يا حُلْوتي لو كُنْتِ غازَلْتِني
قَبْلَ مَشِيبي لَرَأَيْتِ العُجابْ!
O my sweetness, had you flirted with me
Before my hair turned white, you would have seen wonders!
لكُنتِ أَفْضَيْتِ إلى نَشْوَةٍ
تُنْسِكِ بالبَهْجَةِ نَهْجَ الصوابْ!
I would have surrendered to ecstasy
That would have guided me to the path of righteousness!
فإِنَّني كُنْتُ الفتى عارِماً
يَفْتَرِعُ الذُّرْوَةَ رَغْمَ الصِّعابْ!
For I was a raging young man
Who seized the peak despite difficulties!
عُروقُهُ تَحْوى دَماً لاهِباً
يَجْري بِها مُكْتَسِحاً كلَّ بابْ!
His veins contained fiery blood
That flowed through them conquering every door!
يالَ شَبابي مِن لَظًى مُحْرِقٍ
أَذْهَلَني.. أَذْهَلَ كُلَّ الكِعابْ!
Oh my youth, with burning ardency
That dazzled me.. dazzled all cowards!
قُلْنَ وقد شاهَدْنَهُ عَاصِفاً
ماذا بِهِ؟! يا سِحْرَ هذا الشَّبابْ!
Tell me, after seeing him raging
What was he like?! The magic of this youth!
ورُحْنَ يَحْلَمْنَ بِحُلْوِ الرُّؤى
بِه.. ويُكْثِرْنَ عليه الطِّلابْ!
And they dreamed of the sweetness of visions
Of him.. and multiplied their wishes for him!
وهو قَرِيرٌ بالهَوى جارِحاً
أَفْئِدَةَ الغِيدِ.. كماضِي الحِرابْ!
While he flirted mischievously
Ravaging the hearts of maidens.. like the speed of swords!
تَعِيْثُ في أَحْشائِهنُ المُنى
وهُنَّ يَسْعَدْنَ بِهذا العذابْ!
He sowed bliss in their bosoms
And they were happy with this torment!
أَحْلى المُنى كانَ مِنْها النَّوى
بُشْرى بِوَصْلِ حافِلٍ بالثَّوابْ!
The sweetest bliss was their intention
Of good tidings of a fulfilling union!
قالتْ وقد رَاوَدَني طَيْفُها
من صَحْوَتي بَيْنَ عَدِيدِ الصِّحابْ!
She said to me when her apparition seduced me
From my sobriety among many friends!
وهي التي تَسْحَرُ أَعْيُنَ النُّهى
وهي التي تَخْطُرُ فَوْقَ السَّحابْ!
She who enchants the eyes of modesty
She who hovers above the clouds!
ماذا؟! ألا تَعْرِفُ أنِّي التي
مِن دُونِ كُلِّ الفاتِناتِ اللُّبابْ؟!
What?! Do you not know that I am she
Beyond all the elegant ladies?!
ما لَكَ عَنِّي هكذا مُعْرِضٌ؟!
والنَّاسُ. كلُّ النَّاسِ مِنِّي غِضابْ؟!
Why do you spurn me so?!
And people, all people are angry with me?!
كأَنَّني الشَّهْدُ حَلا صَافِياً
فاجْتَمعُوا مِن حَوْلِهِ كالذُّبابْ!
It is as if I were pure, limpid honey
And they gathered around me like flies!
يَشْكُونَ مِنِّي الصَّدَّ لكِنَّني
أَرْخَيْتُ –فانْجابُوا صَفيقَ الحِجابْ!
They complain of my aloofness, but I
Loosened - so they buzzed behind the veil!
لم أَحْتَفِلْ إلا بِمُرِّ الهَوى
هَواكَ هذا.. بَعْدَ عَذْبِ الشَّرابْ!
I did not celebrate except the bitterness of love
Your love.. after the sweetness of the drink!
فاصْدَعْ بِحُبِّي إنَّني جَدْوَلٌ
صافٍ. وأَخْدانكَ مِثْلُ السَّرابْ!
So proclaim your love, I am a brook
Clear. And your expectations are like mirages!
قُلْتُ لها يا حُلْوَتي. يا جَنى
رَوْضٍ نَضِيرٍ.. أَنْتِ مِثْلُ الشِّهابْ!
I said to her, O my sweetness, O delight
Of a meadow.. you are like a shooting star!
مُسْتَعْلِياً من أُفُقٍ شاهقٍ
مُنْتَشِياً بالحُسْنِ غَضِّ الإِهابْ!
Rising high from a lofty horizon
Spreading beauty, removing the veil!
