عَتَبتُ الزمانَ عَسَى يُعْتِبُ

عَتَبتُ الزمانَ عَسَى يُعْتِبُ

فتَجْمعُنا الدارُ أو تَقرُب

فتَجْمعُنا الدارُ أو تَقرُب

I reproached Time, hoping it would make amends,

I reproached time, perhaps it would reproach me,

so one home might unite us, or our homes draw near.

So that our house may reunite us or bring us close,

عسى تنقِضى لوعةٌ في الفؤا

عسى تنقِضى لوعةٌ في الفؤا

د أو تنطفِى جَمْرة تَلْهَب

د أو تنطفِى جَمْرة تَلْهَب

May the anguish in my heart pass away,

Perhaps a grief in the heart may cease,

or a blazing ember be extinguished.

Or a burning coal may be extinguished,

وأَفْرَق من غَمَرات الهموم

وأَفْرَق من غَمَرات الهموم

كما يُنْتَضَى الصَّارم المِقْضَب

كما يُنْتَضَى الصَّارم المِقْضَب

And may I emerge from the depths of care

And I may be rid of the clouds of worries,

as a keen, cutting sword is drawn.

As a sharpened sword is unsheathed.

فأركب للّهوِ خيلَ الشباب

فأركب للّهوِ خيلَ الشباب

وحَوْلىَ من جُنْده مَوكِب

وحَوْلىَ من جُنْده مَوكِب

Then I would mount the steeds of youth for pleasure,

So I may ride the steeds of youth for amusement,

with a retinue from its army around me.

With its army marching around me,

وأُعطِى أَكُفَّ الهوى مِقْوَدِى

وأُعطِى أَكُفَّ الهوى مِقْوَدِى

وأتْبَعُه حيثُما يذهب

وأتْبَعُه حيثُما يذهب

And I would give my rein to Passion's hands,

And I may give the palms of passion the reins,

and follow it wherever it goes.

And follow it wherever it goes,

ولى بالكنيسةِ لا بالكِناسِ

ولى بالكنيسةِ لا بالكِناسِ

رَشاً هابَه الضَّيْغَمُ الأَغْلَب

رَشاً هابَه الضَّيْغَمُ الأَغْلَب

And I have, in the church, not the gazelle's covert,

And to me, the church is not for seclusion,

a fawn whom the mighty, thick-necked lion fears.

Sprinkled with a monastery the most crowded.

يُحكِّم في الأُسْدِ أَلحاظَه

يُحكِّم في الأُسْدِ أَلحاظَه

وتَلْقاهُ من راهبٍ يَرْهَب

وتَلْقاهُ من راهبٍ يَرْهَب

He makes his glances rulers over lions,

It makes its glances the judge over lions,

yet you find in him a monk who fears.

And meets in it a monk who fears,

أفاض القَباطِى على مثِلها

أفاض القَباطِى على مثِلها

ولاقَى به المُذْهَبَ المُذْهَب

ولاقَى به المُذْهَبَ المُذْهَب

He draped Coptic linen over its like,

The Copt lavished upon its like,

and upon him the gilded met the gilded,

And met in it the most dissolving doctrine,

بوجهٍ أَتى بفنونِ الربيعِ

بوجهٍ أَتى بفنونِ الربيعِ

ورَيّاه تصحيفُ ما يُقْلَبُ

ورَيّاه تصحيفُ ما يُقْلَبُ

with a face that brought spring's varied beauties,

With a face that came with the arts of spring,

and his fragrance is 'spring' reversed and re-dotted—ambergris.

And showed it the distortion of what turns,

به الوردُ والآس والأُقْحُوان

به الوردُ والآس والأُقْحُوان

ولكنَّ ناطورَه عَقْرَب

ولكنَّ ناطورَه عَقْرَب

Upon it are roses, myrtle, and chrysanthemums,

With it the roses and myrtles and ponds,

but its watchman is a scorpion,

But its nature is a scorpion.

وأسودُ كالأسودِ المستطيل

وأسودُ كالأسودِ المستطيل

يَلْدَغُ ذاك وذا يَلْسَب

يَلْدَغُ ذاك وذا يَلْسَب

and a black one, like a long black snake:

As black as the outstretched black,

that one stings, and this one bites.

That stings here and bites there,

إذا جال سمُّهُما في الفؤاد

إذا جال سمُّهُما في الفؤاد

فدِرْ ياقُه البارد الأَشْنَب

فدِرْ ياقُه البارد الأَشْنَب

When their venom courses through the heart,

If their poison spreads in the heart,

its antidote is his cool, pearly-toothed mouth.

Then wear its cold shirt.

تُرنِّحُ ريحُ الصَّبا قَدَّه

تُرنِّحُ ريحُ الصَّبا قَدَّه

كغصنٍ بريح الصَّبا يَلْعب

كغصنٍ بريح الصَّبا يَلْعب

The breeze of desire makes his figure sway,

The breeze of morning waves its branches,

like a branch playing in the east wind.

Like a branch playing with the morning breeze,

فتَجْذِب ذاك الخَصيب الجَديب

فتَجْذِب ذاك الخَصيب الجَديب

بعنفٍ وما فيه ما تجْذِب

بعنفٍ وما فيه ما تجْذِب

So it tugs that lush yet barren one

So it pulls that fertile, beautiful one,

fiercely, though there is nothing in him to tug.

Violently, and it has none that it pulls.

عجبتُ لرقة زُنّارِه

عجبتُ لرقة زُنّارِه

ودقةُ ما ضَمَّه أَعْجَبُ

ودقةُ ما ضَمَّه أَعْجَبُ

I marvelled at the fineness of his girdle;

I wondered at the softness of its belt,

and the slenderness of what it encloses is more wondrous still.

And the delicacy of what it concealed surprised me.