أعينَيَّ مَهلاً طالما لم أَقُل مَهلا

أعينَيَّ مَهلاً طالما لم أَقُل مَهلا

وما سَرَفاً مِ الآنَ قلتُ ولا جَهلا

وما سَرَفاً مِ الآنَ قلتُ ولا جَهلا

O my eyes, hold back; long have I gone without saying, 'Hold back.'

My eyes, beware, as long as I have not said beware,

And I said it now neither rashly nor ignorantly.

And not extravagantly have I now said, nor in ignorance,

وإنّ صِبا ابنِ الأربعينَ سفاهةٌ

وإنّ صِبا ابنِ الأربعينَ سفاهةٌ

فكيف مع اللائي مُثِلتُ بها مَثلا

فكيف مع اللائي مُثِلتُ بها مَثلا

And youthful passion in a man of forty is folly;

And that the folly of a forty year old is stupidity,

Then what of those women through whom I was made a byword,

So how could it be with those I was an example to,

عواكِفَ بالبيتِ الحرامِ ورُبَّما

عواكِفَ بالبيتِ الحرامِ ورُبَّما

رأيتَ عيونَ القوم من نحوها نُجلا

رأيتَ عيونَ القوم من نحوها نُجلا

Abiding in worship at the Sacred House? And sometimes

Clinging to the Holy House, and maybe,

You saw the people's eyes wide, turned her way.

You saw the eyes of the people looking from it confused,

يقولُ لي المفتي وهُنَّ عَشيَّةً

يقولُ لي المفتي وهُنَّ عَشيَّةً

بمكَةَ يَسحَبنَ المهَدَّبَةَ السُّحلا

بمكَةَ يَسحَبنَ المهَدَّبَةَ السُّحلا

The mufti says to me, while one evening they

The jurist tells me while they are one evening,

Trail their fringed white garments in Mecca:

In Mecca dragging the sedan chair,

تَقِ اللهَ لا تنظر إِليهنَّ يا فتى

تَقِ اللهَ لا تنظر إِليهنَّ يا فتى

وما خِلتُني في الحجِ مُلتَمِساً وَصلا

وما خِلتُني في الحجِ مُلتَمِساً وَصلا

'Fear God; do not look at them, young man!'

Fear Allah, do not look at them O youth,

And I had not imagined myself seeking love's union on pilgrimage.

And I did not make the pilgrimage looking for a connection,

وواللهِ لا أَنسى وإن شَطَّت النَّوى

وواللهِ لا أَنسى وإن شَطَّت النَّوى

عرانينَهُنَّ الشُّمَّ والأعينَ النُّجلا

عرانينَهُنَّ الشُّمَّ والأعينَ النُّجلا

And by God, I will not forget, though separation stretches far,

By Allah, I do not forget even if the days pass,

Their high-bridged noses and their large eyes,

Their bare shins and the eyes of the confused,

ولا المِسكَ من اعرافِهِنَّ ولا البُرى

ولا المِسكَ من اعرافِهِنَّ ولا البُرى

جواعِلَ في أوساطِها قَصَباً خَدلا

جواعِلَ في أوساطِها قَصَباً خَدلا

Nor the musk from their tresses, nor the anklets

Nor the musk from their plaits, nor the scent,

Enclosing full, rounded shins within their circles.

Bangles in their wrists like split reeds,

خليليَّ لولا اللهُ ما قلتُ مَرحَبا

خليليَّ لولا اللهُ ما قلتُ مَرحَبا

لأوَّلِ شَيباتٍ طَلَعنَ ولا أَهلا

لأوَّلِ شَيباتٍ طَلَعنَ ولا أَهلا

My two friends, but for God, I would not have said 'Welcome'

My friend if not for Allah I would not have said welcome,

To the first gray hairs that appeared, nor bid them welcome.

To the first strands of white hair that appeared nor seasons greetings,

خليلَيَّ إنّ الشيبَ داءٌ كَرِهتُهُ

خليلَيَّ إنّ الشيبَ داءٌ كَرِهتُهُ

فما أحسنَ المرعى وما أَقبَحَ المحلا

فما أحسنَ المرعى وما أَقبَحَ المحلا

My two friends, gray hair is an illness I have loathed;

My friend greying hair is an illness I hated,

So how fair the pasture, and how ugly the barren waste!

So how good is the pasture and how ugly the resting place,

ومن أعجب الدنيا إِليَّ زُجاجةٌ

ومن أعجب الدنيا إِليَّ زُجاجةٌ

تَظَلُّ أيادي المنتشِينَ بها فُتلا

تَظَلُّ أيادي المنتشِينَ بها فُتلا

And among this world's greatest marvels to me is a bottle:

And of the strangest things in life to me is a bottle,

The hands of those it intoxicates remain strong and sinewy.

That keeps the hands of the intoxicated stretched out slack,

يَصُبّونَ فيها من كُرومٍ سُلافةً

يَصُبّونَ فيها من كُرومٍ سُلافةً

يروحُ الفتى عنها كأنّ به خَبلا

يروحُ الفتى عنها كأنّ به خَبلا

They pour into it the choicest wine from grapevines;

They pour into it from vineyards wine,

The young man goes away from it as though he were mad.

The youth leaves it as if drunk and crazy,