أقبل يحدو الخصب في إقباله

أقبل يحدو الخصب في إقباله

والرعد يحدو الورق من جماله

والرعد يحدو الورق من جماله

It came, urging fertility onward as it advanced,

The fertility strides forth in its advance

and thunder drove the gray ones among its camels onward,

And the thunder strides the leaves in their beauty

بمنطق أبدع في ارتجاله

بمنطق أبدع في ارتجاله

كأنه في ثقل انتقاله

كأنه في ثقل انتقاله

with speech it brilliantly improvised.

With eloquence he created in his improvisation

As though, in its ponderous passage,

As if in the weight of his transition

تجله الريح عن استعجاله

تجله الريح عن استعجاله

إلا بما تجذب من أذياله

إلا بما تجذب من أذياله

the wind revered it too much to hurry it,

The wind reveals it from its haste

save by tugging at its trailing skirts.

Except by what it pulls from its trails

دنا من الترب على استقباله

دنا من الترب على استقباله

كأنما نسأله عن حاله

كأنما نسأله عن حاله

It drew near the earth, facing it,

It approached the soil in reception

as though we were asking how it fared.

As if we ask it about its state

والزهر قد أصغى إلى مقاله

والزهر قد أصغى إلى مقاله

وكاد أن ينهض لاستقباله

وكاد أن ينهض لاستقباله

And the blossoms had lent an ear to its words,

And the flowers leaned in to its saying

and almost risen to welcome it.

And nearly got up to receive it

فجاد بالريق من زلاله

فجاد بالريق من زلاله

حتى لقال الترب من تهطاله

حتى لقال الترب من تهطاله

Then it lavished spittle from its limpid water,

So it gave freely from its clarity

until, at its downpour, the earth would surely have said:

Until the soil met it from its downpour

إن سجلا لي على سجاله

إن سجلا لي على سجاله

“Indeed, a bucketful of mine surpasses its bucketfuls.”

That I have registered it in its register