1. رن رَن أَلو مركزَ القَل

    ب قَلب ذاكَ الوَجيعِ

    Ring, ring—hello, heart exchange,

    the heart of that suffering man.

  2. أَلا يَزالُ مُقيماً

    ما بَينَ تِلكَ الضُلوعِ

    Does it not still dwell

    between those ribs?

  3. رن رَن أَلو لي حَديثٌ

    مَع الفُؤادِ طَويلُ

    Ring, ring—hello, I have a conversation

    with the heart—a long one.

  4. رَحَلتُ عَنهُ زَماناً

    حَتّى بَلاني الرَحيلُ

    I left it for a time,

    until departure wore me down.

  5. وَجِئتُ أَشكو إِلَيهِ

    سَقمي وَذَرفَ دُموعي

    And I came to complain to it

    of my sickness and the shedding of my tears.

  6. رن رَن أَلو ذاكَ صوتٌ

    سَمِعتُه مِن قَديمِ

    Ring, ring—hello, that is a voice

    I heard long ago.

  7. تُرى أَصَوتُ عَذابي

    تَرودُ فيهِ هُمومي

    I wonder—is it the voice of my torment,

    in which my worries roam,

  8. أَم تِلكَ أَسرابُ حُبّي

    قَد آذَنت بِالرجوعِ

    or are those the flocks of my love

    that have announced their return?

  9. ماذا تُريدُ وَمَن أَن

    تَ يا أَليفَ البُكاءِ

    What do you want, and who are

    you, O companion of weeping?

  10. أَما اِكتَفَيتُ شَقاءً

    حَتّى تَزيدَ شَقائي

    Have I not had enough misery,

    that you should add to my misery?

  11. أَزعَجتَ حلميَ لمّا

    أَفَقتَني من هُجوعي

    You disturbed my dream when

    you woke me from my slumber.

  12. لَقَد شَعَرتُ بِأَنّي

    أَمسُّ ذِكرى قَديمَه

    I truly felt that I

    was touching an old memory,

  13. ذِكرى الشُجونِ وَكانَت

    في جانِبَيَّ مُقيمَه

    a memory of sorrows that had

    dwelt within my sides.

  14. فَفي كَلامِك رَمزٌ

    لمحنَتي وَوُلوعي

    For in your words is a hint

    of my ordeal and my ardor.

  15. أَنا سَميرُ العَذارى

    وَقد نَكثت عُهودي

    I am the maidens' companion by night,

    and I have broken my vows.

  16. أَنا هزارٌ وَقلبُ ال

    شَبابِ يَهوى نَشيدي

    I am a nightingale, and the heart of

    youth loves my song.

  17. أَنا نُجوم اللَيالي

    أَنا زهور الرَبيعِ

    I am the stars of the nights,

    I am the flowers of spring.

  18. أَنا رَبابُ المُحبي

    ن في يَدَي داودِ

    I am the lovers' rebab

    in David's hands;

  19. سرٌّ خَفِيٌّ ثَوى في

    ضَمير هذا الوُجودِ

    a hidden secret that dwelt in

    the conscience of this existence;

  20. وَمعبدٌ لِلهَوى أَن

    جمُ الظَلامِ شُموعي

    and a temple to love; the stars

    of darkness are my candles.

  21. فَمُنذُ تُهتُ وَحيداً

    وَقَد تَرَكتُك وَحدك

    For since I wandered lost, alone,

    and had left you alone,

  22. ذُقتُ المَرارَةَ صرفاً

    وَما تَحَمَّلتُ بُعدك

    I have tasted bitterness unmixed,

    and could not bear your absence.

  23. وَالآنَ عدتُ لعلّي

    أَرى جَمالَ رُبوعي

    And now I have returned; perhaps I shall

    see the beauty of my haunts.

  24. تَعالَ نَشدو أَمامَ ال

    هَوى نَشيدَ الحَياةِ

    Come, let us sing before

    love the song of life.

  25. تَعالَ نُشعِلُ زَيتَ ال

    غَرامِ بِالزفراتِ

    Come, let us kindle the oil of

    passion with sighs.

  26. تَعالَ نَسقي اَزاهي

    رَ حُبّنا بِالدُموعِ

    Come, let us water the flowers

    of our love with tears.

  27. تَعالَ أَو لا فَدَعني

    أَمصُّ عَذبَ رضابك

    Come—or no, then let me

    suck your sweet saliva.

  28. يكادُ عَهدُ شَبابي

    يَمضي كَعَهدِ شَبابِك

    The season of my youth is about

    to pass, like the season of yours;

  29. وَلا يَزالُ رَضيعاً

    فَيا لَهُ من رَضيعِ

    yet it remains an infant—

    and what an infant it is!

  30. تَعالَ نفغرُ أَجرا

    حَنا أَمامَ السَماءِ

    Come, let us open our wounds wide

    before the sky.

  31. تَعالَ نَشرَبُ كاس ال

    ضَنا مَع التعساءِ

    Come, let us drink the cup of

    affliction with the wretched.

  32. إِنَّ العَذابَ حياةُ ال

    عَظيمِ مجدُ الرَفيعِ

    Indeed, suffering is the life of

    the great, the glory of the exalted.

  33. تَعالَ نَعزِفُ أَنغا

    مَنا عَلى الأَوتارِ

    Come, let us play our melodies

    upon the strings.

  34. وَلا نَكُن كسوانا

    خُرساً عَن الأَشعارِ

    And let us not be like others,

    mute when it comes to poetry.

  35. فَجذوةُ الشِعرِ دوماً

    تَعيشُ في الموجوعِ

    For the ember of poetry always

    lives in the one who suffers.

  36. علامَ أَشعر بِالجو

    عِ يَأكلُ اللَحمَ مِنّي

    Why do I feel hunger

    gnawing the flesh from me,

  37. وَلم أَرَ العَطفَ يَدنو

    مِن بَعدِ ذاكَ التَجَنّي

    and have not seen compassion draw near

    after that injustice?

  38. رُحماكَ يا طَيف حُبّي

    لَقَد بَلانيَ جوعي

    Have mercy, O phantom of my love!

    Indeed, my hunger has worn me down.

  39. أَسرع إِلَيَّ وَبادِر

    بِاللَهِ أَسرع إِلَيّا

    Hurry to me, make haste!

    For God's sake, hurry to me!

  40. جارَت دَقائِقُ نَومي

    وَقَد تَوالَت عَليّا

    The minutes of my sleep have been cruel,

    and have come upon me one after another.

  41. فَلَيسَ لي من شَفيقٍ

    وَلَيسَ لي من شَفيعِ

    For I have no one who cares,

    and I have no intercessor.

  42. أَمسَيتُ بَعدَكَ يا حُب

    بُ بارِداً كَالقبورِ

    Without you, O Love, I have grown

    cold as the graves.

  43. تحيطُ بي حشراتٌ

    تدبُّ في ديجوري

    Insects surround me,

    crawling in my deep darkness,

  44. وَما هنالِكَ إِلّا

    رُموزُ شَيءٍ فَظيعِ

    and there is nothing there but

    signs of something dreadful.

  45. تَعالَ يا نور ماضِيَّ

    يا حياةَ الفُؤادِ

    Come, O light of my past,

    O life of the heart,

  46. وَاِسكُب ضِياءَكَ صِرفاً

    عَلى شَديدِ سَوادي

    and pour your radiance undiluted

    upon my profound darkness.

  47. حُبّي رَجعتُ إِلَيهِ

    وَما أُحيلى رُجوعي

    I have returned to my love,

    and how sweet my return!