1. يا غَادِياتِ السُّحْبِ لا تتَجاوزِي

    بالسَّقْيِ دُولابَ القُمَيْعيّاتِ

    O morning clouds, do not pass over

    the waterwheel of al-Qumayʿiyyāt in your watering.

  2. سَقياً يَفِي بحقُوقِ مَاضِي عَيْشِنَا

    فِيهِ ويُسْلفُنَا حُقُوقَ الآتِي

    A watering that pays the dues of our bygone life

    there, and advances us the dues of what is to come.

  3. لمْ أنْسَ أيَّاماً جَنيتُ مُبكِّراً

    ثَمَرَ المُنَى فِيها ولا لَيلاتِ

    I have not forgotten days—I gathered early

    the fruit of wishes in them—nor the nights.

  4. رَوْضٌ كَمَا فُرِشَتْ مَطَارفُ سُنْدُسٍ

    تذكُو عَليهِ نَواجِمُ الزَّهْراتِ

    A garden, as though bordered mantles of fine silk lay spread,

    with emerging blossoms glowing upon it.

  5. يَسَتوقِفُ الأَبْصَارَ بينَ شقيقةٍ

    حَمْراءَ ياقُوتيةِ الوَرَقاتِ

    It holds the gaze between an anemone

    red, with ruby petals,

  6. وَعَرَارةٍ صَفْراءَ أنْهَتْ صَقْلَهَا

    شَمْسُ الضُّحَى ذَهَبِيَةِ الصَّفَحَاتِ

    and a yellow oxeye whose polish was perfected

    by the morning sun, its surfaces golden.

  7. لا شَيءَ أَبهَجُ منْظَراً مِن صَحْوِهِ

    والشَّمسُ فيهِ صقيلةُ المرآةِ

    Nothing is lovelier to behold than its clear weather,

    with the sun there a mirror polished bright.

  8. ومتَى أَغَامَ أَراكَ بُرْداً أدْكَناً

    بِسَنَا البُرُوقِ مُطَرَّزَ الصَّنَفَاتِ

    And whenever it clouds over, it shows you a dusky cloak,

    its borders embroidered with the gleam of lightning.

  9. تُعدِي على حَرِّ القُلُوبِ بِبَردِها

    نَسَمَاتُهُ مِسْكيَّةُ النَّفحَاتِ

    They counter the heat of hearts with their coolness—

    its breezes, with musk-scented wafts.

  10. أَلِفَتْ بَلابِلُهُ الصَّفيرَ فَرَدَّ ذا

    ما قَالَ ذَاكَ تَسَابُبَ الجَاراتِ

    Its nightingales grew used to whistling, so this one answered

    what that one said, like women neighbors trading insults.

  11. وتَنَاوحَتْ فِيهِ الحَمامُ كما تَدَا

    وَلَتِ اليهُودُ قراءَةَ التَّوراةِ

    And the doves lamented there, as

    the Jews took turns reading the Torah.

  12. لا تَفْقدُ الآذَانُ في مَنْجُورِهِ

    نَغَمَ الرَّبَابِ وضَجَّةَ النَّايَاتِ

    At its water-lifting pulley, ears never lack

    the melody of the rebab and the clamor of reed flutes.

  13. والمَاءُ تُرْسِلُهُ جَدَاولُهُ كَمَا

    جَارَيْتَ بينَ الخَيْلِ في الحَلَبَاتِ

    And its channels send the water flowing, as

    you set horses racing against each other on the courses.

  14. والنخْلُ مِثلُ عَرائِسٍ ذَهبيَّةِ الْ

    أنْدَاءِ فَيْرُوزيّةِ الوَفَرَاتِ

    And the palms are like brides with golden

    dew and turquoise tresses.

  15. وزَهَتْ عَنَاقِدُ كَرْمِهِ لَمَّا غَدَتْ

    بِنَواظِرِ الأورَاقِ ملتحِفَاتِ

    And its vineyard's clusters grew resplendent when they became

    cloaked in the leaves' eyes.

  16. تبْدو فتستُرِها كما وَاريتَ في

    خُضْرِ البَرَاقِعِ أوْجُهَ الفَتَيَاتِ

    They appear, then the leaves conceal them, as you veiled in

    green face-veils the faces of young women.

  17. وخَريدَةٍ ألْحَاظُهَا يُسْرِعْنَ في

    قتلِ النُّفُوسِ بَطِيئَةِ الحَرَكَاتِ

    And a secluded maiden, whose glances hasten to

    slay souls, though her movements are slow.

  18. بَانيَّةِ الأعطَافِ كثبانيّةِ الْ

    أَرْدَافِ هارُوتِيَّةِ النَّظَراتِ

    Bān-tree-like in her limbs, dune-like in her

    hips, Hārūt-like in her glances.

  19. قَبَّلتُها فَنَقَعْتُ حَرَّ جَوَانِحِي

    بألَذَّ من شَهْدٍ بِماءِ فُرَاتِ

    I kissed her and quenched the heat within my ribs

    with something sweeter than honey mingled with sweet water.

  20. قالَتْ وقد أنْكرتُ ما فَعَلَتْهُ بِي

    ألْحَاظُها وأنَا الأَبيُّ العَاتِي

    She said, when I objected to what had been done to me

    by her glances, though I am proud and defiant,

  21. هَزَلاً تُدَاعِبُني بِهِ ومَنِيَّتي

    في الهَزْلِ مِنْ هَاتِيكُمُ الكَلِمَاتِ

    in jest, teasing me with it—yet my death

    lay in the jest of those words:

  22. كَمْ من جَليدٍ أضْجَعَتْهُ لحِينِهِ

    شَرْوَاكَ ألْحَاظُ الجَُنَيْبيّاتِ

    “How many a hardy man has been laid low to his doom,

    like you, by the glances of the Junaybiyyāt!”

  23. أوْقاتُ لَذَّاتٍ مَضَتْ فَسَقَى الحَيا

    ما فَاتَ من هاتِيكُمُ الأوقَاتِ

    Times of delight have passed; so may the rain water

    what has gone of those times.

  24. لا شَيءَ أوجَعُ للحَشَا وأمَضُّ مِنْ

    عَيشٍ مَضَتْ لمُضيِّهِ لَذَّاتِي

    Nothing is more painful to the heart, or more piercing, than

    a life with whose passing my pleasures passed.

  25. ذَهبَتْ بَشَاشَتُهُ وبَاتَ شَجاهُ لِي

    في الحَلقِ بينَ تَرائِبِي ولَهَاتِي

    Its gladness has gone, and its choking sorrow remains for me

    in my throat, between my upper chest bones and my uvula.

  26. أَتُرَى اللَّيالِي المُقبِلاتِ تُعيدُهُ

    هَيهَاتَ مِنْ هَذاكُمُ هَيْهَاتِ

    Do you think the nights to come will bring it back?

    Far beyond reach is that—far beyond reach!