1. يا نسيم الريح يهفو سحراً

    ولسان البرق يحدو المطرا

    O breeze of wind, wafting before dawn,

    and lightning's tongue, singing the rain onward—

  2. نبّها نوم الرّبا من نومه

    فانثنى ينفض أذيال الكرا

    you roused the hills' sleeper from his sleep;

    he stirred, shaking off the trailing skirts of slumber.

  3. وأعادا روحه مذ سكبا

    ماء ورد المزن في مسك الثرا

    You restored his spirit when you poured

    the rain clouds' rosewater into the musk of earth.

  4. أودعاه نفحة ضنَّ بها

    فأذاعا عنه ما قد سترا

    You placed within it a fragrance it had hoarded,

    then spread abroad what it had concealed.

  5. أبلغا عني أخاً خَلَّفتُهُ

    بتلمسان سلاماً عطرا

    Convey from me, you two, to a brother I left

    in Tlemcen, a fragrant greeting.

  6. وأعلما أنّي مذ فارقتُهُ

    لم أجد في بينه مصطبرا

    And tell him that, since I parted from him,

    I have found no endurance in separation from him.

  7. كيف أسلوه ومن آثاره

    مُلَحٌ تملأ نفسي أثرا

    How can I forget him, when among his legacies

    are delights whose imprint fills my soul:

  8. أدب غضٌّ وخط رائق

    وعفاف وندى قد بهرا

    fresh literary refinement and elegant handwriting,

    and chastity and generosity that have dazzled.

  9. كم لنا من ساعة أُنسيةٍ

    نجتليها أُصُلاً أو بُكُرا

    How many hours of companionship we had,

    savoring them in late afternoon or early morning!

  10. ورياض قد هتكنا سَجفَهَا

    فاجتلينا نهراً أو زهرا

    And how many gardens whose curtains we tore aside,

    beholding a stream or flowers!

  11. أودِعَت من كلِّ شيء حسن

    فأنالت كلّ قلب وطرا

    They were endowed with every lovely thing,

    and granted every heart its desire.

  12. بين ورد هام في وجنته

    نرجسٌ يسرق منه النظرا

    Among roses, enamored of their cheeks,

    a narcissus steals glances at them;

  13. وأفاح رشفت ريقته

    قضبُ الروض فمالت سَكرا

    and it spread fragrance; its nectar was sipped

    by the garden's boughs, which swayed drunkenly.

  14. وأزاهير ترى من طلِّها

    حببا قد قلَّدته دررا

    And flowers—in their dew you see

    beads hung about them like pearls.

  15. نظمته المزن في أغصانها

    وسرت ريح الصِّبا فانتثرا

    The rain clouds strung them on their branches;

    the wind of youth passed, and they scattered.

  16. يا له من منظر أفقدني

    بَينُهُ العَينَ وأبقى الأثرا

    Ah, what a sight! Parting from it robbed me

    of its presence, leaving only its imprint.

  17. أذكرتني أُنسَهُ قمريةٌ

    ذكرت وجداً فناحت سحرا

    A turtledove reminded me of that companionship;

    remembering longing, she lamented before dawn.

  18. أشبهت غافية غانية

    قد شدت صوتاً وهزت وترا

    She resembled a dozing beauty

    who had sung a song and set a string trembling.

  19. يا لذاك العيش لولا أنه

    كان في مدته مختصرا

    Ah, that life—except that

    its duration was so brief!

  20. طمست معناه في إبَّانه

    فُرقَةٌ دبَّت إليه الخمرا

    Its essence was effaced in its prime

    by separation, which crept upon it under cover.

  21. وكذا الأيام لا أمن لها

    مرة صفواً وأخرى كدرا

    Such are the days: they cannot be trusted,

    clear one moment, murky the next.

  22. هي كالخمرة تبدو حبباً

    أول الدن وتخفي شررا

    They are like wine, showing bubbles

    at the wine jar's mouth, while concealing sparks.

  23. أيها النازح لكن خاطري

    راكب في الصبر عنه الخطرا

    O distant one—yet my heart

    courts danger in trying to endure your absence.

  24. أنت أسنى الناس عندي موقعاً

    عرف العاذل ذا أم أنكرا

    Of all people, you stand highest in my esteem,

    whether the reproacher admits this or denies it.

  25. والذي قد طلع الصبحُ له

    ليس يبغي بعد ذاك القمرا

    And he for whom the dawn has risen

    does not seek the moon after that.

  26. ليت شعري كيف أنسى بعدما

    عاد معروفُ التداني منكرا

    I wish I knew how I could forget, now that

    familiar closeness has grown strange.

  27. قُبِّحَ البينُ فما أفجعه

    كم محب بحبيب وترا

    Cursed be separation—how grievous it is!

    How many lovers has it bereaved of a beloved!

  28. غرني إطراقُهُ من قبلها

    وهو قد كمّن فيه الغِيَرَا

    Its downcast gaze deceived me before that,

    though it had hidden calamities within itself.

  29. ورأى للأنس عندي صوراً

    فانبرى يمسح تلك الصّورا

    And it saw my images of companionship,

    so it set about erasing those images.

  30. واعظٌ بالحال ما أنصحه

    فتأملهُ تعاين عِبَرَا

    A preacher through circumstance—how sound its counsel!

    So contemplate it, and you will witness lessons.

  31. هو جمع لفراق أبداً

    زُمَراً يدني لينئي زمرا

    It is always a gathering for parting:

    it draws groups near, only to send groups far away.

  32. ولقد قال وقد عاتبته

    سل يجري كلّ ما قد قدرا

    And it said, when I reproached it:

    "Ask; all that has been decreed comes to pass.

  33. سلّم الأمر لمن قدره

    سوف يجري كلّ ما قد قدرا

    Entrust the matter to the One who decreed it;

    all that has been decreed will come to pass."

  34. لا ومن قدرتُهُ نافذةٌ

    ما فؤادي بعدكم مصطبرا

    No, by Him whose power prevails,

    my heart cannot endure in your absence.