دَع عَنكَ رَسمَ الدِيارِ

دَع عَنكَ رَسمَ الدِيارِ

وَدَع صِفاتِ القِفارِ

وَدَع صِفاتِ القِفارِ

Leave off the traces of vanished dwellings,

Leave aside the traces of dwellings,

Leave mentioning the abodes

And leave descriptions of the wastelands;

and leave descriptions of wastelands.

And leave describing the barren land

وَعَدِّ عَن ذِكرِ قَومٍ

وَعَدِّ عَن ذِكرِ قَومٍ

قَد أَكثَروا في العُقارِ

قَد أَكثَروا في العُقارِ

Turn away from mention of a people

And turn away from mention of people

And stop remembering a folk

Who have dwelt overlong on wine.

who have gone to excess with wine.

Who multiplied in properties

وَدَع صِفاتِ الزَناني

وَدَع صِفاتِ الزَناني

رِ في خُصورِ العَذاري

رِ في خُصورِ العَذاري

Leave, too, descriptions of the girdles

And leave descriptions of girdles

And leave describing the adulteresses

About the waists of maidens.

at the waists of maidens.

In the bosoms of the chaste ladies

وَصِف رَغيفاً سَرِيّا

وَصِف رَغيفاً سَرِيّا

حَكَتهُ شَمسُ النَهارِ

حَكَتهُ شَمسُ النَهارِ

Describe a splendid loaf,

And describe a splendid loaf,

And describe a secret loaf

Mirrored by the daytime sun,

which the sun of day resembles,

Baked by the sun of daylight

أَو صورَةُ البَدرِ لَمّا اِس

أَو صورَةُ البَدرِ لَمّا اِس

تَتَمَّ في الاِستِدارِ

تَتَمَّ في الاِستِدارِ

Or by the full moon’s image when it

or the full moon's form when it

Or the image of the full moon when

Reaches perfect roundness.

became perfectly round.

It is complete in its roundness

فَلَيسَ يَحسُنُ إِلّا

فَلَيسَ يَحسُنُ إِلّا

في وَصفِهِ أَشعاري

في وَصفِهِ أَشعاري

For my poetry is beautiful only

For they are beautiful only

So it only befits my poetry

When describing it.

when describing it—my verses.

To describe it

وَذاكَ أَنّي قَديماً

وَذاكَ أَنّي قَديماً

خَلَعتُ فيهِ عِذاري

خَلَعتُ فيهِ عِذاري

And that is because, long ago,

And that is because I long ago

That is because long ago

For its sake I cast off all restraint.

cast off my bridle for its sake.

I lost my chastity over it