من خُيَلاءٍ يَسْتَوِي لاهِياً..
بالشَّجْوِ.. ما لِلشَّجْوِ إلاَّ التَّبابْ!
With arrogance, equal in vanity..
With passion.. for passion only brings confusion!
وما لَهُ غَيْرُ النَّوى والقِلا..
وما لَهُ غَيْرُ ضَنًى واكْتِئابْ!
It has nothing but longing and nightly whispers..
It has nothing but grief and melancholy!
ولَسْتُ مِن هذا الذُّبابِ الذي
أَشْقَيْتِهِ.. عَرَّضْتِهِ لِلْخَرابْ!
And I am not one of those flies
Whom you have made wretched.. brought to ruin!
أَمْسى عَمِيّاً ما يَرى دَرْبَهُ..
كيف؟! وقد خَيَّمَ فيه الضَّبابْ؟!
Who have become blind, unable to see their path..
How?! When the fog has descended upon them?!
فلا ذَهاباً يَرْتَجي سالِماً
وما لَهُ عِنْدَكِ حُسْنُ المآبْ!
So there is no safe return they hope for
And they have no grace with you!
دَعِي فُؤادِي. إنَّهُ قانِعٌ
بِحَظِّهِ مِن زَيْنَبٍ والرَّبابْ!
Leave my heart be. It is content
With its share of Zainab and Rabab!
هُما. وسِرْبٌ ناعِمٌ يَشْتَهي
هَوايَ.. قد يُخْطِىءُ فيه الحِسابُ!
They, and a soft flock that desires
My love.. the count may err in it!
وأَنْتِ.. قد يَغْدو الذُّبابُ الذي
صَدَدْتِهِ.. يُقْذِيهِ مِنْكِ الرُّضابُ!
While you.. the flies you repelled
May one day sting you.. the slap!
فَلْتَحْذَرِيهِ.. رُبَّ مُسْتَوْحِشٍ
يَنْهشُ في جِسْمِكِ نَهْشَ الذِّئابْ!
So beware of them.. for many a lonely one
Can gnaw your body with the bite of wolves!
أَخْشى احْتِراقي من شِهابٍ
يرى ما تَحْتَهُ إلا الهَشيمَ المُذابْ
I fear burning by a shooting star
That sees beneath it only molten debris!
بَكَتْ.. ولكِنِّي ارْتَضَيْتُ الطَّوى
عن شِبَعٍ يُلصِقُني بالتُّرابْ
She wept.. but I chose patience
Over satiation that would stick me to the dust
أوَّاهِ مِن شَيْخُوخَةٍ لاتَني
تَجْعَلُ مِنِّي الشَّدْوَ مِثْلَ النُّعابْ!
Oh what decrepitude has afflicted me
That makes my voice like the croaking of crows!
كُنْتُ هِزاراً شادِياً.. مُطْرِبا
وعُدْتُ مِنْها ناعِقاً كالغُرابْ!
I was playful and joyous.. delightful
And I became from it a squawker like the raven!
لو كُنْتُ مِثْلَ الأَمْسِ ما شَفَّنِي
حُسْنٌ. ولا أَثْخَنَ رُوحي الضِّرابْ!
If I were like yesterday, beauty would not have healed me
Nor would the blow have pierced my soul!
ولم أَكُنْ أُغْضِي إذا مَسَّني
مِن العوادي جَنَفٌ أَوْ سِبابْ!
I would not frown if adversity touched me
Whether insult or abuse!
لكِنَّهُ الدَّهْرُ.. ويا وَيْلَتا..
مِنْه فقد أَوْجَعَني بالمُصابْ!
But it is time.. and woe is me..
From it I have been pained with affliction!
ولَيْسَ لي إلا اصْطِبارِي على
سِرْدابِهِ المُظْلِمِ بَعْد القِيابْ!
I have nothing left but to be patient with
Its dark tunnel after burial!
تَبارَكَ اللهُ.. فَكَم ضَيِّقٍ
نَأْلَفُهُ بَعْد وَسِيع الرِّحابْ!
Blessed is God.. for how narrow
Is what we grow accustomed to after spaciousness!
لَيْسَ عُجاباً أُلْفَتِي لِلأَسى
وهو ضجيعي.. فالنُّفُور العُجابْ!
It is no wonder I grew accustomed to sorrow
While it is my companion.. aversion is wonder!
هذا أَنا. إِنِّي أَلِفْتُ الضَّنى
بعد الغِلابِ التَّمِّ. بعد الوِثابْ!
This is me. I have become familiar with grief
After the complete victory. After the leap!
