خَليليَّ إِنَّ العُمْرَ وَدَّعْتُ شَرْخَهُ

خَليليَّ إِنَّ العُمْرَ وَدَّعْتُ شَرْخَهُ

وَما في مَشيبي مِنْ تَلافٍ لِفارِطِ

وَما في مَشيبي مِنْ تَلافٍ لِفارِطِ

My two friends, I have bidden farewell to life's prime,

My friend, I bid farewell to the prime of life

and in my gray-haired years there is no redress for what has passed.

And there is no mending the fragment that remains

أَلَمْ تَعْلَما أَنِّي أَنِسْتُ بِعُطْلَةٍ

أَلَمْ تَعْلَما أَنِّي أَنِسْتُ بِعُطْلَةٍ

مَخافَةَ أَنْ أُبْلَى بِخِدْمَةِ سَاقِطِ

مَخافَةَ أَنْ أُبْلَى بِخِدْمَةِ سَاقِطِ

Did you two not know that I found comfort in idleness,

Did you not know that I took comfort in retirement

for fear of being afflicted with service to a worthless man?

Fearing that servitude would wear me down

فَلا تَدْعُوانِي لِلْكِتابَةِ إِنَّها

فَلا تَدْعُوانِي لِلْكِتابَةِ إِنَّها

طَماعَةُ راجٍ في مَخِيلَةِ قانِطِ

طَماعَةُ راجٍ في مَخِيلَةِ قانِطِ

So do not summon me to scribal work, for it is

So call me not to write, for that is

the greed of one who hopes, in the conceit of one who despairs.

The greed of one hopeful in the mind of the desperate

يُنافِسُني فيها رَعاعٌ تَهادَنوا

يُنافِسُني فيها رَعاعٌ تَهادَنوا

على دَخَنٍ مِنْ بَيْنِ راضٍ وَساخِطِ

على دَخَنٍ مِنْ بَيْنِ راضٍ وَساخِطِ

Rabble compete with me in it, having made a truce

In it I compete with riffraff who compromised

over hidden rancor, some content and others resentful.

For a whiff of smoke between consent and dissent

وَأَنْكَرَتِ الأَقْلامُ مِنْهُمْ أَنَامِلاً

وَأَنْكَرَتِ الأَقْلامُ مِنْهُمْ أَنَامِلاً

مُهَيَّأَةً أَطْرافُها لِلْمَشَارِطِ

مُهَيَّأَةً أَطْرافُها لِلْمَشَارِطِ

And the pens rejected fingers of theirs,

The pens denied them unaccustomed fingers

whose tips were fitted for lancets.

Whose tips were attuned to bargaining

لَئِنْ قَدَّمَتْهُمْ عُصْبَةٌ خانَها النُّهى

لَئِنْ قَدَّمَتْهُمْ عُصْبَةٌ خانَها النُّهى

فَهَلْ ساقِطٌ لَمْ يَحظَ يَوْماً بِلاقِطِ

فَهَلْ ساقِطٌ لَمْ يَحظَ يَوْماً بِلاقِطِ

Even if a faction whose reason failed it has promoted them,

If a party advanced them, betraying decorum

has any fallen man never once found someone to pick him up?

Can one fallen ever be raised by another fallen?

وَأَيُّ فَتىً ما بَينَ بُرْدَيَّ قَابِضٍ

وَأَيُّ فَتىً ما بَينَ بُرْدَيَّ قَابِضٍ

عَنِ الشَّرِّ كَفَّيهِ وَلِلْخَيْرِ باسِطِ

عَنِ الشَّرِّ كَفَّيهِ وَلِلْخَيْرِ باسِطِ

And what a man I am within my two cloaks, withholding

What young man with hands closed to evil

his two hands from evil, and extending them for good,

And open to good, patient and peaceable,

وَمُعْتَجرٍ بِالْحِلْمِ وَالسِّلْمُ تُبْتَغَى

وَمُعْتَجرٍ بِالْحِلْمِ وَالسِّلْمُ تُبْتَغَى

وَلِلْجَأْشِ في بُحْبوحَةِ الحَرْبِ رابِطِ

وَلِلْجَأْشِ في بُحْبوحَةِ الحَرْبِ رابِطِ

and wearing forbearance as a turban when peace is sought,

Seeking glory amidst the peril of war, a defender

and keeping his heart firm in the very midst of war!

Yet I closed my eyelid to the grit in life

وَلَكنَّنِي أَغْضَيْتُ جَفْنِي عَلى القَذَى

وَلَكنَّنِي أَغْضَيْتُ جَفْنِي عَلى القَذَى

وَلَمْ أَرْضَ إِدْراكَ العُلا بِالوَسائِطِ

وَلَمْ أَرْضَ إِدْراكَ العُلا بِالوَسائِطِ

Yet I closed my eyelid over the grit,

And refused to gain high station through unworthy means

and would not consent to attaining eminence through intermediaries.

I say to one with lengthy strides, beware

أقُولُ لِذي الباعِ الطَّويلِ عُوَيْمِرٍ

أقُولُ لِذي الباعِ الطَّويلِ عُوَيْمِرٍ

وَمِنْ شِيمَتي نُصْحُ الصَّديقِ المُخالِطِ

وَمِنْ شِيمَتي نُصْحُ الصَّديقِ المُخالِطِ

I say to Uwaymir, the man of long reach—

And it is my way to advise a sincere companion

and it is in my nature to counsel a close friend—

It is life, seek not the truth in it

هُو الدَّهْرُ لا تَبْغِ الحَقيقَةَ عِنْدَهُ

هُو الدَّهْرُ لا تَبْغِ الحَقيقَةَ عِنْدَهُ

وَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تُكْفَى أَذاهُ فَغَالِطِ

وَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تُكْفَى أَذاهُ فَغَالِطِ

Such is Time: do not seek the truth from it;

And if you wish to be spared its harm, just play along.

and if you wish to be spared its harm, then dissemble.