دَع ذِكرَ عَبدَةَ إِنَّهُ فَنَدُ

دَع ذِكرَ عَبدَةَ إِنَّهُ فَنَدُ

وَتَعَزَّ تَرفِدُ مِنكَ ما رَفَدوا

وَتَعَزَّ تَرفِدُ مِنكَ ما رَفَدوا

Leave off remembering ʿAbdah; it is folly.

Leave off mentioning Abda, for he is gone

And take comfort; you give of yourself what they gave.

And be content with what you get from me

ما نَوَّلَتكَ بِما تُطالِبُها

ما نَوَّلَتكَ بِما تُطالِبُها

إِلّا مَواعِدَ كُلُّها فَنَدُ

إِلّا مَواعِدَ كُلُّها فَنَدُ

She has given you, for what you ask of her,

She did not turn you away out of what you desire

nothing but promises, all of them lies.

Except for promises, all of which were lies

فَاِسكُن إِلى سَكَنٍ تُسَرُّ بِهِ

فَاِسكُن إِلى سَكَنٍ تُسَرُّ بِهِ

ذَهَبَ الزَمانُ وَأَنتَ مُنفَرِدُ

ذَهَبَ الزَمانُ وَأَنتَ مُنفَرِدُ

So take comfort in a companion who delights you;

So settle into a life you find pleasant

time has passed, and you are alone.

Time has passed and you remain alone

قَد شابَ رَأسُكَ في تَذَكُّرِها

قَد شابَ رَأسُكَ في تَذَكُّرِها

وَهَفا الفِراقُ وَرَقَّتِ الكَبِدُ

وَهَفا الفِراقُ وَرَقَّتِ الكَبِدُ

Your head has turned gray from remembering her,

Your hair has greyed with thoughts of her

and separation stirred, and the liver grew tender.

And separation has wasted and torn your liver

فَاِستَبقِ عِرضَكَ أَن يُدَنِّسَهُ

فَاِستَبقِ عِرضَكَ أَن يُدَنِّسَهُ

ظَنُّ المُريبِ وَظَنُّهُ حَسَدُ

ظَنُّ المُريبِ وَظَنُّهُ حَسَدُ

So preserve your honor, lest it be stained by

Protect your honor lest it be tainted

the suspicious man's suspicion—and his suspicion is envy.

By ill suspicion and jealous eyes

لا تُجرِ شَيبَكَ لِلصِبى فَرَساً

لا تُجرِ شَيبَكَ لِلصِبى فَرَساً

وَاِقعُد فَإِنَّ لَدَيكَ قَد قَعَدوا

وَاِقعُد فَإِنَّ لَدَيكَ قَد قَعَدوا

Do not send your gray hair galloping like a horse after youthful passion;

Do not let your grey hairs run with the youth

and sit down, for those beside you have already sat down.

But sit, for before you others have sat

بَل أَيُّها الرَجُلُ المُضِرُّ بِهِ

بَل أَيُّها الرَجُلُ المُضِرُّ بِهِ

حُبُّ النِساءِ فَلَيسَ يَتَّئِدُ

حُبُّ النِساءِ فَلَيسَ يَتَّئِدُ

But, O man who is harmed by

Rather, O man, love of women harms you

the love of women, and so acts without deliberation:

It cannot be tied down or controlled

أَخَّرتَ رُشدَكَ في غَدٍ فَغَدٍ

أَخَّرتَ رُشدَكَ في غَدٍ فَغَدٍ

بَل كَيفَ تَأمَنُ ما يَسوقُ غَدُ

بَل كَيفَ تَأمَنُ ما يَسوقُ غَدُ

you have put off good judgment till tomorrow, then tomorrow.

You put off your maturity again and again

But how can you feel safe from what tomorrow brings?

How can you trust what tomorrow will bring?

تَرجو غَداً وَغَدٌ كَحامِلَةٍ

تَرجو غَداً وَغَدٌ كَحامِلَةٍ

في الحَيِّ لا يَدرونَ ما تَلِدُ

في الحَيِّ لا يَدرونَ ما تَلِدُ

You hope for tomorrow, and tomorrow is like a pregnant woman

You hope for tomorrow though tomorrow is like a pregnant woman

in the tribe: they do not know what she will bear.

In life, not knowing what she will give birth to

في اليَومِ حَظُّكَ إِن أَخَذتَ بِهِ

في اليَومِ حَظُّكَ إِن أَخَذتَ بِهِ

وَغَدٌ فَفي تِلقائِهِ العَدَدُ

وَغَدٌ فَفي تِلقائِهِ العَدَدُ

Your share lies in today, if you take hold of it;

Today holds your share, if you but take it

and tomorrow—a multitude lies before it.

While tomorrow’s meeting holds only counting

الحُبُّ تُعجِبُني لَذاذَتُهُ

الحُبُّ تُعجِبُني لَذاذَتُهُ

وَالفِسقُ أَقبَحُ ما أَتى أَحَدُ

وَالفِسقُ أَقبَحُ ما أَتى أَحَدُ

Love—its sweetness delights me,

I love passion for its sweetness

and debauchery is the ugliest thing anyone has done.

Though corruption is the ugliest that can come to man

لَو كُنتُ آمِنَةً خَلَوتُ بِهِ

لَو كُنتُ آمِنَةً خَلَوتُ بِهِ

يَوماً فَحَدَّثَني بِما يَجِدُ

يَوماً فَحَدَّثَني بِما يَجِدُ

If I were safe, I would be alone with him

If I felt safe I would be alone with him

one day, and then he would tell me what he feels.

One day and he would tell me what he feels

قالَت لَها تُعفَينَ مِن رَفَثٍ

قالَت لَها تُعفَينَ مِن رَفَثٍ

وَعَلَيَّ أَنّي سَوفَ أَقتَصِدُ

وَعَلَيَّ أَنّي سَوفَ أَقتَصِدُ

She said to her: You will be spared lewdness,

She said to her, “Spare me your nonsense

and I pledge that I shall show restraint.

And I must be more careful from now on”

فَاِخلَي لَهُ يَكحَل بِرُؤيَتِكُم

فَاِخلَي لَهُ يَكحَل بِرُؤيَتِكُم

عَيناً تَعَنّاها بِكُم رَمَدُ

عَيناً تَعَنّاها بِكُم رَمَدُ

So be alone with him; let him apply the kohl of seeing you to

So empty your eyes that long to see us all

an eye afflicted with inflammation because of you.

Eyes that our absence has blinded

فَلَهَوتُ وَالظَلماءُ جاثِمَةٌ

فَلَهَوتُ وَالظَلماءُ جاثِمَةٌ

بِالشَمسِ إِلّا أَنَّها جَسَدُ

بِالشَمسِ إِلّا أَنَّها جَسَدُ

So I dallied, while the darkness crouched,

Thus we played, while the dark lay down

with the sun—except that she was flesh.

With the sun, though it is but a body

حَتّى اِنقَضى في الصُبحِ مَلعَبُنا

حَتّى اِنقَضى في الصُبحِ مَلعَبُنا

وَكَذاكَ يَهلِكُ ما لَهُ أَمَدُ

وَكَذاكَ يَهلِكُ ما لَهُ أَمَدُ

until our play came to an end at dawn.

Until our game ended at dawn

And thus perishes whatever has a fixed term.

And so too ends all that has a term