its flow.

طَمَى فردَّ شبابَ الأرض قاحلةً

به وعادت إلى رَيعانها الغُدُر

It erased the youth of the barren earth with rage

And it returned to its lushness and freshness.

وأشرفت بقعةٌ أُخرى ألَّم بها

على الممات فأمسَت وهي تُحتَضر

And another spot it touched

Was on the verge of death and perishing.

وودَّعَ الزارعون الزرعَ وانصرفوا

للماء ما زَرَعوا منه وما بَذَروا

And the farmers bid the crops farewell and left

What they planted and sowed to the water.

من كان بالامس يعلو وجهَهُ فرحٌ

بما يُرجِّيه غطَّ وجهَه كَدَر

One who yesterday had joy on his face

From what he hoped for, his face is now anguished.

وقطَّبت بعد تهليل أسرَّتُه

وبان فوق خُطاه الضعفُ والخَوَر

After celebrating, his family now frowns

And weakness and humiliation appear in his steps.

صُبَّت عليها بلاياه ونقمتُه

أنا " القصورُ " فلا خوفٌ ولا حذَر

Its afflictions and wrath poured upon it

While I, the palaces, have no fear or caution.

طافت عليه حنايا الكوخ واقتُلِعَتْ

مضارِبُ البيت منه فهي تنتثر

The sympathies of the hut circulated upon it

And the tent pegs were uprooted, scattered.

غط الهديرُ فغضَّت منه ثاغيةٌ

ورددت ثغيّها من خلفِها أُخر

The tumult drowned it out, angry

Its anger echoed behind it.

واستحكمت ضجةٌ من كل ناحية

جاءت إليها بموتٍ عاجلٍ نُذُر

And a commotion intensified from every side

With news of imminent death and omens.

ورُبَّ طالبةٍ بالماء راضَعَها

ورب عاريةٍ بالماء تأتزر

Many a nursing mother called for water

And many a bare woman sought clothes.

وصفحةٍ من بديع الشعر منظرهُ

طامي العُباب مُطِلاً فوقَه القَمَر

And a page of beautiful poetry, its scene

Submerged by high water, the moon shining above it.

وقد بدت خضرةُ الأشجار لامعةً

مغمورةً بسناه فهي تزدهِر

The trees' greenery glistened,

Flooded with its brilliance, flourishing.

ومن على ضَفَّتيه انصاعَ منغمرا

في الماء نصفٌ فوقَه الشَجر

And from its banks, half submerged,

The trees above the water bending.

باتت على خَطَرٍ ناسٌ بثورته

وراح يؤنُسنا في المنظر الخَطَر

Some people were endangered by its surge

And the perilous scene kept us company.

وهكذا الناسُ يُغريهم تخيُّلُهم

حتى يَجيئوا الى البَلْوى فيختبروا

And so people are tempted by their imagination

Until they come to calamity and are tested.

كما أتى الحربَ فنانٌ ليرسُمَها

في حينَ آخرُ يُصلى جسمَه الشرَر

As one came to war to portray it

While another's body is pierced by embers.

روحٌ جرت لم يُردْ نَفعا بها بدنٌ

وعسجدٌ سال إلا أنه هَدَر

A soul that brought no benefit to a body it entered

And a horse that bolted but was fruitless.

هذا المشيِّدُ للعُمران ريِّقَه

في الرافدين به العُمرانُ يندثر

This builder of civilization, it ruined him

Civilization in the two rivers crumbles through it.

كان العراقُ سواداً من مزارعه

على بنيهِ يفيءُ الظلُ والثَمَر

Iraq was darkened by its farms

Shade and fruit on its people.

تَفيض خيرا على الأقطار غلَّتُه

موفورةً لسنين الجوع تُدَّخر

Its abundance overflowed good to other lands

Abundant for the years of famine, stored away.

ووزّع الماءَ عدلاً في مسايله

فكلُّ ناحيةٍ يجري بها نَهَر

And it distributed water equitably in its streams

Each region had a river flow through it.

باسم " الفرات " وتنظيمٍ له خُلقتْ

دوائرٌ لم يَبِنْ من سعيها أثَر

In the name of Euphrates and regulating it

Useless agencies were created.

أغفَت طويلاً ولما هاجَ هائجُه

جاءته بعد فواتِ الوقتِ تبتدِر

Long neglectful, and when its surge came

It hastily came after the opportunity passed.

وهاهو الماءُ موتٌ في زيادته

وفي النقيصةِ مسروقٌ فمُحتَكَر

And water is death in its excess

And when decreased, stolen and hoarded.