ويوم من صَبا آذار حلوٍ

ويوم من صَبا آذار حلوٍ

فقدناه وما بلغ الشبابا

فقدناه وما بلغ الشبابا

And a sweet day of March's east breeze—

One day in the spring of March so sweet

We lost it before it had reached its youth.

We lost him before he reached his youth

تَصَوَّر من حلى النيروز وجها

تَصَوَّر من حلى النيروز وجها

وَجمَّع من زخارفه إهابا

وَجمَّع من زخارفه إهابا

It fashioned itself a face from Nowruz's ornaments,

He imagined the beauty of Niroz's adornments

And pieced together a skin from its decorations.

And gathered their decorations in awe

فَرَاق صباحه صحوا وزهوا

فَرَاق صباحه صحوا وزهوا

ولذَّ ضحاه حاشية وطابا

ولذَّ ضحاه حاشية وطابا

So its morning was lovely in clarity and splendor,

His morning departed healthy and delighted

And its forenoon was sweet in its fringes and pleasant.

And the edges of his days were pleasant

تناثر في البطاح حلى وأوفى

تناثر في البطاح حلى وأوفى

على الآفاق فانتظم الهضابا

على الآفاق فانتظم الهضابا

It scattered as jewels across the plains and rose

Jewels were scattered in the valley and he was true

Above the horizons, then strung the hills together.

To the horizons where the hills were strung

وسالت شمسه في البحر تبرا

وسالت شمسه في البحر تبرا

على مثل الزمرد حين ذابا

على مثل الزمرد حين ذابا

And its sun streamed into the sea as gold,

His sun flowed in the sea as clear

Over an expanse like molten emerald.

As emerald when it melted

كأن نسيمه نفَس العذارى

كأن نسيمه نفَس العذارى

طعمن الشهد أو ذقن الخبايا

طعمن الشهد أو ذقن الخبايا

Its breeze seemed the breath of maidens

As if his breeze was the breath of virgins

Who had eaten honeycomb or tasted hidden delights.

Who tasted honey or sipped the hidden sips

تمناه ابن عباد صبوحا

تمناه ابن عباد صبوحا

إذا حث المزاهر والشرابا

إذا حث المزاهر والشرابا

Ibn Abbad desired it as a morning draught,

Ibn Abbad wished for him in the mornings

When he urged on the lutes and wine.

When he stirred the flowers and drinks

وما قدَّرت أن سيجنّ ظهرا

وما قدَّرت أن سيجنّ ظهرا

ولم تكن القيامة لي حسابا

ولم تكن القيامة لي حسابا

And I had not reckoned it would go mad at noon,

I did not intend he would become an evening

Nor had I reckoned with the Resurrection.

And resurrection was not a reckoning for me

تشعَّث لِمة واغبر وجها

تشعَّث لِمة واغبر وجها

ودلَّى مِشفرا وأفترنابا

ودلَّى مِشفرا وأفترنابا

Its hair grew disheveled, its face dust-gray,

Disheveled, dusty, his face darkened

And it let its thick lip droop and bared a fang.

And his sword dripping, unsheathed

وبدَّل حسن ذاك السمت قبحا

وبدَّل حسن ذاك السمت قبحا

وأصناف النعيم به عذابا

وأصناف النعيم به عذابا

And turned the beauty of that mien to ugliness,

He changed that handsome form to ugliness

And the kinds of bliss within it to torment.

And types of bliss with it to torture

وضج البحر حتى خِيل موسى

وضج البحر حتى خِيل موسى

أتى بعصاه أو فرعون آبا

أتى بعصاه أو فرعون آبا

And the sea roared until it seemed that Moses

The sea roared as if Moses came

Had come with his staff, or Pharaoh had returned.

With his staff or the pharaoh brought his ships

وأبرق في العباب كأن سرا

وأبرق في العباب كأن سرا

بأسطول الجزيرة قد أهابا

بأسطول الجزيرة قد أهابا

And lightning flashed amid the billows, as though a Sir

Lightning flashed in the clouds as if an army

Had summoned the island's fleet.

Of the peninsula marched with their tents

كأن شعاعها في الثلج نار

كأن شعاعها في الثلج نار

لفارس حولها ضربوا القبابا

لفارس حولها ضربوا القبابا

As though the sun's rays amid the snow were a fire

As if its rays amidst the snow were fire

Of Persia, around which they had pitched domed tents;

And horsemen around struck their shelters

أو الحسناء يوم العرس جنَّت

أو الحسناء يوم العرس جنَّت

فمزقتِ الغلائل والنقابا

فمزقتِ الغلائل والنقابا

Or a beauty had gone mad on her wedding day

Or the beautiful bride on her wedding day

And torn her sheer gowns and her veil.

Who tore her veils and face covers

فمن سَحَر السماء فأمطرتنا

فمن سَحَر السماء فأمطرتنا

فكان الدر والذهب الذهابا

فكان الدر والذهب الذهابا

Who, then, bewitched the sky so it rained upon us,

So whoever charmed the sky and rained on us

So pearls and gold became the rain?

Pearls and gold poured down

تروق العين من بيضاء حال

تروق العين من بيضاء حال

كما تَرَّبتَ بالتِبر الكتابا

كما تَرَّبتَ بالتِبر الكتابا

It charms the eye—a white beauty decked in jewels—

The eye delights in his pure state

As you dusted the written page with gold dust.

As the parchment was nurtured by ashes

منادف عسجد ظفرت بقطن

منادف عسجد ظفرت بقطن

فما تألوه ندفا وانتهابا

فما تألوه ندفا وانتهابا

Golden carding bows came upon cotton,

With the cotton it obtained, the spindle was blessed

So they spare no effort in carding and plundering it.

And did not cease twisting and pulling

وقطَّعن الثلوج لكل روض

وقطَّعن الثلوج لكل روض

وكل خميلة منها ثيابا

وكل خميلة منها ثيابا

And from the snow they cut, for every garden

They cut through the snows to every meadow

And every leafy grove, garments.

And every lover's clothes there

فمن صور مجللة فِراء

فمن صور مجللة فِراء

ووِلدان مسربلة جبايا

ووِلدان مسربلة جبايا

So some were figures cloaked in furs,

So whoever fashioned the furs

And boys clothed in robes.

And the young lads robed in burdens