تذكَرتُ الزهور فذكَّرتْني

تذكَرتُ الزهور فذكَّرتْني

بَيانِي والجُمَيّلَ والشَّبابا

بَيانِي والجُمَيّلَ والشَّبابا

I remembered Al-Zuhur ('The Flowers'), and it reminded me

I was reminded of flowers, so they reminded me

of my eloquence, al-Jumayyil, and youth.

Of my eloquence, beauty, and youth

ثلاثٌ كنَّ من نعم الليالي

ثلاثٌ كنَّ من نعم الليالي

غدونَ اليوم يأساً واغترابا

غدونَ اليوم يأساً واغترابا

Three things once among the nights' blessings

Three things that were the blessings of nights

have become, today, despair and estrangement.

Today they have become despair and estrangement

أخٌ في مصر بادلني ولاءً

أخٌ في مصر بادلني ولاءً

صفا كطباعه معنىً وطابا

صفا كطباعه معنىً وطابا

A brother in Egypt reciprocated my loyalty,

A brother in Egypt reciprocated loyalty

pure and sweet in essence, like his nature.

With sincerity like his nature, meaning and goodness

إذا جَمَعَتْ لنا الأيامُ شملاً

إذا جَمَعَتْ لنا الأيامُ شملاً

بلغنا بالزهورِ منىً عِذابا

بلغنا بالزهورِ منىً عِذابا

Whenever the days brought us together,

If days gather us together again

through Al-Zuhur we attained sweet wishes.

We will attain, through flowers, the object of desire

وقد ذَهَب الشبابُ فكان أَنَّا

وقد ذَهَب الشبابُ فكان أَنَّا

تبدّلْنَا من الشَّيبِ الخضَابا

تبدّلْنَا من الشَّيبِ الخضَابا

And youth had gone, and so it was that we

And youth has gone, so it was as if

exchanged gray hair for dye.

We changed from gray hair to dye

كذبتُ به على نفسي بنفسي

كذبتُ به على نفسي بنفسي

مخافةَ أن تقول الغيدُ شابا

مخافةَ أن تقول الغيدُ شابا

With it I myself lied to myself,

I lied to myself about it with myself

for fear the graceful women would say, 'He has gone gray.'

Fearing that time would say "a youth"

إذا استرسلتَ كرهاً في مجازٍ

إذا استرسلتَ كرهاً في مجازٍ

فخُذْ بالوهم واتَّرِكِ الصوابا

فخُذْ بالوهم واتَّرِكِ الصوابا

If you reluctantly give yourself over to metaphor,

If you ramble reluctantly in metaphors

then cling to illusion and leave the truth behind.

Take fiction and leave truthfulness