كانَ الشَبابُ مَطِيَّةَ الجَهلِ

كانَ الشَبابُ مَطِيَّةَ الجَهلِ

وَمُحَسِّنَ الضَحِكاتِ وَالهَزلِ

وَمُحَسِّنَ الضَحِكاتِ وَالهَزلِ

Youth was the mount of folly,

Youth was the mount of ignorance

Youth was the steed of ignorance and folly,

And lent charm to laughter and jest.

And the embellisher of laughter and jest

The beautifier of laughter and jest in my sight.

كانَ الجَميلُ إِذا اِرتَدَيتُ بِهِ

كانَ الجَميلُ إِذا اِرتَدَيتُ بِهِ

وَمَشَيتُ أَخطِرُ صَيَّتَ النَعلِ

وَمَشَيتُ أَخطِرُ صَيَّتَ النَعلِ

It was beautiful when I clothed myself in it,

Beauty, when I was clad in it

It was a garment of beauty whenever I donned it,

And walked with a swagger, my sandals sounding.

And walked, my sandal-strap did rattle

Strutting with pride as my sandals rang out.

كانَ الفَصيحُ إِذا نَطَقتُ بِهِ

كانَ الفَصيحُ إِذا نَطَقتُ بِهِ

وَأَصاخَتِ الآذانُ لِلمُملي

وَأَصاخَتِ الآذانُ لِلمُملي

It was eloquent when I spoke through it,

Eloquence, when I spoke it

It was the tongue of eloquence whenever I spoke,

And ears listened intently to the one dictating.

And ears harkened unto the declaimer

While ears leaned close to attend to my words.

كانَ المُشَفَّعَ في مَآرِبِهِ

كانَ المُشَفَّعَ في مَآرِبِهِ

عِندَ الفَتاةِ وَمُدرِكَ التَبلِ

عِندَ الفَتاةِ وَمُدرِكَ التَبلِ

It was the accepted intercessor for its aims,

The intercessor in his affairs

It was my intercessor in seeking desires,

With the maiden, and the one who exacted vengeance.

To the maid and attainment of enjoyment

With the maiden, securing the heart's revenge.

وَالباعِثي وَالناسُ قَد رَقَدوا

وَالباعِثي وَالناسُ قَد رَقَدوا

حَتّى أَكونَ خَليفَةَ البَعلِ

حَتّى أَكونَ خَليفَةَ البَعلِ

And it roused me while people were already asleep,

And arouser whilst people slept

It roused me to wakefulness while the world slept,

So I might take the husband's place.

That I might be vicegerent to the husband

That I might usurp the absent husband's place.

وَالآمِري حَتّى إِذا عَزَمَت

وَالآمِري حَتّى إِذا عَزَمَت

نَفسي أَعانَ يَدَيَّ بِالفِعلِ

نَفسي أَعانَ يَدَيَّ بِالفِعلِ

And it commanded me until, when resolve took hold

And commander until, when my soul purposed,

It was my commander; whenever my soul resolved,

Of my soul, it aided my hands in the deed.

It aided my hand to do the deed

It lent its aid to my hands in the deed.

فَالآنَ صِرتُ إِلى مُقارَبَةٍ

فَالآنَ صِرتُ إِلى مُقارَبَةٍ

وَحَطَطتُ عَن ظَهرِ الصِبى رَحلي

وَحَطَطتُ عَن ظَهرِ الصِبى رَحلي

So now I have turned to moderation,

Now have I come to doddering old age

But now I have come to the bounds of prudence,

And removed my saddle from youth's back.

And alighted from youth’s back my saddle

And unburdened my saddle from the back of youth.

وَالكَأسُ أَهواها وَإِن رَزَأَت

وَالكَأسُ أَهواها وَإِن رَزَأَت

بُلَغَ المَعاشِ وَقَلَّلَت فَضلي

بُلَغَ المَعاشِ وَقَلَّلَت فَضلي

And I love the cup, though it has diminished

And the wine-cup which I loved, though it blamed me,

Yet I yearn for the cup, though it ravage my wealth,

My means of subsistence and reduced my surplus.

