ليْل ٌ حِجابُك ِ.. حولَ وجْهِكِ قدْ سَجا

فعَجِبْتُ إذ ْ جُمِعَ الضياءُ مع الدُّجى

Your veil is a night.. surrounding your face that has faded

So I was amazed when brightness was combined with darkness

جَلسا معا ً : ليلٌ وصُبْحٌ مُشمِسٌ

فكأن ّ بَدْرا ً بالظلام ِ تبَرَّجا..!

Sitting together: a night and a sunny dawn

As if a full moon dressed up in darkness..!

ومَشَتْ.. فقلت ُ: ربابَة ٌ تمشي على

صدري .. فحُقّ لخافقي أنْ يَهْزِجا..!

She walked away.. So I said: a gazelle walking on

my chest.. So it’s right for my throbbing heart to tremble..!

وتَثاقَلتْ في الخطو ِ تفتعِل ُ الضَّنى

فودَدْتُ لو كانتْ ضلوعي هَوْدَجا

She walked heavily, pretending to be sad

I wished my ribs were a cradle

لاصَقتها خطوي ... وأجْلسَنا معا ً

حظٌّ مكانا ً في " الشبيكة" مُسْرَجا

To attach her steps to them... And let us sit together

Luckily taking “al-Shabaika” as a furnished place

فاسْتنْفَرَتْ مني بقايا عاشق ٍ

قدْ كان يوما ً بالهُيام ِ مُضرَّجا

So remnants of a lover were alerted in me

Who once was smeared with passions

واسْتَنْطقتْني فِتْنَة ٌ وحْشِيّة ٌ

ألفَيْتُ قلبي نحْوَها مُسْتَدْرَجا

And a savage charm examined me

I found my heart inclined toward it, allured

نشَرَتْ سَحابَة َ عِطْرِها فتنفّسَتْ

روحي عبيرا ً يسْتبيحُ ذوي الحِجا

She spread the cloud of her perfume and breathed in

My soul an aroma that excites those in the Hijab

مرّتْ لُحَيْظات ٌ .. وكلٌّ يَرْتجي

مِنْ صَمْتِه ِ نحوَ التحَدُّث ِ مَخْرَجا

Moments passed.. each one hoping

From his silence toward speaking an exit

حَيّيْتُها ... وزَعَمْتُ أني تائِه ٌ

ضلَّ الطريقَ وقدْ أضاعَ المُرتجى

I greeted her... And claimed that I was a wanderer

Who lost the way and missed what he sought

ردّتْ بمِثْلِ تحيّتي ... لكنّها

زادَتْ عليها رِقّة ً وتغَنُّجا

She replied with the like of my greeting... But she

Added more gentleness and coquetry

ضَحِكتْ وشعّ العُشبُ في أحداقِها

حتى ظننْتُ الليلَ حقلا ً مُبْهِجا

She laughed and the grass shone in her orbits

I thought the night was a gladdening field

واسْتَظْرفَتْ آها ً يُخالِط ُجَمْرَها

ماءٌ وهَمْسا ً كادَ أنْ يتَهَدَّجا

And she snorted a sigh mixing its embers

With water and a whisper that almost melted

سألَ الغريبُ غريبة ً قالتْ وقدْ

لثغَتْ ب " راءِ " فم ٍ أذابَ وأثلجا:

The stranger asked the strange woman, she said stuttering

The “r” in a mouth that melted and froze:

جئنا إلى حجّ ٍ.. وأوشكَ جَمْعُنا

عَوْدا ً... فقدْ شدَّ الركابَ وأرْتجا

We came on a pilgrimage.. and our group is about

To return.. So the riders tightened and prepared

أزِفَ الرّحيلُ إلى "الشآم ِ" فأهلنا

قدْ هيّأوا زادا ً لنا وبنَفْسَجا

The departure is close to “Damascus” so our family

Prepared supplies and naphthalene for us

فأجَبْتُها وفمي يكادُ يَفِرُّ منْ

وجهي ليسْكنَ ثغرَها المُتأرِّجا

So I replied and my mouth was almost escaping

From my face to reside on her trembling lip:

شاميّة ٌ ؟ مَلَكَ القلوبَ جمالُكم

وكم اسْتذلّ مُكابِرا ً ومُدَجَّجا

You, people of Damascus, your beauty has conquered hearts

And many stubborn and armed were humiliated

ما بيننا قُربى الفرات ِ وجيرَة ٌ

وجذورُ أنْساب وغُرْبَة ُمَنْ شجا

Between us is kinship of the Euphrates and neighborhood

And ancestry roots and strangeness of those who were cloven

للجار ِ حق ٌّ لو عَلِمْت ِ ومثلُه ُ

حقُّ القرابة ِ فلتصوني المنهجا

The neighbor has a right, If you know, and the like of it

Is the kinship right so keep me guided

فّتَوَهّجَ التُفّاحُ في وَجَناتِها

خجّلا ًفزادَ من الجمال توهُّجا

The apples shone in her cheek out of shyness

Increasing the beauty with shining

واهْتزّ عصفوران تحتَ عباءةٍ

عبثتْ بها ريحُ الصَّبا فترَجْرَجا

Two doves fluttered under a cloak

That the morning breeze played with making them jerk

وعلى مرايا الجيدِ فرْطَ نعومةٍ

نظري إلى النَحْرالمضيء تدحرجا

And over the mirrors of the neck an excess of smoothness My sight rolled down the shining neck

She veiled.. I think she has veiled

زَمّتْ عباءتها ... وأحسبُ أنها

زَمّتْ على عينيَّ جفنا ً أهْوَجا

A coerced eyelid on my eyes

The shirt slit was fastened and she lowered

واسْتَحْكمَتْ شِقَّ القميصِ وأسْدلتْ

شالا ً بلون المقلتين ِ مُزجَّجا

A scarf with the color of the twin radiances dazzled

She Said: and the dawn was starting to rise:

قالت وكان الفجرُ بِدْءَ طلوعِه ِ:

بغد ٍسنرحلُ قبل ميعاد ِ الدُُّجى

Tomorrow we’ll leave before the time of duskiness

So visit Damascus land where my clan is

فاطْرقْ بلادَ الشام ِحيث ُ عشيرتي

وأبي إذا كنتُ المُنى والمُرتجى

And my father if you were the wish and the sought

Visit us a night and a morn

عَرِّجْ علينا ليلة ً وصبيحة ً

وارجعْ بقلبي لا يديّ مُتوَّجا

And return with my heart crowned

Or if you were joking know: my carnation

أو كنت تلهو فاعْلمَنَّ : قرُنْفلي

يغدو إذا شِئتَ الغِواية َ عَوْسَجا

Can be, if you want seduction, unkempt

And the scent of the rose of my garden will be

ويصيرُ لفحا ً نفحُ ورد ِ حديقتي

ونسيمُ شطآني لظىً مُتأجِّجا

A flaming touch, raging

Visit, you’ll find welcome and a loving home

عَرِّجْ تجِدْ أهلا ً وبيتَ محبّة ٍ

قدْ فازَ مَنْ رامَ الحبيبَ فعَرّجا

Who sought the beloved succeeded when he visited