Sol 6.1

  1. أَقَمتُ وَأَجرَيتُ الصِبا ما وَحى واحٍ

    وَأَمسَكتُ عَن بابِ الضَلالَةِ مِفتاحي

    I have settled down; I let youthful folly run as long as a whisperer whispered,

    and kept my key away from the door of error.

  2. وَقالَ العَذارى لَيسَ فيكَ بَقِيَّةٌ

    كَذَبنَ يَحِزُّ السَيفُ في الطَبَعِ الضاحي

    The maidens said, "There is nothing left in you."

    They lied: a sword still cuts with its rust showing.

  3. تَمَتَّعتُ مِن وُدِّ الشَبابِ الَّذي مَضى

    مَعَ البيضِ أُسقى ريقَهُنَّ مَعَ الراحِ

    I enjoyed the love of youth now gone,

    with fair women, given their saliva to drink along with wine.

  4. وَوادُ العَذارى زائِرٌ وَمُرَدَّناً

    يَطُفنَ بِذَيّالِ السَرابيلِ مِسفاحِ

    And a lover of maidens, a visitor clad in long sleeves,

    was circled by them—a lavish man in trailing robes,

  5. مِنَ القادَةِ المُستَأذِنينَ إِذا غَدا

    كَأَنَّ عَلى أَعطافِهِ ضَوءَ مِصباحِ

    one of the leaders who seek admission; when he went forth,

    a lamp's glow seemed to lie upon his shoulders.

  6. لَقَد كانَ يَومي بِالجُدَيدِ مُشَهَّراً

    وَأَيّامُ ذي ضالٍ وَيَومٌ بِذي ضاحِ

    My day at al-Judayd was indeed renowned,

    and the days at Dhu Dal, and a day at Dhu Dah.

  7. لَيالِيَ أَغدو بَينَهُنَّ مَرَفَّلاً

    أُحِبُّ وَأُعطى حاجَتي غَيرَ مِلحاحِ

    On those nights I would go among them at dawn in trailing finery,

    loving, and granted my desire without importuning.

  8. فَغَيَّرَ ذاكَ العَيشَ تاجٌ لَبِستُهُ

    وَطاعَةُ مَهدِيٍّ كَفَت قَولَ نُصّاحِ

    Then a crown I donned changed that life,

    and obedience to Mahdi made advisers' words needless.

  9. فَمِالآنَ لا أَسري إِلى أُمِّ مالِكٍ

    بِعُتبى وَلا أُصغي إِلى قَولِ قِرواحِ

    So now I do not travel by night to Umm Malik

    with a plea for pardon, nor heed a tall woman's words.

  10. تَمَثَّلَ لي وَجهُ الخَليفَةِ دونَها

    فَقُل في حَبيبٍ دونَهُ أَسَدٌ شاحِ

    The caliph's face appeared before me, barring the way to her;

    what, then, of a beloved with a gaping lion in the way?

  11. وَنَدمانِ صِدقٍ قَد وصَلتُ حديثَهُ

    بِأَزهَرَ مَجّاجِ المُدامَةِ نَبّاحِ

    And a true drinking companion's talk I have accompanied

    with a gleaming, wine-spouting, barking vessel.

  12. إِذا فَرَغَت كَأسُ اِمرِىءٍ خَرَّ ساجِداً

    وَصَبَّ لَنا صَفراءَ في طيبِ تُفّاحِ

    Whenever a man's cup emptied, it fell prostrate

    and poured us golden wine with the fragrance of apples.

  13. عَلى ذاكَ حَتّى رَدَّني عَن جَهالَةٍ

    وَما الناسُ إِلّا طالِبُ اللَهوِ أَو صاحِ

    I carried on so until he turned me from folly;

    and people are only pleasure-seekers or sober.

  14. وَلَولا أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ مُحَمَّدٌ

    رَجَعتُ بِأُخرى مِن دُمى الناسِ مِلواحِ

    Were it not for Muhammad, Commander of the Faithful,

    I would have returned with another alluring idol among women.

  15. لَها نَصَفاتٌ حَولَها يَستَلِمنَها

    كَما اِستَلَمَ الرُكنَ النَواسِكُ بِالراحِ

    She has middle-aged women about her, touching her

    as devout women touch the Corner with their palms.

  16. إِذا نَظَرَت حالَت بِها عَينُ ناظِرٍ

    وَأَودَت بِأَلبابِ وَأَلوَت بِأَرواحِ

    When she looked, a beholder's gaze turned toward her,

    and she ruined minds and carried souls away.

  17. فَقُلتُ لَها بانَ الشَبابُ فَقَد مَضى

    وَصاحَبَني غَيظٌ لِغَيرانَ مِنباحِ

    I told her: youth has departed; it is gone,

    and a jealous, loud-barking man's wrath accompanies me.

  18. لِعَلَّكِ أَن لا تَعرِفيني بِمِثلِها

    هَداني أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ بِمِصباحِ

    Perhaps you will not know me for anything like it;

    the Commander of the Faithful has guided me with a lamp.

  19. فَآلَيتُ لا آلو الخَليفَةَ طاعَةً

    وَلا أَبتَغي إِذناً عَلى ذاتِ أَوشاحِ

    So I swore to give the caliph unstinting obedience,

    and not to seek leave to visit a woman wearing sashes.

  20. تَرَكتُ تِجاراتِ المَعازِفَ رائِحاً

    وَأَعرَضتُ عَن راحٍ وَعَن قَينَتَي راحِ

    I left the trade in musical instruments as I departed,

    and turned away from wine and its two singing girls.