ولهان ذو خافق رقّت حواشيه

ولهان ذو خافق رقّت حواشيه

يصبو فتنشره الذكرى وتطويه

يصبو فتنشره الذكرى وتطويه

Lovelorn, with a beating heart whose edges have grown tender,

With fluttering wings,

He yearns; memory unfolds him and folds him up.

Memory pours it and folds it.

كأنّه وهو فوق الغصن مضطرب

كأنّه وهو فوق الغصن مضطرب

قلب المشوق وقد جدّ الهوى فيه

قلب المشوق وقد جدّ الهوى فيه

As though he, trembling upon the bough, were

As if it, while fluttering above the branch,

The heart of a longing lover, with passion grown fierce within.

Is the throbbing heart that passion has ignited in it.

رأى الربيع وقد أودى الخريف به

رأى الربيع وقد أودى الخريف به

بين الطيور كميت بين أهليه

بين الطيور كميت بين أهليه

He saw spring, which autumn had laid to waste,

It saw spring after autumn had destroyed it,

Among the birds, like a dead man among his kin.

Among the birds, like a corpse among its family.

فراح يرسلها أنّات محتضر

فراح يرسلها أنّات محتضر

إلى السماء ويشكو ما يعانيه

إلى السماء ويشكو ما يعانيه

So he began sending them forth as a dying one’s groans,

So it began sending dying moans

To the sky, lamenting what he suffers.

To the sky, complaining of its torment.

لا الروض زاه ولا الاكمام باسمة

لا الروض زاه ولا الاكمام باسمة

ولا عرائسه سكرى فتلهيه

ولا عرائسه سكرى فتلهيه

Neither is the garden radiant, nor are the buds smiling,

Neither the meadows delighted it, nor the thickets with their jasmine,

Nor are its brides intoxicated, to beguile him.

Nor its brides drunk with joy entertaining it.

يجيل ناظره فيه ويطرق في

يجيل ناظره فيه ويطرق في

صمت فيجيه مرآه ويبكيه

صمت فيجيه مرآه ويبكيه

He sweeps his gaze across it and bows his head in

Its gaze wanders over it and lingers silently,

Silence; the sight of it wounds him and makes him weep.

Then its mirror comes to it and makes it weep.

ماذا رأى غير أعوادٍ مبعثرة

ماذا رأى غير أعوادٍ مبعثرة

على هشيم به وأرى أمانيه

على هشيم به وأرى أمانيه

What did he see but scattered sticks

What did it see but scattered twigs

Upon dry brushwood where he had buried his hopes?

Over debris that showed its hopes?

فللخريف صراخ فيه يذعره

فللخريف صراخ فيه يذعره

والريح تزفر في شتى نواحيه

والريح تزفر في شتى نواحيه

For autumn screams there, terrifying him,

Autumn's screams terrify it,

And the wind heaves sighs through its many corners.

And the winds roar from all directions.

حيران ما انفك مذهولا كمتهم

حيران ما انفك مذهولا كمتهم

لم يجن ذنبا ولم ينجح محاميه

لم يجن ذنبا ولم ينجح محاميه

Bewildered, he remains dazed, like an accused man

Bewildered, it remains confused like an accused

Who committed no crime and whose advocate failed.

Who committed no crime and whose lawyer failed.

تطل من كوّة الماضي عليه وقد

تطل من كوّة الماضي عليه وقد

أشجاه حاضره أطياف ماضيه

أشجاه حاضره أطياف ماضيه

From the past’s small window there gaze upon him—while

The past peeks at it from a crevice,

His present grieves him—the phantoms of his past.

While the present haunts it with ghosts of its past.

يرنو إليها كما يرنو المريض وما

يرنو إليها كما يرنو المريض وما

أبلّ بعد إلى عيني مداويه

أبلّ بعد إلى عيني مداويه

He gazes at them as a sick man gazes, not yet

It longs for them as a sick man longs, but still

Recovered, into the eyes of his healer.

No remedy has come yet to its eyes.

فيستمرّ نواحاً كالفطيم رأى

فيستمرّ نواحاً كالفطيم رأى

نديا فصاح وأين الثدي من فيه

نديا فصاح وأين الثدي من فيه

So he goes on wailing, like a weaned child who saw

So it continues wailing like an orphan who saw

A breast and cried out—yet how far the breast is from his mouth!

A breast, and cried out, where is the milk in it?

وإن غفا راحت الأحلام عابثة

وإن غفا راحت الأحلام عابثة

به فتدنيه أحيانا وتقصيه

به فتدنيه أحيانا وتقصيه

And if he dozes, dreams begin to toy

And if it sleeps, dreams play with it mischievously,

With him, drawing him near at times and sending him away.

Sometimes drawing near and sometimes avoiding it.

وكم تراءت له من خلفها صور

وكم تراءت له من خلفها صور

يختال فيها الربيع البكر في تبه

يختال فيها الربيع البكر في تبه

And how often, from behind them, images appeared to him,

And how many images behind them appeared to it

In which virgin spring strutted in pride.

Where spring parades in its prime.

فيستفيق فلا الأغصان مورقة

فيستفيق فلا الأغصان مورقة

كلا ولا السامر الشادي يناجيه

كلا ولا السامر الشادي يناجيه

Then he awakens, and the branches are not in leaf—

So it wakes up - no blossoming branches,

No, nor does the singing night companion whisper to him.

No nightingale confiding to it.

فيسكب اللحن أنّاتٍ بغصّ بها

فيسكب اللحن أنّاتٍ بغصّ بها

ويح الشتاء فما أقسى لياليه

ويح الشتاء فما أقسى لياليه

So he pours out his melody as groans that choke him.

