قد أبهجتكَ بنورِها وصباها

قد أبهجتكَ بنورِها وصباها

أيامُ صيفٍ لا يطيبُ سِواها

أيامُ صيفٍ لا يطيبُ سِواها

They have delighted you with their light and east breeze:

The days of a summer whose equal is not sweet

summer days—none but they are sweet.

Have delighted you with their light and morning breeze,

فقلِ السلامُ على ثلاثة أشهرٍ

فقلِ السلامُ على ثلاثة أشهرٍ

ما كان أجملها وما أحلاها

ما كان أجملها وما أحلاها

So say: “Peace upon three months—

So bid farewell to three months that were

how beautiful they were, how sweet!”

The most beautiful and sweetest of them.

فإذا ذكرتُ ضياءَها ونسيمها

فإذا ذكرتُ ضياءَها ونسيمها

وأريجَها وزلالَها ونَداها

وأريجَها وزلالَها ونَداها

And when I recall their radiance and breeze,

When I recall its radiance, breeze,

and their fragrance, their clear waters, and their dew,

And its fragrance, freshness and dew,

ومروجَها وحقولَها وكرومَها

ومروجَها وحقولَها وكرومَها

وطيورَها وظلالَها ورُباها

وطيورَها وظلالَها ورُباها

and their meadows, their fields, and their vineyards,

Its meadows, fields and vineyards,

and their birds, their shade, and their hills,

And its birds, shades and gazelles.

أصبُو إليها ثمّ أبكيها كما

أصبُو إليها ثمّ أبكيها كما

تَبكي السماءُ بطَلّها وحَياها

تَبكي السماءُ بطَلّها وحَياها

I yearn for them, then weep for them, as

I yearn for it, then weep for it as

the sky weeps with its dew and rain.

The sky weeps for its beauty and life.

تلك الطيورُ تفرَّدت وترحَّلت

تلك الطيورُ تفرَّدت وترحَّلت

فالأنس ناء عَنكَ بَعدَ نواها

فالأنس ناء عَنكَ بَعدَ نواها

Those birds have gone their separate ways and departed;

Those birds took off and migrated,

so companionship is far from you since their departure.

So intimacy has fled you after befriending you.

وكذا الأزاهرُ في الرياحِ تناثرت

وكذا الأزاهرُ في الرياحِ تناثرت

تلكَ الأزاهرُ لن تَشُمَّ شَذاها

تلكَ الأزاهرُ لن تَشُمَّ شَذاها

And likewise, the flowers have scattered in the winds;

And so the flowers in the wind scattered,

those flowers—you will not smell their fragrance.

Those flowers whose fragrance you will not smell.

لو كانَ أمٌّ للمَصيفِ بكت على

لو كانَ أمٌّ للمَصيفِ بكت على

أنفاسهِ وتنشَّقت ريّاها

أنفاسهِ وتنشَّقت ريّاها

If summer had a mother, she would weep over

If summer had a mother, she would have wept

its breaths and breathe in their fragrance.

Over its dying breaths and cleft her veins.

فيه الطَّبيعةُ كالعَروسِ تبرّجاً

فيه الطَّبيعةُ كالعَروسِ تبرّجاً

وتزيّناً بثِيابها وحُلاها

وتزيّناً بثِيابها وحُلاها

In it, nature is like a bride, displaying her beauty

In it nature was like a bride primping

and adorning herself with her garments and jewels.

And adorning herself with clothes and jewelry.

والقلبُ مثلُ حَبيبِها مُتَنَعِّماً

والقلبُ مثلُ حَبيبِها مُتَنَعِّماً

بجمالِها مُتَوقّعاً نُعماها

بجمالِها مُتَوقّعاً نُعماها

And the heart is like her lover, reveling

And the heart was like her lover reveling

in her beauty, awaiting her favors.

In her beauty expecting her bounties.

إني مُحِبٌّ للطّبيعةِ عابدٌ

إني مُحِبٌّ للطّبيعةِ عابدٌ

أبداً أدينُ بحُسنِها وهواها

أبداً أدينُ بحُسنِها وهواها

I am a lover of nature, a worshipper;

I am a nature lover and worshipper

forever I profess faith in her beauty and in loving her.

Eternally indebted to its beauty and passion.

جاءَ الخريفُ وفيهِ آخرُ بسمةٍ

جاءَ الخريفُ وفيهِ آخرُ بسمةٍ

من ثغرِ صَيفٍ راحلٍ ألقاها

من ثغرِ صَيفٍ راحلٍ ألقاها

Autumn has come, and in it is the last smile

Autumn came, and in it the last smile

that departing summer offered from its lips.

From the mouth of a departing summer blew it.

هِيَ بَعضُ لَيلاتٍ بَهيَّاتٍ بها

هِيَ بَعضُ لَيلاتٍ بَهيَّاتٍ بها

حيَّا النفوسَ وطالما أحياها

حيَّا النفوسَ وطالما أحياها

It is a few radiant nights, with which

It was some bright nights in which

summer greeted souls—and so often had given them life.

