لَيَالي الصيف في كَبْرِي

لَيَالي الصيف في كَبْرِي

أم الفتنةُ في البحرِ

أم الفتنةُ في البحرِ

Summer nights in Capri—

The summer nights in my youth,

Or enchantment in the sea?

Are they the seductress in the sea,

وجنِّيَّاتُ بحرِ الرُّوم

وجنِّيَّاتُ بحرِ الرُّوم

أم دُنيا من السِّحْرِ

أم دُنيا من السِّحْرِ

And the fairies of the Mediterranean—

Or the jinniyas of the Roman Sea,

Or a world of magic?

Or a world of magic,

على شطٍّ من الأَحْلَا

على شطٍّ من الأَحْلَا

مِ والأنغامِ والزَّهْرِ

مِ والأنغامِ والزَّهْرِ

Upon a shore of dreams,

On a shore of dreams, melodies and flowers,

And melodies and flowers,

Its air breathed fragrance

تَنَفَّسَ جَوُّهُ عطرًا

تَنَفَّسَ جَوُّهُ عطرًا

يُفَضِّضهُ سَنَا البَدْرِ

يُفَضِّضهُ سَنَا البَدْرِ

Its air breathed fragrance,

Sifted by the radiance of the full moon.

The full moon's radiance silvers it;

The scent of oranges therein,

أريجُ البرتقال بهِ

أريجُ البرتقال بهِ

ونَفْحُ العنَبِ النَّضْرِ

ونَفْحُ العنَبِ النَّضْرِ

In it is the fragrance of oranges,

And the aroma of the green grapes,

And the wafting scent of fresh grapes.

Or the amorous goddesses between the waves and rocks

أم الآلهةُ العشَّاقُ بيـ

أم الآلهةُ العشَّاقُ بيـ

ـن الموجِ والصخرِ

ـن الموجِ والصخرِ

Or the gods in love, between

Making merry under a sail

The waves and the rocks,

Bearing damsels of hair.

أهلُّوا تحت أشْرِعَةٍ

أهلُّوا تحت أشْرِعَةٍ

تُقِلُّ عَرَائِسَ الشِّعْرِ

تُقِلُّ عَرَائِسَ الشِّعْرِ

Appeared beneath sails

Delights of beauty and light,

Bearing the brides of poetry,

And some light like wine.

نَشاوى الحسن والنُّورِ

نَشاوى الحسن والنُّورِ

وبعضُ النُّورِ كالخمرِ

وبعضُ النُّورِ كالخمرِ

Drunk on beauty and light—

A lover with a burning heart sighed when he saw them,

And some light is like wine.

And passed his life in grief,

تَنَهَّدَ حينَ أْبْصَرَهُمْ

تَنَهَّدَ حينَ أْبْصَرَهُمْ

مُحِبٌّ مُوغَرُ الصَّدْرِ

مُحِبٌّ مُوغَرُ الصَّدْرِ

He sighed when he beheld them—

Deprivation, and estrangement,

A lover with a rancor-filled breast,

With breaths that illuminate the horizon with the embers of a volcano.

أَقَامَ الدَّهْرَ مَوْتُورًا

أَقَامَ الدَّهْرَ مَوْتُورًا

من الحِرْمَانِ والْهَجْرِ

من الحِرْمَانِ والْهَجْرِ

Who had lived through the ages, aggrieved

We visited him in the night

By deprivation and abandonment,

And bade him farewell at dawn,

بأَنْفَاسٍ تُضِيءُ الأُفـ

بأَنْفَاسٍ تُضِيءُ الأُفـ

ـقَ بركانيَّةِ الجمرِ

ـقَ بركانيَّةِ الجمرِ

With breaths that light the horizon,

But no eye closed for him

Volcanic in their glowing embers.

That assaults the stars with panic,

قَصَدناهُ على الليلِ

قَصَدناهُ على الليلِ

وَجُزْنَاهُ مع الفجرِ

وَجُزْنَاهُ مع الفجرِ

We sought him by night,

And the waves around him fled in fear

And passed him at dawn;

And returned to their caves.

