جَنى ما جَنى وانصَرَف

جَنى ما جَنى وانصَرَف

وأنكرَ ثمَّ اعترَف

وأنكرَ ثمَّ اعترَف

He did what he did and departed;

He reaped what he reaped then left,

and denied it, then confessed.

Denied at first then confessed,

وظنَّ بأنَّ القِصا

وظنَّ بأنَّ القِصا

صَ يَمنَعُ منه التَّرَف

صَ يَمنَعُ منه التَّرَف

And he thought that retribution

Thinking the short poem would prevent indulgence,

would be kept from him by his pampered ease.

Yet you have a hint from him,

وعندكَ مِن طَرفِهِ

وعندكَ مِن طَرفِهِ

وممَّا جَناه طَرَف

وممَّا جَناه طَرَف

And you have some of his gaze

And of what he reaped, a hint,

and some of what he has wrought.

So ask his cheek, why did it show,

فسَل صُدغَه لِم بَدا

فسَل صُدغَه لِم بَدا

ولمَّا بَدا لِم وَقَف

ولمَّا بَدا لِم وَقَف

So ask his temple-lock why it appeared,

And when it showed, why did it stop,

and, once it appeared, why it stopped.

For he thought it’s acceptable

وكانَ عَلى أنَّه

وكانَ عَلى أنَّه

يَجوزُ المَدى فانعَطَف

يَجوزُ المَدى فانعَطَف

And it had been on the point of

To exceed, so he veered,

passing the limit, but it bent back.

If only he walked his walk

وأَلا سَعى سَعيَهُ

وأَلا سَعى سَعيَهُ

فأنصَفَنا وانتَصَف

فأنصَفَنا وانتَصَف

And why did it not pursue its course,

So he’d be fair and take revenge,

thus doing us justice and claiming its due?

And time, his age got old,

ودَهرٌ عَلا سِنُّه

ودَهرٌ عَلا سِنُّه

فبانَ علَيه الخَرَف

فبانَ علَيه الخَرَف

And Time has grown old,

Exposing his senility,

so its senility has become plain.

He went with the ways of dew,

مَضى بطِباع النَّدى

مَضى بطِباع النَّدى

فلم يُبقِ إلا الكُلَف

فلم يُبقِ إلا الكُلَف

It carried off the ways of generosity,

Leaving nothing but pretense,

so it left nothing but burdens.

Had it not been, it wouldn’t have been,

ولَو لَم تَكُن لَم يكُن

ولَو لَم تَكُن لَم يكُن

لها خَلفٌ يا خَلَف

لها خَلفٌ يا خَلَف

Had you not been, there would have been no

For it to have a successor, O successor!

successor to them, O Khalaf.