1. أَكانَ الصِبا إِلّا خَيالاً مُسَلِّما

    أَقامَ كَرَجعِ الطَرفِ ثُمَّ تَصَرَّما

    Was youth anything but a phantom offering a greeting,

    That lingered for an eyeblink, then vanished?

  2. أَرى أَقصَرَ الأَيّامِ أَحمَدَ في الصِبا

    وَأَطوَلَها ماكانَ فيهِ مُذَمَّما

    I find the shortest days the most praiseworthy in youth,

    And the longest those in which it was held blameworthy.

  3. تَلَوِّمتُ في غَيِّ التَصابي فَلَم أُرِد

    بَديلاً بِهِ لَو أَنَّ غَيّاً تَلَوَّما

    I lingered in the folly of affecting youth, and desired no

    Substitute for it—if only folly itself could linger.

  4. وَيَومِ تَلاقٍ في فِراقٍ شَهِدتُهُ

    بِعَينٍ إِذا نَهنَهتُها دَمَعَت دَما

    And a day of meeting amid parting I witnessed,

    With an eye that wept blood whenever I restrained it.

  5. لَحِقنا الفَريقَ المُستَقِلَّ ضُحىً وَقَد

    تَيَمَّمَ مِن قَصدِ الحِمى ما تَيَمَّما

    We overtook the departing company at midmorning, when it had

    Taken the course it chose toward the protected pasture.

  6. فَقُلتُ اِنعَموا مِنّا صَباحاً وَإِنَّما

    أَرَدتُ بِما قُلتُ الغَزالَ المُنَعَّما

    So I said, 'A happy morning to you all from us!' Yet I only

    Meant, by my words, the pampered gazelle.

  7. وَما باتَ مَطوِيّاً عَلى أَريَحِيَّةٍ

    بِعَقبِ النَوى إِلّا امرُؤٌ باتَ مُغرَما

    And none spent the night harboring ardor

    In separation’s wake but a man who spent it love-struck.

  8. غَنيتُ جَنيباً لِلغَواني يَقُدنَني

    إِلى أَن مَضى شَرخُ الشَبابِ وَبَعدَما

    I lived as a led steed for beautiful women, who led me

    Until youth’s prime had passed—and even afterward.

  9. وَقِدماً عَصيتُ العاذِلاتِ وَلَم أُطِع

    طَوالِعَ هَذا الشَيبِ إِذ جِئنَ لُوَّما

    And long ago I defied the reproaching women, nor obeyed

    The first signs of this gray hair when they came as reproachers.

  10. أَقولُ لِثَجّاجِ الغَمامِ وَقَد سَرى

    بِمُحتَفِلِ الشُؤبوبِ صابَ فَعَمَّما

    I say to the torrent-pouring cloud, which has traveled by night,

    With a copious downpour, raining over everything:

  11. أَقِلَّ وَأَكثِر لَستَ تَبلُغُ غايَةً

    تَبينُ بِها حَتّى تُضارِعَ هَيثَما

    Rain little or much; you will reach no height

    That sets you apart until you rival Haytham.

  12. هُوَ المَوتُ وَيلٌ مِنهُ لاتَلقَ حَدَّهُ

    فَمَوتُكَ أَن تَلقاهُ في النَقعِ مُعلِما

    He is death—woe from him! Do not meet his edge;

    For your death is to meet him, his battle-mark displayed, amid the dust.

  13. فَتىً لَبِسَت مِنهُ اللَيالي مَحاسِناً

    أَضاءَ لَها الأُفقُ الَّذي كانَ مُظلِما

    A youth from whom the nights have donned beauties;

    The once-dark horizon shone for them.

  14. مُعاني حُروبٍ قَوَّمَت عَزمَ رَأيِهِ

    وَلَن يَصدُقَ الخَطِّيُ حَتّى يُقَوَّما

    A veteran of wars that straightened his judgment’s resolve;

    And a Khatti spear will never strike true until it is straightened.

  15. غَدا وَغَدَت تَدعو نِزارٌ وَيَعرُبٌ

    لَهُ أَن يَعيشَ الدَهرَ فيهِم وَيَسلَما

    He rose in the morning, and Nizar and Ya‘rub rose to pray

    For him to live among them for all time, safe and sound.

  16. تَواضَعَ مِن مَجدٍ لَهُم وَتَكَرُّمٍ

    وَكُلُّ عَظيمٍ لا يُحِبُّ التَعَظُّما

    He showed them humility born of glory and generosity;

    And every great man dislikes self-aggrandizement.

