وثلاثةٌ لم تجتمِعْ في مجلِسٍ

وثلاثةٌ لم تجتمِعْ في مجلِسٍ

إلاّ لمثلِكَ والأديبُ أريبُ

إلاّ لمثلِكَ والأديبُ أريبُ

And three have never come together in a gathering

Three who never gathered, but for one like you—

except for one like you—and the man of letters is discerning:

The poet, how strange his role!

الوَرْدُ في رامِشْنَةٍ مِن نَرْجِسٍ

الوَرْدُ في رامِشْنَةٍ مِن نَرْجِسٍ

والياسَمينُ وكُلّهُنّ غريب

والياسَمينُ وكُلّهُنّ غريب

The rose, in a bouquet of narcissus

A rose on a branch of narcissus,

and jasmine—each of them unusual.

Jasmine too—all are strangers.

فاحمرّ ذا واصفرّ ذا وابيضّ ذا

فاحمرّ ذا واصفرّ ذا وابيضّ ذا

فبَدَتْ دلائلْ أمرُهُنّ عَجيب

فبَدَتْ دلائلْ أمرُهُنّ عَجيب

So this one turned red, this one yellow, and this one white;

So this one's red, that one's yellow, that one's white;

then signs appeared—their affair is wondrous.

The signs of their affair seem odd indeed.

فكأنّ هذا عاشِقٌ وكأنّ ذا

فكأنّ هذا عاشِقٌ وكأنّ ذا

كَ مُعَشَّقٌ وكأنّ ذاكَ رقيب

كَ مُعَشَّقٌ وكأنّ ذاكَ رقيب

So it is as though this were a lover, and as though that

As if this one's a lover, that one's the beloved,

were a beloved, and as though that one were a watcher.

And that one there is the spy.