1. قال لي: هل تحس حولك رعبا

    وعجاجاً كالنار طار وهبا؟

    He said to me: Do you feel terror around you,

    and swirling dust that flew and surged like fire?

  2. فكأن النجوم شهقات جرحى

    جمدت في محاجر الأفق تعبى

    As though the stars were the gasps of the wounded,

    frozen, weary, in the horizon's eye sockets.

  3. قلت: إن الطريق شب عراكاً

    آدمياً في أجيف الغنم..شب

    I said: The road flared into a brawl,

    a human brawl over the foulest spoils—it flared.

  4. فكأني أشتم في كل شبرٍ

    ميتةً تستثير كلباً.. وكلبا

    So it is as though in every handspan I smell

    carrion rousing dog after dog.

  5. أقوياءٌ تفني الضعاف وتدعو

    خسة الغالبين نصراً وكسبا

    The strong annihilate the weak and call

    the victors' baseness victory and gain.

  6. قال: إنا نبكي الضعيف صريعاً

    ونهني القوي رغباً ورهبا

    He said: We weep for the weak when fallen,

    and congratulate the strong out of desire and fear.

  7. زعم المرء أنه علة الدنيا

    فأشقى ما هب فيها ودبا

    Man claimed he was the reason for the world,

    so he made all that stirred and crawled within it wretched.

  8. واستباح ابنه وأردى أخاه

    وتولى تراث قتلاه غصبا

    He treated his son as fair game and slew his brother,

    and took his victims' inheritance by force.

  9. فكأن الثرى رفات ضحايا

    زورتها السنون طيناً وعشبا

    As though the soil were the remains of victims

    which the years disguised as clay and grass.

  10. قلت: لا توقظ “المعري” فيلقى

    “أم دفرٍ” أغوى خداعاً وأصبى

    I said: Do not wake al-Ma'arri, lest he find

    Umm Dafr more beguiling in deceit and more seductive,

  11. ويرانا أخس من أن يثير الهجو

    أو نستحق نقداً وسبا

    and find us too base to provoke satire

    or deserve criticism and abuse.

  12. لا تذكر “أبا العلا” إن جيل اليو

    م أضرى من جيل أمس وأغبى

    Do not mention Abu al-Ala: today's generation

    is more savage and more foolish than yesterday's.

  13. وهنا قال صاحبي: لا تعامى

    فترى ألمع المحاسن ذنبا

    Here my companion said: Do not blind yourself,

    lest you see the brightest virtues as a sin.

  14. يا أخي: والهوى يصم ويعمي

    كيف ترضى الهوى دليلاً وركبا؟

    My brother—passion deafens and blinds—

    how can you accept passion as your guide and caravan?

  15. فتأمل تجد صراعاً… كريماً

    وصراعاً جم النذالات خبا

    So reflect, and you will find a noble struggle,

    and a treacherous struggle rife with base deeds;

  16. وقتيلاً يغفو ويسهر ثاراً

    وشهيداً يندى سلاماً وحبا

    and one slain, who sleeps yet keeps vigil as vengeance,

    and a martyr dewy with peace and love;

  17. ودماً في الثرى تجمد جمراً

    ودماً في السماء أورق شهبا

    and blood in the soil that congealed into embers,

    and blood in the sky that sprouted shooting stars;

  18. ونفاحاً أخزى هجوماً وترباً

    سمدته الدماء فاخضر خصبا

    and resistance that shamed an assault, and soil

    fertilized by blood, which grew green and fertile.

  19. وذكرنا أنا نسير وأغفى

    جهدنا والطريق ما زال صعبا

    And we remembered we were walking, while sleep had overtaken

    our strength, and the road was still hard.

  20. دربنا كله عجاجٌ وريحٌ

    كفنت جوه رماداً وحصبا

    Our path was all swirling dust and wind

    that shrouded its air in ash and gravel;

  21. وظلام ٌ تأله الشر فيه

    وتمطى شيطانه فتنبا

    and darkness where evil had made itself a god,

    and its devil stretched himself, then claimed prophethood;

  22. وصراع إن أطفأ الضعف حرباً

    شب حقد الرماد حرباً فحربا

    and a struggle where, if weakness quenched one war,

    the ashes' rancor kindled war after war.

  23. كيف نسري؟ وراءنا عاصف يط

    غى، وقدامنا أعاصير نكبا

    How can we travel by night? Behind us a storm runs

    rampant, and before us are calamitous whirlwinds.

  24. يتلهى بخطونا عبث الريحين،

    دفعاً إلى الأمام وجذبا

    The two winds' caprice toys with our steps,

    pushing us forward and pulling us back.

  25. قلت: ليت الممات ينهي خطانا

    قال: ما كل من دعا الموت لبى

    I said: If only death would end our steps.

    He said: Death does not answer everyone who calls.

  26. يا رفيقي: الموت شر… وأدهى

    منه… أنا نريده وهو يأبى

    My companion, death is evil—and more dreadful still

    is that we want it, while it refuses.

  27. قال لي: لا تقف: تقو بزندي

    مضينا نشد بالجنب جنبا

    He said to me: Do not stop; draw strength from my forearm.

    We went on, bracing flank with flank.

  28. واتحدنا جنباً كأنا اختلطنا

    وجمعنا القلبين في الجنب قلبا

    We united as one flank, as though we had merged,

    and joined the two hearts into one heart within that flank.

  29. فاهتدى سيرنا كأنا فرشنا

    لخطانا مباسم الفجر دربا

    So our journey found its way, as though we had spread

    dawn's smiling lips as a path for our steps.

  30. وانتشى جونا انتشاء الندامى

    وأدار النجوم أكواب صهبا

    And our air grew tipsy as drinking companions do,

    and passed the stars around as cups of tawny wine.

  31. يشعل الحب من دجى الأفق فجراً

    يسفح العطر في طريق الأحبا

    Love kindles from the horizon's darkness a dawn

    that spills perfume along the lovers' path.

  32. ونظرنا في الأفق وهو بقايا

    من ظلام محمرة الوجه غضبى

    And we looked into the horizon: it was remnants

    of darkness, red-faced and angry;

  33. وخيال السنى يجرب عينيه

    فيطوي هدباً ويفتح هدبا

    and the phantom of radiance was testing its eyes,

    folding one fringe of lashes and opening another.

  34. وسألنا: فيم التعادي؟ وفيما

    نخضب الليل بالجراحات خضبا؟

    And we asked: Why this mutual enmity? And why

    do we dye the night so deeply with wounds?

  35. ولماذا نجني المنايا… بأيدينا،

    ونرمي الحياة في الترب تربا؟

    And why do we reap deaths with our own hands,

    and cast life into the dust as dust?

  36. والورى أخوة ففيم التعادي؟

    وهو أخزى بدءاً وأشأم عقبى؟

    And humankind are brothers; so why this enmity,

    when it is most shameful at the outset and most ill-omened in the end?

  37. أمنا الأرض “يسعد الأم” أن

    تلقى بنيها صباً يعانق صبا

    Our mother is the earth; it gladdens a mother to

    meet her sons, one lover embracing another.