بمنحى من مراقبة العيون

بمنحى من مراقبة العيون

 و منأى عن متابعة الظنون

و منأى عن متابعة الظنون

Far from the scrutiny of eyes,

With a gesture of observing eyes

Hidden away from prying eyes,

And beyond the pursuit of suspicions,

And remoteness from following suspicions

And far removed from following suspicions,

و في ظل النخيل حطام عش

و في ظل النخيل حطام عش

 تلفع بالأزاهر و الغصون

تلفع بالأزاهر و الغصون

And in the shade of palms lie a nest's remains,

And in the shade of palm trees, remnants of a nest

In the palm trees' shade lies a ruined nest,

Wrapped in blossoms and branches.

Adorned with flowers and branches

Cloaked in blossoms and boughs.

ترحل طائراه فبارت خلوا

ترحل طائراه فبارت خلوا

 عميق الحزن متصل السكون

عميق الحزن متصل السكون

Its two birds departed, leaving it barren and empty,

Its birds departed, so it became empty

Its birds have departed, leaving it desolate,

Deep in sorrow, endlessly still.

Profoundly sad, continuously still

Deep in sorrow, continuous in silence.

يكاد نسيجه عشبا وزهرا

يكاد نسيجه عشبا وزهرا

 يبوح بما يسر من  الأنين

يبوح بما يسر من الأنين

Its weave of grass and flowers almost

Its fabric almost grass and flowers

Its woven grass and flowers almost

Reveals the moaning it keeps concealed.

Whispering with what grief it could

Reveal the secret moans they hide.

يحن إلى الجداول و الروابي

يحن إلى الجداول و الروابي

 و ضاكة السهول و الحزون

و ضاكة السهول و الحزون

It yearns for the streams and hills,

Yearning for brooks and meadows

It yearns for the streams and the hills,

And the smiling plains and rugged lands.

And the plains’ serenity and sorrows

And the laughing plains and rugged lands.

لقد ذهب الذي سلاه عنها

لقد ذهب الذي سلاه عنها

 فعاد إلى التشوق و الحنين

فعاد إلى التشوق و الحنين

What distracted it from them has indeed gone,

He who entertained it has left

For the one who consoled it has gone,

So it returned to yearning and longing.

So it returned to longing and pining

So it returned to yearning and nostalgia.

كأن العش حين خلا و أقوى

كأن العش حين خلا و أقوى

 و متا به صدى النغم الحنون

و متا به صدى النغم الحنون

As though the nest, once empty and deserted,

As if when the nest emptied and grew still

As if the nest, empty and desolate,

With the echo of tender melody dead within it,

And the melodious cooing in it died

With the echo of tender melodies dead inside,

غدير جف غاربه و ماتت

غدير جف غاربه و ماتت

 أغاني موجه المرح المعين

أغاني موجه المرح المعين

Were a pool whose surface had dried, where dead lay

A pond dried up, its water disappeared

Is a pool whose surface has dried,

The songs of its merry, flowing waves.

And the songs of its playful waves died

And the songs of its merry, clear waves have died.

كأن قشاشة أوتار عود

كأن قشاشة أوتار عود

 مكفنة بها جثث اللحون

مكفنة بها جثث اللحون

As though the straw were the strings of a lute,

As if the strings of a lute

As if its straws are lute strings,

In which the corpses of melodies lay shrouded.

Wrapped in them, the corpses of melodies

In which the corpses of tunes are shrouded.

و أبدل من ظعين قد تولى

و أبدل من ظعين قد تولى

 بما لم يسله حب الظعين

بما لم يسله حب الظعين

And in place of a traveler who had departed, it was given

And instead of the twitter that once took over

And instead of the traveler who turned away,

What could not make it forget its love for the traveler.

Came what did not ask about the twitterer

It is left with a love that brings no solace.

إذا متع النهار أوت إليه

إذا متع النهار أوت إليه

 ظلال النخل ناعسة الجفون

ظلال النخل ناعسة الجفون

When day rises high, there seek shelter

When the day ends, it comes to it

When the day grows tall, there seek shelter within it

The palm-trees' shadows, drowsy-lidded.

The drowsy shadows of palm trees

The shadows of palms with heavy, sleepy lids.

و يطرقه شعاع النجم  و هنا

و يطرقه شعاع النجم و هنا

 و ضوء البدر حينا بعد حين

و ضوء البدر حينا بعد حين

And a star's ray visits it here,

And the rays of stars visit it here and there

And the star's ray visits it in the deep night,

And the full moon's light, from time to time,

And moonlight from time to time

And the light of the full moon, time after time.

