خَرَجَتْ هِنْدُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَفَوْزٌ
وَسُعَادٌ يَهِمْنَ مِنْ غَيْرِ قَصدِ
Hind went out one day with Fawz and Su'ad
Wandering aimlessly, not seeking a destination
يَتَهَادَيْنَ فِي الرِّيَاضِ أَصِيلاً
لاَعِبَاتٍ توَارِكاً كُلَّ جِدِّ
Playing lightheartedly, leaving behind all seriousness
Seeing wonders, as if everything was new
فَرِحَاتٍ يَرَيْنَ مَا أَلِفَتْهُ
كُلُّ عيْنٍ كَحَادِثٍ مُسْتَجَدِّ
It was autumn, the weather at its finest
The sun neither too hot nor too cold
كَانَ فَصْلُ الْخَرِيفِ وَالوَقْتُ أَصْفَى
مَا يَكُونُ اعْتِدَالُ حَرٍّ وَبَرْدِ
Sometimes it appeared as strokes of splendor
Other times scattering petals on the horizon
تَبْعَثُ الشَّمْسُ بَاهِرَاتِ شِعَاعٍ
تَغْتَدِي فِي انْحِدَارِهَا شِبْهَ رُبْدِ
And in the branches an intricate weaving
Of vitality, more radiant than emeralds
فَهْيَ فِي الأُفْقِ تَارَةً مَسَحَاتٌ
مِنْ بَهَارٍ وَتَارَة نَثْرُ وَرْدِ
Hind approached a garden and said
As she fiddled with the gems of her necklace
وَهْيَ بَيْنَ الْغُصُونِ نَسْجٌ دَقِيقٌ
مِنْ نُضَارٍ يَشِفُّ عَنْ لاَزوَرْدِ
“Look my friends, doesn’t it seem
Like a home with many roots and children?”
شَارَفَتْ هِنْدُ رَوْضَةً ثُمَّ قَالَتْ
وَهْيَ تَفْتَر عَنْ جَوَاهِرِ عِقْدِ
“How lovely are these ripe fruits
That every child clings to like a breast”
أُنْظُرَاهَا خَلِيلَتَيَّ أَلَيْسَتْ
شِبْهَ بَيْتٍ كَثِيرِ أَصْلٍ وَوُلْدِ
“And my grandfather is a stubborn old goat
He's always grumbling like my grandfather”
حَبَّذَا هَذِهِ الثَّمَارُ الرضِيعَا
تُ تَعَلَّقْنَ كُلُّ طفِلٍ بِنَهْدِ
They laughed at Hind’s words
And swayed away from idle chatter
وَبِجَدِّي شَيْخٌ مِنْ الدَّوْحِ صُلْبٌ
هُوِ ثَرْثَارَةٌ عَبُوسٌ كَجَدِّي
“How strange this sight was to the friends
Even though it was so familiar”
فَتَضَاحَكْنَ مِنْ مَقَالَةِ هِنْدِ
وَتَمَايَلْنَ عَنْ أَفَانِينَ رَنْدِ
They wandered further left and right
Without feeling any hardship
عَجَباً كَانَ لِلصَّوَاحِبِ مَرَأَى
كُلِّ هَذَا وَكَانَ مَأْلُوفُ عَهْدِ
Their minds free of every worry
Their hearts empty of all passion
فَتَمَادَيْنَ فِي المَسِيرِ يَمِيناً
وَشِمَالاً وَمَا شَعَرْنَ بِكَدِّ
Fawz glimpsed something that delighted her
And gestured to Su'ad and Hind
صَافِيَاتِ الأَفْكَارَِ مِنْ كُلِّ هَمٍّ
خَالِيَاتِ الْقُلُوبِ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْدِ
“What do you think those wild fruits are
Like little suns in the distance?”
لَمَحَتْ فَوْزُ لَمْحَةً أَعْجَبَتْهَا
فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَى سُعَادَ وَهِنْدَ
“They're like oranges but without the peel
That she offers to her beloved as a rose”
مَا تُرَى هَذِهِ الثِّمَارُ الْبَوادِي
كَشُمُوسٍ صَغِيرَةٍ عَنْ بُعْدِ
“We don’t know,” they said. “Help us
If you know what I desire”
هِيَ كَالْبُرْتُقَالِ لَوْلاَ شِفَاهٌ
قدَّمَتْهَا لِلْعُودِ بُغْيَةَ وَردِ
“How wicked if we stole some for ourselves
I'm afraid to do it alone”
قَالَتَا لاَ نَدْرِي فَقَالَتْ أَعَوْناً
مِنْكُمَا إِنْ عَلِمْتُمَا مَا بِوِدِّي
Just then a guard appeared unexpectedly
Like the devil disguised as a servant
حَبَّذَا الإِثْمُ لَوْ لَطُفْنَا إِلَيْهَا
سَارِقَاتٍ أَخَافُ أَفْعَلُ وَحْدِي
They shied away but he greeted them kindly
Though misery shone from his dark complexion
وَإِذَا حَارِس بَدَا مِنْ خَفُاءٍ
كَتَرَائِي الشَّيْطَانِ فِي شَكْلِ عَبْدِ
“Sir guard, tell us who owns this house
It seems a home of glory”
فَتَهَيَّبْنَهُ فَحَيَّا بَشُوشاً
عَنْ وَمِيضٍ فِي حَالِكٍ مُسْوَدِّ
“It's Prince Yusuf’s house,” said the Negro
And they praised him excellently
قُلْنَ يَا حَارِسَ المَكَانِ أَفِدْنَا
لَمِنِ الْبَيْتُ إِنَّهُ بَيْتُ مَجْدِ
They drew back silently, awe-struck
None of them repeated or explained
قَالَ بَيْتُ الأَمِيرِ يُوسُفَ هَذَا
فَحَمِدْنَ الزُّنْجِيَّ أَحْسَنَ حَمْدِ
Sad for their missed chance, longing
Fawz left frustrated and opposed
وَتَرَاجَعْنَ هَيْبَةٌ صَامِتَاتٍ
لَيْسَ مِنْهُنَّ مَنْ تُعِيدُ وَتُبْدِي
Gazing at the setting suns that
Sank away from them like sleepy eyes
آسِفَاتٍ عَلَى مُنىً شَائِقَاتٍ
فُزْنَ مِنْهَا بِخَيْبَةٍ وَبِصَدِّ
Imagining their scent, sweet drink, and taste
Like perfume, honeyed water, syrup
نَاظِرَاتٍ إِلَى الشُّمُوسِ اللَّوَاتِي
ُدْنَ عَنْهَا بِمِثْلِ أَعْيُنِ رُمْدِ
This was their concern - could there still
Be in this state, a chance of happiness?
يَتَصَوَّرْنَهَا عَبِيراً ذَكِيّاً
وَشَرَاباً عَذْباً وَطَعْمَاً كَشُهْدِ
That time was so good before ignorance
Ruined its most beautiful era
كَانَ هَذَا لَهُنَّ هَماً وَهَلْ فِي
حَالَةٍ بَعْدَهُ مَظِنَّةُ سَعْدِ
That day, those fruits were the finest thing
And the prince himself was their lord
نِعْمَ ذَاكَ الزَّمَانٌ كَانَ عَلَى مَا
أَفسَدَ الجَّهلُ فِيهِ أَطيَبَ عَهْدِ
يَومَ تِلكَ الثِّمارُ أَنفَسَ شَيءٍ
عِندَهُم وَالأميرُ فِيهِم أَفَندِي
