1. أَحَبَّ إِلَهٌ في صِباهُ إِلاهَةً

    جَرى السِحرُ في أَعطافِها وَالتَرائِبِ

    A god in his youth loved a goddess.

    Magic flowed through her curves and bosom.

  2. تَمَنَّت عَلَيهِ آيَةً لَم يَجِئ بِها

    إِلَهٌ سِواهُ في العُصورِ الذَواهِبِ

    She asked of him a miracle never wrought

    By any other god in ages gone by,

  3. لِيُمسي عَلى الأَربابِ أَجمَعَ سَيِّداً

    وَتُمسي تُباهي كُلَّ ذاتِ ذَوائِبِ

    That he might become lord over all the gods,

    And she might boast before every woman with tresses.

  4. وَكانَ إِلَهاً جامِحاً مُتَضَرِّماً

    هَوىً فَأَتى بِالمُعجِزاتِ الغَرائِبِ

    And he was an unbridled god, ablaze

    With love, so he wrought wondrous miracles.

  5. كَسا الأَرضَ بِالزَهرِ البَديعِ لِأَجلِها

    وَرَصَّعَ آفاقَ السَما بِالكَواكِبِ

    He clothed the earth in exquisite blossoms for her sake,

    And studded the horizons of the sky with stars.

  6. وَمازالَ حَتّى عَلَّمَ الطَيرَ ما الهَوى

    فَحَنَّت وَغَنَّت في الذُرى وَالمَناكِبِ

    And he persisted until he taught the birds what love was;

    So they yearned and sang on summits and slopes.

  7. وَأَنشَأَ جَنّاتٍ وَأَجرى جَداوِلاً

    وَمَدَّ المُروجَ الخُضرَ في كُلِّ جانِبِ

    And he made gardens and set streams flowing,

    And spread green meadows on every side.

  8. وَشاءَ فَشاعَ العِطرُ في الماءِ وَالضِيا

    وَفي كُلِّ صَوتٍ أَو صَدىً مُتَجاوِبِ

    And he willed, and fragrance spread through water and light,

    And through every sound or answering echo.

  9. وَمَسَّ الضُحى فَاِرفَضَّ تِبراً عَلى الرُبى

    وَسالَ عَقيقاً في حَواشي السَباسِبِ

    And he touched the morning light, which scattered as gold dust over the hills,

    And flowed as agate along the edges of the open plains.

  10. وَقالَ لِأَحلامِ البِحارِ تَجَسَّدي

    مَواكِبَ أَلوانٍ وَجَيشَ عَجائِبِ

    And he said to the dreams of the seas, 'Take bodily form

    As processions of colors and an army of wonders.'

  11. فَكانَت لَآلٍ في الشُطوطِ وَفي الفَضا

    غُيومٌ وَمَوجٌ ضاحِكٌ في الغَوارِبِ

    So there were pearls on the shores, and in the sky

    Clouds, and waves laughing along their crests.

  12. وَلَمّا رَأى الأَشياءَ أَحسَنَ ما تُرى

    وَتَمَّت لَهُ دُنيا بِغَيرِ مَعايِبِ

    And when he saw things at their fairest,

    And a flawless world was complete for him,

  13. دَعاها إِلَيهِ كَي تُبارِكَ صُنعَهُ

    وَلَم يَدرِ أَنَّ الحُبَّ جَمُّ المَطالِبِ

    He called her to him to bless his handiwork,

    And did not know that love is full of demands.

  14. فَقالَت لَهُ أَحسَنتَ أَحسَنتَ مُبدِعاً

    فَيا لَكَ رَبّاً عَبقَرِيَّ المَواهِبِ

    Then she said to him, 'Well done! Well done, creator!

    What a brilliantly gifted god you are!

  15. وَلَكِنَّ لي أُمنِيَةً ما تَحَقَّقَت

    إِذا لَم تُنِلنيها فَما أَنتَ صاحِبي

    But I have a wish still unfulfilled;

    If you do not grant it to me, you are not my companion.

  16. فَدُنياكَ هَذي عَلى حُسنِها

    وَسِحرِ مَشاهِدِها وَالصُوَر

    As for this world of yours, despite its beauty

    And the enchantment of its scenes and images,

  17. تُشارِكُني سائِرُ الآلِهاتِ

    لَذاذاتِها وَنِساءُ البَشَر

    All the other goddesses share with me

    Its delights, as do human women.

  18. أُريدُ دُنيا فيها شُعاعٌ

    يَبقى إِذا غابَتِ النُجوم

    I want a world with a ray of light

    That remains when the stars have vanished.