طروق الذكريات فؤاد صب

طروق الذكريات فؤاد صب

 كثير الشجو منقطع الوتين

كثير الشجو منقطع الوتين

As memories visit a lover's heart,

Memories visit the heart of a passionate lover

Like memories visiting the heart of a lover,

Full of sorrow, its life-artery severed.

Full of lament, disjointed

Full of grief, with a severed heart-vein.

تمر به النسائم هامسات

تمر به النسائم هامسات

 فتنشر فيه عطر الياسمين

فتنشر فيه عطر الياسمين

Breezes pass by it, whispering,

Breezes pass by it whispering

The breezes pass by it, whispering,

Then spread the scent of jasmine within it,

Spreading in it the scent of jasmine

Spreading within it the scent of jasmine.

و توقظ في جوانبه الأغاني

و توقظ في جوانبه الأغاني

 عذاب الجرس فاتنة الرنين

عذاب الجرس فاتنة الرنين

And awaken songs in its recesses,

And awakening within its sides, songs

Awakening songs within its corners,

Sweet-toned, enchanting in their resonance.

The torment of the tuned ringing

Sweet in tone, enchanting in resonance.

و كم غمرته أنفاس الخزامى

و كم غمرته أنفاس الخزامى

 قد امتزجت بدمع ندي هتون

قد امتزجت بدمع ندي هتون

And how often lavender's breaths have bathed it,

And how much the breaths of the decaying corpse

How often the breath of lavender overwhelmed it,

Already mingled with dewy, streaming tears.

Mixed with the tears of the submissive, calm

Mingled with dewy, pouring tears.

و ربة وحشة تأوي إليه

و ربة وحشة تأوي إليه

 إذا أوت الطيور إلى الوكون

إذا أوت الطيور إلى الوكون

And often loneliness takes refuge in it,

And a lonely she-beast takes shelter in it

And a mistress of loneliness seeks refuge there,

When birds take refuge in their roosts.

When the birds go back to their nests

When birds seek shelter in their roosts.

ليشبهني مثل حالي

ليشبهني مثل حالي

 و شأن في الغرام حكى شؤون

و شأن في الغرام حكى شؤون

It surely resembles me, a likeness of my plight,

It resembles me in my current state

It resembles me, mirroring my state,

And a plight in love that mirrored other plights.

And my affair in love told tales

And a plight in love that tells of many plights.

فقلبي لا يزال قرين شجو

فقلبي لا يزال قرين شجو

 متى هفت القلوب إلى قرين

متى هفت القلوب إلى قرين

For my heart remains sorrow's companion,

So my heart is still a companion of lament

For my heart remains a companion of sorrow,

Whenever hearts flutter toward a companion.

Whenever hearts incline toward a companion

Whenever hearts flutter toward a companion.

إذا الأحلام زرن عيون غيري

إذا الأحلام زرن عيون غيري

 تزور العبرة الحرى عيوني

تزور العبرة الحرى عيوني

When dreams visit eyes other than mine,

When dreams visit others' eyes

When dreams visit the eyes of others,

The burning tear visits my eyes.

Sorrow visits my free eyes

Burning tears visit my eyes.

يكاد العش إن هتفت صدوح

يكاد العش إن هتفت صدوح

 يبادلها غناء شج حزين

يبادلها غناء شج حزين

The nest, if a songbird sings out, almost

The nest, if it coos, almost

The nest almost, if a songbird calls,

Answers her with a plaintive, mournful song.

Returns it a singing, sad lament

Exchanges with it a sad, melodic song.

و ليل نام سامره اكتئابا

و ليل نام سامره اكتئابا

 أثار له الخفي من الشجون

أثار له الخفي من الشجون

And a night whose companion slept in dejection

And a night that fell asleep gloomily

And a night whose companion slept in depression,

Stirred for it the sorrows hidden away,

Stirred for it the hidden of sorrows

Stirred up for him hidden griefs.

و أذكره ليالي ذاهبات

و أذكره ليالي ذاهبات

 فغص من الكآبة بالدجون

فغص من الكآبة بالدجون

And reminded it of nights gone by,

And I recall passing nights

And reminded him of nights gone by,

So, from melancholy, it choked on darkness.

So I was choked by gloom and darkness

Choking on melancholy in the darkness.