العبي فالهَوى لَعِبْ

وابعثي هِزَّةَ الطَرَبْ

Play, my beauty, for passion is a game

And rouse the throbs of ecstasy aflame

مثِّلي دوَرك الجميلَ

على شرعةِ الأدب

Act out your lovely role

Upon the stage of literature

أحسني نُقلةً وان

تَعِبَت هذه الرُكَب

Move gracefully though

This caravan is wearied

فعلى وَقْع خَطوِها

يتنّزى حشىً وَجَب

For at the rhythm of its steps

Desires are sated, minds are cleared

روِّحي هذه النفوسَ

فقد شفَّها التَعَب

Soothe these souls

Exhaustion has parched them

إجذبيها الى الرِضا

ادفعيها عن الغَضَب

Entice them into bliss

Divert them from rage

لاتغرَّنِْكِ اوجهٌ

كطِلاء من الذَهَب

Let not faces of gold

Dazzle and captive you

وثغور تضاحَكَت

كانعكاسةِ اللَهَب

And lips that smile

Like the glow of flame

فتِّشي عن دخائلٍ

غُيِّبَت تشهدي العَجَب

Search out intuitions

That would fill you with wonder

كل هذا الهياج من

أجل مرآكِ والصَخَب

All this tumult is for

Your mirror and the clamor

ضاربُ العود ما دَرى

أيَّ اوتارِه ضَرَب

The oud player knows not

Which string his hand did strike

اعذريِه فإنّه

بَشَرٌ مثلُنا اضطَرَب

Forgive him, for he

Is but a man confused, like us

واقبَلي القلبَ إنّه

لك من أضلُعي وَثَب

And take the heart, for it

Leapt out from my ribs for you

نَسَبٌ بَينَنا الهَوَى

احفظي حُرمةَ النَسَب

Passion has mingled our blood

Respect the sanctity of kin

رب يومٍ جذبت فيهِ

لي الأنسَ فانجذَب

Many's the day desire drew

Me to it and I was pulled

ولمستُ الشبابَ في

رَيعِه بعد ما ذَهَب

And I grasped youth in

Its freshness after it had gone

حبُ " سلمى " فتىً رأَى

كلَّ ما يشتهي فحَبّ

Love of "Salma" a lad who saw

All he wished for, so loved

شاعرٌ بالحياة لا

يَزدهَيه سِوى الطَرَب

A poet, enraptured by life

Save for ecstasy, knows no joy

انتِ " سلمى " إلى الحياةِ

وأفراحها سَبَب

You "Salma" are life's

And happiness' own cause

أنتِ " سلمى " أجَلَّ من

الفِ عبدٍ لألف رَبّ

You "Salma" are greater than

A thousand masters to their slaves

تتخلى الهموم إذ

تتجلين والكُرَب

In your light sadness

And troubles melt away

ولهم باسمِ أمةٍ

سحقت غاية الارب

And they, in the name of a nation

That crushed the highest heights

اثقلوا ظهرهَ كما

عضَّ بالغارب القَتَب

Weighed heavy on his back

As did the West when it prevailed

تركوا " الجذع " للبلاد

واختصوا بالرطب

Left the trunk for the countries

And took for themselves the fruit

افتحي لي سَلْمى يديك

يُقَبِّلْ يديكِ صَبّ

Open your hands Salma

That a loved one may kiss your hand

أبعديني عن " السياسة "

والغشِ والنَصَب

Take me away from "politics"

Deceit, hypocrisy and lies

ولكي نُحرق الجميع

هَلُمي الى الحَطَب

And so we may together burn

Come with me and gather the kindling

وإذا لم يكن خذي

بعضهم انهم خشب

And if there be none, take

Some of them for they are but wood

أإلى العيش كلُّهمْ

انا وحدي الى العَطَب

While all of them live

Me alone to be chopped

انا وحدي فيهم

ترجلت والكل قد ركب

I alone among them

Dismounted while all rode

نهبَ الشعبُ كلَّه

فهنيئاً لمن نَهَب

The people all pillaged

Joy to him who pillaged

وهنيئاً لمن غزا

وهنيئاً لمن سَلَب

Joy to him who invaded

Joy to him who plundered

وهنيئاً لمن " تنَّمرَ "

او خانَ او كَذَب

Joy to him who bullied

Or betrayed or lied

ان كل الذي ترين من

" الجاه " و " الرُتَب"

For all that you see

Of "prestige" and "titles"

ومن " النفخ " بالزعامة

والاسم واللقَب

And "importance" of leadership

Name and rank

واصطيادٍ بحجةِ " الوطن "

الجائع الخَرِب

And "patriotic" ambition

Of the destitute and deprived

هو عُقبى تَقَلُّب القوم

عاش الذي انقَلَب

Are the rewards for the people's

Fickleness, joy to the one reversed

خسر الدّرةَ البطيء

وفاز الذي حلب

The slow lose the jewel

And the milker wins