  17. لِكُلِّ قَبيلٍ شُعبَةٌ مِن نَوالِهِ

    وَيَختَصُّهُ مِنهُم قَبيلٌ إِذا انتَمى

    Every tribe has a branch of his bounty,

    And one tribe among them claims him when he declares his lineage.

  18. تَقَصّاهُمُ بِالجودِ حَتّى لَأَقسَموا

    بِأَنَّ نَداهُ كانَ وَالبَحرَ تَوءَما

    He sought them all out with generosity, until they swore

    That his bounty and the sea were twins.

  19. أَبا القاسِمِ استَغزَرتَ دَرَّ خَلائِقٍ

    مَلَأنَ فِجاجَ الأَرضِ بُؤسى وَأَنعُما

    O Abu al-Qasim, you drew abundant milk from qualities

    That filled the earth’s broad paths with hardship and blessings.

  20. إِذا مَعشَرٌ جارَوكَ في إِثرِ سُؤدُدٍ

    تَأَخَّرَ مِن مَسعاتِهِم ما تَقَدَّما

    When a people race you in pursuit of eminence,

    Whatever advanced in their endeavors falls behind.

  21. سَلامٌ وَإِن كانَ السَلامُ تَحِيَّةً

    فَوَجهُكَ دونَ الرَدِّ يَكفي المُسَلِّما

    Peace! And though peace is a greeting,

    Your face, without a reply, is enough for the one who greets you.

  22. أَلَستَ تَرى مَدَّ الفُراتِ كَأَنَّهُ

    جِبالُ شَرَورى جِئنَ في البَحرِ عُوَّما

    Do you not see the Euphrates’ flood, as though it were

    The mountains of Sharawra, come swimming in the sea?

  23. وَلَم يَكُ مِن عاداتِهِ غَيرَ أَنَّهُ

    رَأى شيمَةً مِن جارِهِ فَتَعَلَّما

    Nor was this among its habits; it merely

    Saw a trait in its neighbor and learned it.

  24. وَما نَوَّرَ الرَوضُ الشَآمِيُّ بَل فَتىً

    تَبَسَّمَ مِن شَرقِيِّهِ فَتَبَسَّما

    Nor did the Syrian garden blossom; rather, a youth

    Smiled from its eastern side, and it smiled in turn.

  25. أَتاكَ الرَبيعُ الطَلقُ يَختالُ ضاحِكاً

    مِنَ الحُسنِ حَتّى كادَ أَن يَتَكَلَّما

    Cheerful spring has come to you, strutting and laughing,

    With such beauty that it almost spoke.

  26. وَقَد نَبَّهَ النَوروزُ في غَلَسِ الدُجى

    أَوائِلَ وَردٍ كُنَّ بِالأَمسِ نُوَّما

    And Nowruz has awakened, in the night’s predawn gloom,

    The earliest roses, which were asleep yesterday.

  27. يُفَتِّقُها بَردُ النَدى فَكَأَنَّهُ

    يَبُثُّ حَديثاً كانَ أَمسِ مُكَتَّما

    The dew’s coolness opens them, as though it

    Were spreading a tale kept secret yesterday.

  28. وَمِن شَجَرٍ رَدَّ الرَبيعُ لِباسُهُ

    عَلَيهِ كَما نَشَّرتَ وَشياً مُنَمنَما

    And many a tree whose garment spring has restored

    To it, as you spread out finely patterned brocade,

  29. أَحَلَّ فَأَبدى لِلعُيونِ بَشاشَةً

    وَكانَ قَذىً لِلعَينِ إِذ كانَ مُحرَما

    Has left its consecrated state and shown gladness to the eyes,

    Though it was a mote in the eye while still consecrated.

  30. وَرَقَّ نَسيمُ الريحِ حَتّى حَسِبتَهُ

    يَجيءُ بِأَنفاسِ الأَحِبَّةِ نُعَّما

    And the wind’s breeze grew so gentle that I thought it

    Came bearing the soft breaths of loved ones.

  31. فَما يَحبِسُ الراحَ الَّتي أَنتَ خِلُّها

    وَما يَمنَعُ الأَوتارَ أَن تَتَرَنَّما

    Then what holds back the wine whose intimate friend you are,

    And what keeps the strings from singing?

  32. وَما زِلتَ شَمساً لِلنَدامى إِذا انتَشوا

    وَراحوا بُدوراً يَستَحِثّونَ أَنجُما

    And you have always been a sun to drinking companions when they grow tipsy,

    And become full moons, urging stars onward.

  33. تَكَرَّمتَ مِن قَبلِ الكُؤوسِ عَلَيهِمُ

    فَما اسطَعنَ أَن يُحدِثنَ فيكَ تَكَرُّما

    You were generous toward them even before the cups,

    So they could not create generosity in you.