  19. أُريدُ دُنيا تُحِسُّ نَفسي

    فيها نُفوساً بِلا جُسوم

    I want a world where my soul senses

    Souls within it, without bodies.

  20. أُريدُ خَمراً بِلا كُؤوسٍ

    مِن غَيرِ ما تُنبِتُ الكُروم

    I want wine without cups,

    Not from what the vines produce.

  21. أُريدُ عِطراً بِلا زُهورٍ

    يَسري وَإِن لَم يَكُن نَسيم

    I want fragrance without flowers,

    That spreads even if there is no breeze.'

  22. وَزادَت فَقالَت أُريدُ أَنيناً

    يُشَوِّشُ روحي وَلا مُحتَضَر

    And she added, saying, 'I want a moan

    That disturbs my soul, with no one dying;

  23. وَماءً يَموجُ وَلا جَدوَلٌ

    وَناراً بِلا حَطَبٍ تَستَعِر

    And water that surges, with no stream,

    And fire that blazes without firewood.'

  24. فَأَطرَقَ ذاكَ الإِلَهُ الفَتِيُّ

    وَفي نَفسِهِ أَلَمٌ مُستَتِر

    Then that young god bowed his head,

    And in his soul lay a hidden pain.

  25. وَقالَ اِمهِليني ثَلاثَ لَيالٍ

    أُذَلِّلُ فيها المُرادَ العَسِر

    And he said, 'Give me three nights;

    In them I shall make the difficult wish attainable.'

  26. وَراحَ يَجوبُ رِحابَ الفَضاءِ

    يَحدوهُ شَوقٌ وَيَدعوهُ سِر

    And he set out roaming the expanses of space;

    Longing spurred him, and a mystery called him.

  27. فَسالَ مَعَ الشَمسِ فَوقَ الرُبى

    وَغَلغَلَ في الحِندِسِ المُعتَكِر

    So he flowed with the sun over the hills,

    And delved into dense, pitch-black darkness.

  28. وَأَصغى إِلى نَسَماتِ المُروجِ

    وَأَصغى إِلى نَفَحاتِ الزَهَر

    And listened to the breezes of the meadows,

    And listened to the flowers' fragrant breaths.

  29. وَبَعدَ ثَلاثِ لَيالٍ أَتاها

    فَظَنَّتهُ جاءَ لِكَي يَعتَذِر

    And after three nights he came to her;

    So she thought he had come to apologize.

  30. فَقالَ وَجَدتُ الَّذي تَطلُبينَ

    لَدى شاعِرٍ ساحِرٍ مُبتَكِر

    Then he said, 'I have found what you seek

    With a spellbinding, inventive poet.'

  31. وَأَخرَجَ خَيطاً قَصيرَ المَدى

    بِلَونِ التُرابِ وَلينِ الشَعَر

    And he drew out a short length of thread,

    Earth-colored and soft as hair.

  32. فَلَمّا رَأَتهُ عَراها الأَسى

    وَغَوَّرَ إيمانِها وَاِندَثَر

    Then, when she saw it, sorrow overtook her,

    And her faith sank away and vanished.

  33. فَصاحَت بِغَيظٍ أَتَسخَرُ مِنّي

    إِذَن فَاِحمِلِ العارَ أَو فَاِنتَحِر

    She cried in anger, 'Are you making fun of me?

    Then bear the shame, or kill yourself!'

  34. أَجابَ رُوَيدَكِ يا رَبَّتي

    فَما في التَعَجُّلِ إِلّا الضَرَر

    He answered, 'Patience, my goddess;

    For there is nothing in haste but harm.'

  35. وَشَدَّ إِلى آلَةٍ خَيطَهُ

    وَدَغدَغَهُ صامِتاً في حَذَر

    And he fastened his thread to an instrument,

    And tickled it silently, with care.

  36. فَفاضَت خُمورٌ وَسالَت دُموعٌ

    وَشَعَّث بُروقٌ وَلاحَت صُوَر

    Then wines overflowed and tears flowed,

    And lightning flashed, and images appeared.

  37. فَصاحَت بِهِ وَهيَ مَدهوشَةٌ

    أَلا إِنَّ ذا عالَمٌ مُختَصَر

    Then she cried to him, astonished,

    'Indeed, this is a world in miniature!

  38. فَيا لَيتَ شِعرِيَ ماذا يُسَمّى

    فَقالَ لَها إِنَّ هَذا الوَتَر

    Oh, if only I knew what it is called!'

    Then he said to her, 'This is the string.'