It revived souls and oft gave them life.

يا صاحِ آثارُ المَصِيفِ قَليلةٌ

يا صاحِ آثارُ المَصِيفِ قَليلةٌ

فتمتّعنَّ بطِيبها وسَناها

فتمتّعنَّ بطِيبها وسَناها

O friend, summer's remnants are few;

O friend, summer's traces are few

so delight in their sweetness and radiance.

So delight in its fragrance and radiance.

واملأ فؤادكَ من نَعِيمٍ زائلٍ

واملأ فؤادكَ من نَعِيمٍ زائلٍ

وامنَع جُفونَكَ أن تذوقَ كراها

وامنَع جُفونَكَ أن تذوقَ كراها

And fill your heart with fleeting bliss,

And fill your heart with transient bliss

and keep your eyelids from tasting their slumber.

And prevent your eyelids from tasting its bitterness.

هلا سهرتَ وقَد طربتَ لِليلَةٍ

هلا سهرتَ وقَد طربتَ لِليلَةٍ

قمراءَ تَنفُخُ في الرّياضِ صَباها

قمراءَ تَنفُخُ في الرّياضِ صَباها

Why not keep vigil, already enraptured by a night

Why not stay up as a moonlit night excited you

lit by the moon, whose east breeze blows through the gardens?

Blowing its morning breeze in the gardens.

وذكرت صيفاً قد حلَت أسمارُهُ

وذكرت صيفاً قد حلَت أسمارُهُ

وثِمارُهُ مع غادَةٍ تَهواها

وثِمارُهُ مع غادَةٍ تَهواها

And recall a summer whose evening conversations were sweet,

And recall a summer whose dark fruits ripened

and its fruits too, beside a maiden you love.

With a gazelle that craved them.

فضَمَمتَ قَلبكَ مثلها إن أقبَلَت

فضَمَمتَ قَلبكَ مثلها إن أقبَلَت

ضمّاً تلطَّف خَصرُها وحَشاها

ضمّاً تلطَّف خَصرُها وحَشاها

Then clasp your heart as you would her if she approached,

So you hugged your heart when she drew near

in an embrace in which her waist and bosom grew tender.

A hug that softened her waist and tracks.

ونشَقت حِيناً هبَّةً شَرقيةً

ونشَقت حِيناً هبَّةً شَرقيةً

جاءت تُبرِّدُ مِن حشاكَ لَظاها

جاءت تُبرِّدُ مِن حشاكَ لَظاها

And breathe in, for a while, an easterly gust

And at times an eastern breeze blew

that came to cool her blaze within your breast.

Coming to cool the heat of its ardour.

وهَتَفتَ من ذكرِ المَصيفِ وذكرها

وهَتَفتَ من ذكرِ المَصيفِ وذكرها

ما كان أطيَبَهُ وأطيَبَ فاها

ما كان أطيَبَهُ وأطيَبَ فاها

And exclaim, remembering summer and remembering her:

And you called out in remembrance of summer and her

“How sweet it was, and how sweet her mouth!”

The most aromatic of them and her mouth the sweetest.

يا صَيفُ ما للصَّبِّ بَعدَكَ بهجةٌ

يا صَيفُ ما للصَّبِّ بَعدَكَ بهجةٌ

فالنَّفسُ فِيكَ أمانُها ومُناها

فالنَّفسُ فِيكَ أمانُها ومُناها

O summer, the lover has no joy after you;

O summer, after you the youth has no joy

for in you lie the soul's security and its wishes.

For the soul in you is its refuge and shelter.

عبَرَت لياليكَ الحِسانُ ولم تزَل

عبَرَت لياليكَ الحِسانُ ولم تزَل

صورُ النَّعيمِ تَلوحُ من ذكراها

صورُ النَّعيمِ تَلوحُ من ذكراها

Your beautiful nights have passed, yet still

Your bright nights have passed and visions of bliss

images of bliss shine out from their memory.

Still appear from remembering them.

إنَّ الطّبيعَةَ في الخريفِ مراسلٌ

إنَّ الطّبيعَةَ في الخريفِ مراسلٌ

قامَت تجدّدُ لِلغرامِ صِباها

قامَت تجدّدُ لِلغرامِ صِباها

Nature in autumn is indeed a widow;

Nature in autumn is a messenger

she has set about renewing her youth for love.

Who has risen to renew the passion of her youth.

لاَ عطرَ بعدَ عَرُوسِها فأعِد لَها

لاَ عطرَ بعدَ عَرُوسِها فأعِد لَها

ثوباً جَميلاً منه قد عرّاها

ثوباً جَميلاً منه قد عرّاها

No perfume after her bridegroom; so restore to her

Without the fragrance of his bride so prepare for her

a beautiful robe of which she has been stripped.

A beautiful garment you have stripped off her.