كأنَّ الصّبا فيءٌ أُبادِرُ فَيْأَه

كأنَّ الصّبا فيءٌ أُبادِرُ فَيْأَه

مدىً إنما يجري إلى مِثْلِهِ مِثْلي

مدىً إنما يجري إلى مِثْلِهِ مِثْلي

Youth is like shade whose shelter I hasten to reach,

As though the morn were a flock I hasten after,

a goal toward whose like only one like me runs.

Though the goal my like pursues is but like mine;

تَبَوَّأتُهُ ما امتدّ لي فيه جانب

تَبَوَّأتُهُ ما امتدّ لي فيه جانب

فلمّا نأى لم أتّبِع فَيئةَ الظلّ

فلمّا نأى لم أتّبِع فَيئةَ الظلّ

I dwelt in it as long as some part of it stretched out for me;

I made it my dwelling what scope for me there was in it,

when it drew away, I did not pursue the shade’s return.

But when it turned away I turned not to follow the shadow.

وكنتُ إذا أبصرتُ مَوْضِعَ سلوَةٍ

وكنتُ إذا أبصرتُ مَوْضِعَ سلوَةٍ

تخيرتُ فيه مَوْضعاً ومعي عقلي

تخيرتُ فيه مَوْضعاً ومعي عقلي

Whenever I saw a place of solace,

When I spied a place of refuge, my reason and I

I chose a place within it, with my reason beside me,

Chose there a stead where gray hairs find nodecay,

جديراً بأنْ لا يَنْقُضَ الشَيْبُ حَبْوَتي

جديراً بأنْ لا يَنْقُضَ الشَيْبُ حَبْوَتي

وقد باتَ منهُ كلُّ شيءٍ على رِجْلِ

وقد باتَ منهُ كلُّ شيءٍ على رِجْلِ

fit to keep gray hair from undoing my knee-binding,

Meet that childishness fade not my gravity away;

though everything, because of it, stood poised on one foot.

For now is everything grown equal on a footing

ومكحولةٍ بالسّحْرِ تَرْنُو بِمُقْلَةٍ

ومكحولةٍ بالسّحْرِ تَرْنُو بِمُقْلَةٍ

يَوَدُّ الدُّجى لو نابَ فيها عنِ الكُحْلِ

يَوَدُّ الدُّجى لو نابَ فيها عنِ الكُحْلِ

And a woman, her eyes kohled with magic, gazes with an eye

And a wanton bewitching with eyelids that sue

in which darkness longs to take the place of kohl.

For darkness to put off kohl and turn to me.

خَلُوصٌ إلى الألبابِ تأخذُ للصّبا

خَلُوصٌ إلى الألبابِ تأخذُ للصّبا

من الحِلْم أو تُعْطي الإباءَ على الذلِّ

من الحِلْم أو تُعْطي الإباءَ على الذلِّ

Penetrating minds, she takes for youthful passion

She takes the minds of the wise, or gives pride for humility,

from self-restraint, or trades proud refusal for abasement.

Repulsed me, so I coveted not; she was cold and I was not hot;

تَصَدَّت فلم أُوْلَعْ وصدَّت فلم أُرْعْ

تَصَدَّت فلم أُوْلَعْ وصدَّت فلم أُرْعْ

تَمَاسُكَ لا قالٍ وإمساكَ لا مَقْلي

تَمَاسُكَ لا قالٍ وإمساكَ لا مَقْلي

She presented herself, but I was not infatuated; she turned away, but I was not alarmed—

Restraint, no saying; silence, no hint;

self-possessed without hating, restrained without being hated.

Though she and her like have corrupted my nature,

ولا وأبيها ما بَلَتْ كَخَلائِقي

ولا وأبيها ما بَلَتْ كَخَلائِقي

على كلِّ حالٍ منْ صُدُودٍ ومن وصل

على كلِّ حالٍ منْ صُدُودٍ ومن وصل

No, by her father, she has never known qualities like mine,

Still in all conditions, estrangement and meeting, I

in every state of aversion and union.

Refrain or forgive as she frowns or smiles.

أعفُّ إذا شاءت وأعْفُو إذا نَبَتْ

أعفُّ إذا شاءت وأعْفُو إذا نَبَتْ

أميرُ الهوى والرأي والقولِ والفعل

أميرُ الهوى والرأي والقولِ والفعل

I remain chaste when she wishes, and forgive when she draws away,

I am pliant to her wish, to reason, word, and deed-

master of passion and judgment, of speech and action.