فَلَمْ تَغْمضْ لَهُ عَيْنٌ

فَلَمْ تَغْمضْ لَهُ عَيْنٌ

تُصيبُ النَّجْمَ بالذُّعْرِ

تُصيبُ النَّجْمَ بالذُّعْرِ

And no eye of his closed,

They said: the appointed time has come

Striking the stars with terror.

Or vengeance is proclaimed.

وباتَ الموجُ في فرٍّ

وباتَ الموجُ في فرٍّ

حواليْهِ، وفي كرِّ

حواليْهِ، وفي كرِّ

And all night the waves retreated

So we returned the way we came

Around him, and surged back.

From experience to experience,

فقالوا: قَدْ دَنَا الموعـ

فقالوا: قَدْ دَنَا الموعـ

ـدُ أو آذن بالثأْرِ

ـدُ أو آذن بالثأْرِ

Then they said, “The appointed hour draws near,

And in the rock’s interior we hewed

Or he has announced vengeance.”

A corridor of sulfur.

فَعُدْنَا مثلَمَا جِئنَا

فَعُدْنَا مثلَمَا جِئنَا

من العِبْرِ إلى العِبْرِ

من العِبْرِ إلى العِبْرِ

So we returned just as we had come,

Our boat sailed in its sleepy waters

From shore to shore;

Like the course of mysteries.

ويَمَّمنَا بجوفِ الصَّخرِ

ويَمَّمنَا بجوفِ الصَّخرِ

دهليزًا مِنَ التِّبْرِ

دهليزًا مِنَ التِّبْرِ

And deep within the rock we sought

Lights of varied hues encircled us,

A passageway of gold.

Rings of pearls.

سَرَى زورقُنا في ما

سَرَى زورقُنا في ما

ئِهِ الغافي سُرَى السِّرِّ

ئِهِ الغافي سُرَى السِّرِّ

Our skiff glided through its

Azure, golden, green, and red,

Sleeping water, as a secret glides.

As if the sun when she saw

تَرَامَى حَوْلَنَا الأَضْوَا

تَرَامَى حَوْلَنَا الأَضْوَا

ءُ أطواقًا من الدُّرِّ

ءُ أطواقًا من الدُّرِّ

Lights spread all around us

Her loved one first time

In necklaces of pearls,

Bedecked her with jewels, then was shy

فمن زُرْقٍ، إلى صُفْرٍ،

فمن زُرْقٍ، إلى صُفْرٍ،

إلى خُضْرٍ، إلى حُمْرِ

إلى خُضْرٍ، إلى حُمْرِ

From blue to yellow,

Before the eyes of men on land,

To green, to red.

So she came to him veiled

كأَنَّ الشَّمْسَ حينَ رَأَتْ

كأَنَّ الشَّمْسَ حينَ رَأَتْ

صِبَاهَا أوَّلَ الدَّهْرِ

صِبَاهَا أوَّلَ الدَّهْرِ

As though the sun, when she saw

Sweeping on her current,

Her youth at the dawn of time,

And cast off her braids on the rock.

زَهَاهَا العُرْيُ فاستَحْيَتْ

زَهَاهَا العُرْيُ فاستَحْيَتْ

عيونُ الناسِ في البَرِّ

عيونُ الناسِ في البَرِّ

Was elated by nakedness, abashing

Then a tooth of time betrayed her,

The eyes of the people on land,

And she slept, all unwary!

فَجاءَتْهُ محجَّبَةً

فَجاءَتْهُ محجَّبَةً

على تيَّارِهِ تَسْرِي

على تيَّارِهِ تَسْرِي

Then came to it veiled,

Gliding along its current,

ونضَّتْ من غلائِلِهَا

ونضَّتْ من غلائِلِهَا

وألقتْها على الصَّخْرِ

وألقتْها على الصَّخْرِ

And shed some of her gauzy robes,

And cast them upon the rock;

وخانَت عَيْنَهَا سِنَةٌ

وخانَت عَيْنَهَا سِنَةٌ

فنامت، وهي لا تَدري!

فنامت، وهي لا تَدري!

And drowsiness betrayed her eye,

So she slept, unaware!