وقَفِت على الغُصنِ الجديدِ كأنّما

وقَفِت على الغُصنِ الجديدِ كأنّما

تلهُو بهِ في الغَيمِ أو يلهُو بِها

تلهُو بهِ في الغَيمِ أو يلهُو بِها

She stood upon the new bough, as though

She stood upon the newborn branch as though

Playing with it amid the clouds, or it playing with her.

She and the clouds were playing with it impishly

وتستّرت في سروةٍ مُلتفّةٍ

وتستّرت في سروةٍ مُلتفّةٍ

حِجبت عنِ الأبصار شخصَ رقيبها

حِجبت عنِ الأبصار شخصَ رقيبها

And she hid herself in a densely clustered cypress,

And took cover in a coiled pine tree

Which concealed her watcher's figure from sight.

Shielding from sight her watchman's form thereby

فكأنّما ريحُ الجَنوبِ تغايرت

فكأنّما ريحُ الجَنوبِ تغايرت

ألا تُرى إلاّ لوقتِ هُبوبها

ألا تُرى إلاّ لوقتِ هُبوبها

It was as though the south wind had grown jealous,

As though the warm southerly wind had changed

That she should be seen only when it blew.

Invisible unless when in its blowing

باتَت تُغازُلها فلمّا أصبحت

باتَت تُغازُلها فلمّا أصبحت

بَرزت لنا كالشّمسِ تبل غُروبها

بَرزت لنا كالشّمسِ تبل غُروبها

It spent the night courting her; then, when morning came,

It stayed to caress her, and when daybreak came

She appeared to us like the sun before its setting (reading تبل as قبل).

She rose before us like the sun, her glowing