So through the eyes with which I behold her or not

فَقَلْبي بأَيِّ النظرتين كَرَرتُها

فَقَلْبي بأَيِّ النظرتين كَرَرتُها

إليها وعنها تلك تُغْرِي ولا تُسْلي

إليها وعنها تلك تُغْرِي ولا تُسْلي

As for my heart, whichever of the two glances I repeat—

My heart is a prey, now heated, now cooled.

toward her or away from her—that glance entices it, but does not console it.

The little host, though the heights dissatisfy,

وقد أهْبِطُ الشّعبَ القليل أنيسُهُ

وقد أهْبِطُ الشّعبَ القليل أنيسُهُ

بطامِسَةِ الأعلامِ دارسةِ السُّبْل

بطامِسَةِ الأعلامِ دارسةِ السُّبْل

And I sometimes descend into a ravine with scarcely a companion,

Their passes impossible, their roads unsure,

in a land of effaced landmarks and vanished paths.

I guide down, darkening the bright signs, smoothing the roughness,

يبيتُ القَطَا فيها عن الماءِ شارِداً

يبيتُ القَطَا فيها عن الماءِ شارِداً

ولو باتَ منه كالشّرَاكِ من النّعْل

ولو باتَ منه كالشّرَاكِ من النّعْل

The sandgrouse spend the night there, straying far from water,

Though the wild goat quit it without returning for water

even if they roost as close to it as a strap is to a sandal.

Or were he worn to a sandal-strap left in the ground.

أُواصل خِلّي ذا المُروءَةِ والحِجى

أُواصل خِلّي ذا المُروءَةِ والحِجى

وإن لم يَبِتْ مني بخمرٍ ولا خَلِّ

وإن لم يَبِتْ مني بخمرٍ ولا خَلِّ

I keep ties with my friend of honor and good sense,

My nature's nobility and caution I conserve

even if he has found neither wine nor vinegar in me.

Though no wine or ferment have passed 'twixt me and it

وأتْبَعُ عَقْلي ما وَفَى بِحَزَامَتِي

وأتْبَعُ عَقْلي ما وَفَى بِحَزَامَتِي

وبَعْضُ عُقُول النّاسِ أجْنِحةُ النّمْل

وبَعْضُ عُقُول النّاسِ أجْنِحةُ النّمْل

I follow my reason as long as it remains true to my prudence;

And I follow my reason far as my saddle girths allow,

and some people’s minds are ants’ wings.

While other men's reason's are locusts' wings.

وأعلمُ أنّيْ رهْنُ يوميَ أو غدي

وأعلمُ أنّيْ رهْنُ يوميَ أو غدي

ولكن رأيتُ العجزَ أزْرى بمنْ قَبْلي

ولكن رأيتُ العجزَ أزْرى بمنْ قَبْلي

I know I am hostage to my today or my tomorrow,

I know I am pledged to the days and tomorrows,

but I have seen weakness bring disgrace upon those before me.

Yet I saw incapacity was baser in those gone before.

أبيٌّ إذا كانَ الإباءُ سَجِيّةً

أبيٌّ إذا كانَ الإباءُ سَجِيّةً

من التّركِ للنقصانِ والأخذِ بالفَضْل

من التّركِ للنقصانِ والأخذِ بالفَضْل

I am unyielding when proud refusal is an innate disposition

I am proud, when pride is a natural quality,

of rejecting deficiency and holding fast to excellence.

From loss of merit, from gain of excellence;

وسمْحٌ ولو أنَّ السماحَ ذريعةٌ

وسمْحٌ ولو أنَّ السماحَ ذريعةٌ

إلى الموتِ لا حتّى أقولُ إلى القَتْل

إلى الموتِ لا حتّى أقولُ إلى القَتْل

And generous, even if generosity is a means

I am open-handed, though open-handedness

to death—no, I would even say, to being killed.

Were a lure, not to death-I say not, to ruin;

وفيٌّ وقد ضاعَ الوفاءُ وأهْلُهُ

وفيٌّ وقد ضاعَ الوفاءُ وأهْلُهُ

مُصانَعَةً بين الغَوَايةِ والجَهْلِ

مُصانَعَةً بين الغَوَايةِ والجَهْلِ

Loyal, though loyalty and its people have been lost,

I am faithful, though faithfulness is lost and its adherents,

through collusion between waywardness and ignorance.

Half seduced by error, half by ignorance.