لقد نفَّر الحسناء شيبي فأصبحت

لقد نفَّر الحسناء شيبي فأصبحت

على كبري بعد الوداد تكبر

على كبري بعد الوداد تكبر

My gray hair has driven the beauty away, so she has become

My gray hair has repelled the beauty, so that

haughty toward me in my old age, after affection.

After affection she disdains my old age.

وقد كنت بالغيدِ الحسان مشبباً

وقد كنت بالغيدِ الحسان مشبباً

فها أنا للغيدِ الحسان منفّر

فها أنا للغيدِ الحسان منفّر

And I once composed love verse about slender, lovely women;

Once with the tender branch I was adorned,

so here I am, driving slender, lovely women away.

Yet now by the tender branch I'm repelled.

وقد نفرت حتى عن الشعر صبوتي

وقد نفرت حتى عن الشعر صبوتي

ولولا الثنا التَّاجيّ ما كنت أشعر

ولولا الثنا التَّاجيّ ما كنت أشعر

And my youthful passion has shied away even from poetry;

Even my youthful poetry I've now spurned,

and were it not for praise of al-Taji, I would compose no verse.

And were it not for praise, I'd not compose verse.

أيا من ذكرنا الشافعيّ وحاتماً

أيا من ذكرنا الشافعيّ وحاتماً

بآلائه والشيء بالشيء يذكر

بآلائه والشيء بالشيء يذكر

O one who reminded us of al-Shafi‘i and Hatim

O you who mentioned al-Shafi'i and Hatim

through his favors—and one thing brings another to mind—

By their virtues, things by their like are recalled,

وتاجاً على رأس السيادة يجتلى

وتاجاً على رأس السيادة يجتلى

فينظم درّ المدح فيه وينثر

فينظم درّ المدح فيه وينثر

and a crown beheld upon the head of eminence,

You are a crown atop the throne of glory

so pearls of praise in his honor are strung and scattered.

Whose pearls of praise in prose and verse are strung.

مزجنا بحور الفضل والشعر بيننا

مزجنا بحور الفضل والشعر بيننا

فها نحنُ في هذا وذا نتبختر

فها نحنُ في هذا وذا نتبختر

We have mingled between us the seas of bounty and poetry;

We've blended oceans of merit and poetry,

so here we are, strutting in this and that.

And so in this and that we now exult.

لعمري لقد قلت الرَّقيق لمدحه

لعمري لقد قلت الرَّقيق لمدحه

وإن رقيقاً قلتهُ لمحرَّر

وإن رقيقاً قلتهُ لمحرَّر

By my life, I have spoken delicate verse in his praise,

By my life, though softly I've sung his praise,

and the delicate verse I spoke is indeed finely wrought.

Softly though sung, yet strong and pure it is.