It pours out a melody in choking sobs,

Alas for winter—how cruel its nights!

Oh how cruel are its nights!

ولّى الشتاء فوافى الدوح بلبله

ولّى الشتاء فوافى الدوح بلبله

وجاء آذار بالبثرى يهنيه

وجاء آذار بالبثرى يهنيه

Winter passed, and the grove’s bulbul came to it.

Winter departed, and spring came with its bulbul,

And March came with glad tidings to congratulate him.

And March approached with good tidings consoling it.

وأقبلت سحرا نشوى نسائمه

وأقبلت سحرا نشوى نسائمه

تهفو وتلثمه شوقا فتشفيه

تهفو وتلثمه شوقا فتشفيه

And its tipsy breezes came before dawn,

The dawn breezes came, panting

Fluttering and kissing him with longing, thus healing him.

And kissing it passionately, healing it.

واستقبل الروض بالأطياب شاعره

واستقبل الروض بالأطياب شاعره

وهبّت الطير أسراباً تحبيه

وهبّت الطير أسراباً تحبيه

And the garden welcomed its poet with fragrances,

The garden welcomed its poet with perfumes,

And the birds rose in flocks to honor him.

And flocks of birds came to congratulate it.

فأين داوود من أثغام مطربه

فأين داوود من أثغام مطربه

وأين معبد من ألحان شاديه

وأين معبد من ألحان شاديه

Then where is Dawud beside the melodies of its songster?

Where is David compared to its singing thrushes,

And where is Maʿbad beside the melodies of its singer?

And where is the temple compared to its melodious tones?

جذلان يظفر من غصن إلى غصن

جذلان يظفر من غصن إلى غصن

وبسمة الصبح بالإنشاد تغريه

وبسمة الصبح بالإنشاد تغريه

Joyous, he leaps from bough to bough,

Sparrows vie from branch to branch,

And morning’s smile entices him to sing.

And the smile of dawn seduces it to sing.

فيورد الشعر آيات يرتلها

فيورد الشعر آيات يرتلها

من وحي نيسان والأوتار ترويه

من وحي نيسان والأوتار ترويه

So he offers poetry as verses that he chants,

It pours forth verses it recites

Inspired by April, while the strings recount it.

Inspired by April, the strings making it flow.

الروح تهفو لموسيقاه في مرح

الروح تهفو لموسيقاه في مرح

والقلب يرشف أحلاما معانيه

والقلب يرشف أحلاما معانيه

The soul flutters toward his music in delight,

The soul ardently craves its music in joy,

And the heart sips his meanings as dreams.

And the heart sips dreams of its meanings.

تكاد تسمع فيه حين يرسله

تكاد تسمع فيه حين يرسله

دقات خافقه والوجد يكويه

دقات خافقه والوجد يكويه

You almost hear within it, when he sends it forth,

When it sends it forth, you almost hear

His heartbeats, while passion sears him.

The beating of its fluttering heart, passion scorching it.

وتلمح الفنّ في دنيا ترنمه

وتلمح الفنّ في دنيا ترنمه

وتشرب السحر خمرا في تغنيّه

وتشرب السحر خمرا في تغنيّه

And glimpse art in the world of his warbling,

You glimpse art in its singing world,

And drink enchantment as wine in his singing.

And drink magic wine in its melodies.

سكران يرقص فوق الدوح مبتهجا

سكران يرقص فوق الدوح مبتهجا

والورق راد الضحى ولهى تصابيه

والورق راد الضحى ولهى تصابيه

Drunk, he dances atop the great trees, rejoicing,

Drunk, it dances happily above the meadow,

And the lovestruck doves flirt with him at early forenoon.

As the leaves call one another to play with it.

الفجر خماره يبدو فيصبحه

الفجر خماره يبدو فيصبحه

والروض معشوقه والأيك ناديه

والروض معشوقه والأيك ناديه

Dawn, his vintner, appears and serves him his morning wine,

Dawn is its wine that appears at dawn,

And the garden is his beloved, and the thicket his meeting place.

And the meadow is its beloved, the nest its friend.

رفّت على الورد والريحان شادية

رفّت على الورد والريحان شادية

أحلامه وبها خفّت أغانيه

أحلامه وبها خفّت أغانيه

Over roses and sweet basil fluttered, singing,

It fluttered joyfully over the roses and basil,

His dreams; and with them his songs grew light.

Its dreams making its songs gentle.

حنا الربيع عليه وهو في جذل

حنا الربيع عليه وهو في جذل

كالطفل حين يناغيه مربيه

كالطفل حين يناغيه مربيه

Spring bent tenderly over him as he rejoiced,

Spring sang tenderly to it while it hopped,

Like a child when his caregiver coos to him.

Like a child when its nanny lulls it.

ذر الطبيعة يا هذا تدلله

ذر الطبيعة يا هذا تدلله

ذره بأحضانها يشدو وتسقيه

ذره بأحضانها يشدو وتسقيه

Let nature pamper him, you there;

Leave it to nature's pampering,

Leave him in her arms to sing, while she gives him drink.

Leave it to sing and water it.

ذرة وأفراخه في العش مغتبطا

ذرة وأفراخه في العش مغتبطا

بقربها ناعما دعها تناغيه

بقربها ناعما دعها تناغيه

Leave him with his chicks in the nest, delighted

Leave it and its chicks happily in the nest

By their nearness, at ease; let them coo to him.

To be close to it, gentle, let it lull it.