Livelihood hath reached scant measure and lack

Consuming my substance and lessening my grace.

صَفراءُ مَجَّدَها مُرازِبُها

صَفراءُ مَجَّدَها مُرازِبُها

جَلَّت عَنِ النُظَراءِ وَالمِثلِ

جَلَّت عَنِ النُظَراءِ وَالمِثلِ

Yellow wine, glorified by its satraps,

A yellow one, glorified by its vintagers,

A yellow vintage, by Persian lords glorified,

Exalted above peers and equals.

Transcending peers and match

Far too sublime for a rival or peer.

ذُخِرَت لِآدَمَ قَبلَ خِقَتِهِ

ذُخِرَت لِآدَمَ قَبلَ خِقَتِهِ

فَتَقَدَّمَتهُ بِخَطوَةِ القَبلِ

فَتَقَدَّمَتهُ بِخَطوَةِ القَبلِ

It was stored for Adam before his creation,

Kept for Adam before his creation

Preserved for Adam before his creation,

So it preceded him by a step in time.

It stepped before him with the pace of meeting

Preceding him thus by the priority of time.

فَأَتاكَ شَيءٌ لا تُلامِسُهُ

فَأَتاكَ شَيءٌ لا تُلامِسُهُ

إِلّا بِحِسِّ غَريزَةِ العَقلِ

إِلّا بِحِسِّ غَريزَةِ العَقلِ

So there came to you something you cannot touch,

So a thing came to you you touch not

It comes to you as a presence untouched,

Except through the mind's instinctive perception.

Save with very reason’s digit-tip

Save by the instinctual sense of the mind.

فَتَرودُ مِنها العَينُ في بَشَرٍ

فَتَرودُ مِنها العَينُ في بَشَرٍ

حُرِّ الصَحيفَةِ ناصِعٍ سَهلِ

حُرِّ الصَحيفَةِ ناصِعٍ سَهلِ

So the eye roams over its surface,

Whereat the eye in a fair face turns back

The eye roams over it as over a complexion,

A spotless page, radiant and smooth.

Smooth parchment, beaming, gentle

Of a page that is pure, translucent, and smooth.

فَإِذا عَلاها الماءُ أَلبَسَها

فَإِذا عَلاها الماءُ أَلبَسَها

حَبَباً كَمِثلِ جَلاجِلِ الحِجلِ

حَبَباً كَمِثلِ جَلاجِلِ الحِجلِ

Then, when water covers it, it clothes it

And when the water overlays it

When water ascends it, it clothes it in pearls,

In bubbles like an anklet's bells.

It clothes it with motes like anklets' dust

Like bubbles that ring as the bells of an anklet.

حَتّى إِذا سَكَنَت جَوانِحُها

حَتّى إِذا سَكَنَت جَوانِحُها

كَتَبَت بِمِثلِ أَكارِعِ النَملِ

كَتَبَت بِمِثلِ أَكارِعِ النَملِ

Until, when its sides grow still,

Till, when its ferment settles,

Until, when the tumult within it subsides,

It writes with strokes like ants' legs:

It writes the like of ants' tracks

It writes with a script like the traces of ants—

خَطَّينِ مِن شَتّى وَمُجتَمِعٍ

خَطَّينِ مِن شَتّى وَمُجتَمِعٍ

غُفلٍ مِنَ الإِعجامِ وَالشَكلِ

غُفلٍ مِنَ الإِعجامِ وَالشَكلِ

Two lines of scattered and clustered marks,

Two lines diverse conjoined,

Two lines, some scattered and others conjoined,

Bare of dots and vowel marks.

Uncouthly, of obscurity and shape

Bereft of all markings or vowels to be read.

فَاِعذِر أَخاكَ فَإِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ

فَاِعذِر أَخاكَ فَإِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ

مَرَنَت مَسامِعُهُ عَلى العَذلِ

مَرَنَت مَسامِعُهُ عَلى العَذلِ

So pardon your brother, for he is a man

So excuse your brother for he is a man

So pardon your brother, for he is a man

Whose ears have grown used to reproach.

Whose hearing is dulled for reproof

Whose ears have grown callous to scolding and blame.