وَصَقيلَةِ الأَنوارِ تَلوي عِطفَها

وَصَقيلَةِ الأَنوارِ تَلوي عِطفَها

ريحٌ تَلُفُّ فُروعُها مِعطارُ

ريحٌ تَلُفُّ فُروعُها مِعطارُ

And a tree with gleaming blossoms, its flank bent

The polish of lights winds its arm,

By a fragrant wind that its branches enfold.

A breeze wraps its branches fragrantly.

عاطى بِها الصَهباءَ أَحوى أَحوَرٌ

عاطى بِها الصَهباءَ أَحوى أَحوَرٌ

سَحّابُ أَذيالِ السُرى سَحّارُ

سَحّابُ أَذيالِ السُرى سَحّارُ

Beside it a dark-lipped, dark-eyed one shared the tawny wine,

It gave the gray dawn a more beautiful dawn,

Trailing the skirts of night travel—a spellbinder.

Clouds, trains of fates, a conjurer.

وَالنورُ عِقدٌ وَالغُصونُ سَوالِفٌ

وَالنورُ عِقدٌ وَالغُصونُ سَوالِفٌ

وَالجِذعُ زَندٌ وَالخَليجُ سِوارُ

وَالجِذعُ زَندٌ وَالخَليجُ سِوارُ

And the blossoms are a necklace, and the boughs are necks;

The light is a necklace and the branches tales,

And the trunk is a forearm, and the channel a bracelet.

The trunk, a belt and the bay, a bracelet.

بِحَديقَةٍ ظَلَّ اللِمى ظِلّاً بِها

بِحَديقَةٍ ظَلَّ اللِمى ظِلّاً بِها

وَتَطَلَّعَت شَنَباً بِها الأَنوارُ

وَتَطَلَّعَت شَنَباً بِها الأَنوارُ

In a garden where the duskiness of lips lingered as shade,

In a garden, the shade of palms cast a shadow,

And the blossoms peeped out there as the pearly gleam of teeth.

And the lights gazed at it through palm leaves.

رَقَصَ القَضيبُ بِها وَقَد شَرِبَ الثَرى

رَقَصَ القَضيبُ بِها وَقَد شَرِبَ الثَرى

وَشَدا الحَمامُ وَصَفَّقَ التَيّارُ

وَشَدا الحَمامُ وَصَفَّقَ التَيّارُ

The slender branch danced there, while the soil had drunk;

The rod danced in it, and the ground drank,

And the doves sang, and the current clapped.

The doves lined up and the currents clapped.

غَنّاءَ أَلحَفَ عِطفَها الوَرَقُ النَدي

غَنّاءَ أَلحَفَ عِطفَها الوَرَقُ النَدي

وَاِلتَفَّ في جَنَباتِها النُوّارُ

وَاِلتَفَّ في جَنَباتِها النُوّارُ

Lush, its flank was cloaked by dewy leaves,

The singing leaves wound its arm, the flexible stalks,

And blossoms clustered along its sides.

And the illuminations curled up at its sides.

فَتَطَلَّعَت في كُلِّ مَوقِعِ لَحظَةٍ

فَتَطَلَّعَت في كُلِّ مَوقِعِ لَحظَةٍ

مِن كُلِّ غُصنٍ صَفحَةٌ وَعِذارُ

مِن كُلِّ غُصنٍ صَفحَةٌ وَعِذارُ

So wherever a glance fell, there peeped forth

It looked from every vantage point, every moment

From every bough, a cheek and a line of beard.

Like pages and flowers from each branch.