صَحا القَلبُ عَن سَلمى وَشابَ المُعَذَّرُ

صَحا القَلبُ عَن سَلمى وَشابَ المُعَذَّرُ

وَأَقصَرتُ إِلّا بَعضَ ما أَتَذكَّرُ

وَأَقصَرتُ إِلّا بَعضَ ما أَتَذكَّرُ

My heart has sobered from Salma, and my cheek-beard has grayed.

My heart was cured of Salma though my youth had passed

And I have desisted, save for a little that I recall.

And I have shortened except some of what I remember

وَما نِلتُها حَتّى تَولَّت شَبيبَتي

وَما نِلتُها حَتّى تَولَّت شَبيبَتي

وَحَتّى نَهاني الهاشِمِيُّ المُغَرَّرُ

وَحَتّى نَهاني الهاشِمِيُّ المُغَرَّرُ

I did not attain her until my youth had departed,

And I did not attain her until my youth turned away

And until the radiant-browed Hashimite restrained me.

And the Hashimi who gets fooled forbade me

فَإِن كُنتُ قَد وَدَّعتُ عَمّارَ شاخِصاً

فَإِن كُنتُ قَد وَدَّعتُ عَمّارَ شاخِصاً

وَبَصَّرَني رُشدي الإِمامُ المُبَصِّرُ

وَبَصَّرَني رُشدي الإِمامُ المُبَصِّرُ

So if I have bidden Ammar farewell upon departure,

So if I bid farewell to Ammar erect

And the enlightening imam has shown me my right course—

And my maturity guided me, the Imam who makes insight

هِجانٌ عَلَيها حُمرَةٌ في بَياضِها

هِجانٌ عَلَيها حُمرَةٌ في بَياضِها

تَروقُ بِها العَينَينِ وَالحُسنُ أَحمَرُ

تَروقُ بِها العَينَينِ وَالحُسنُ أَحمَرُ

Fair-skinned, with a blush amid her whiteness,

Laughter on her, redness in her whiteness

She delights both eyes with it; beauty is rosy.

With which the eyes are delighted and beauty is redder

فَيا حَرَبا بانَ الشَبابُ وَحاجَتي

فَيا حَرَبا بانَ الشَبابُ وَحاجَتي

إِلَيهِنَّ بَينَ العَينِ وَالقَلبِ تَسجُرُ

إِلَيهِنَّ بَينَ العَينِ وَالقَلبِ تَسجُرُ

Alas! Youth has departed, while my longing

So O wars! Youth has passed and my need for them

For those women burns between eye and heart.

Between the eye and the heart continues to burn

أَقولُ وَقَد أَبدَيتُ لِلَّهوِ صِحَّتي

أَقولُ وَقَد أَبدَيتُ لِلَّهوِ صِحَّتي

أَلّا رُبَّما أَلهو وَعِرضي مُوَفَّرُ

أَلّا رُبَّما أَلهو وَعِرضي مُوَفَّرُ

I say, having displayed my vigor for pleasure:

I say and I have shown to pleasure my vigor

Indeed, I sometimes take my pleasure, with my honor intact.

Perhaps I may play and my honor guarded

فَدَع ما مَضى لَيسَ الحَديثُ بِما مَضى

فَدَع ما مَضى لَيسَ الحَديثُ بِما مَضى

وَلَكِن بِما أَهدى إِلَيكَ المُجَشِّرُ

وَلَكِن بِما أَهدى إِلَيكَ المُجَشِّرُ

So leave what has passed; the talk is not of what has passed,

Leave what has passed, speech is not about the past

But of what al-Mujashshir has offered you.

But about what the counselor has guided you to

أَلَم يَنهَكَ الزِنجِيُّ عَنّي وَصِيَّةً

أَلَم يَنهَكَ الزِنجِيُّ عَنّي وَصِيَّةً

وَقالَ اِحذَرِ الرِئبالَ إِنَّكَ مُعوِرُ

وَقالَ اِحذَرِ الرِئبالَ إِنَّكَ مُعوِرُ

Did the Zanj man not warn you against me, by way of counsel,

Did not the African warn you from me insistently

And say, 'Beware the lion: you are exposed to attack'?

And said "Beware of Ri'bal you are exposed"

وَما زِلتَ حَتّى أَورَدَتكَ مَنِيَّةٌ

وَما زِلتَ حَتّى أَورَدَتكَ مَنِيَّةٌ

عَلى أُختِها ما بِالمَنِيَّةِ مَصدَرُ

عَلى أُختِها ما بِالمَنِيَّةِ مَصدَرُ

Yet you persisted until one death brought you

And you did not stop until a death brought you

To its sister; from death there is no return.

To its sister, what is the source of death?

وَأَعثَرتَ مَن كانَ الجوادَ إِلى الخَنا

وَأَعثَرتَ مَن كانَ الجوادَ إِلى الخَنا

أَبا حَسَنٍ وَالسائِقُ العُربَ يُعثِرُ

أَبا حَسَنٍ وَالسائِقُ العُربَ يُعثِرُ

And you made one who was a noble steed stumble into foul speech,

And you caused to stumble who the steed to vulgarity was

O Abu Hasan; the driver of Arab steeds makes them stumble.

Abu Hassan and the driver made the Arabs stumble

أَبا حَسَنٍ لَم تَدرِ ما في إِهاجَتي

أَبا حَسَنٍ لَم تَدرِ ما في إِهاجَتي

وَفي القَومِ مَن يَهدي وَلا يَتَفَكَّرُ

وَفي القَومِ مَن يَهدي وَلا يَتَفَكَّرُ

O Abu Hasan, you did not know what provoking me would bring,

Abu Hassan, you do not know what was in my madness

And among the people is one who guides without thinking.

And in the people is one who guides and does not ponder

أَتَروي عَلَيّ الشِعرَ حَتّى تَخَبَّأت

أَتَروي عَلَيّ الشِعرَ حَتّى تَخَبَّأت

كِلابُ العِدى مِنّي وَرُحتُ أُوَقَّرُ

كِلابُ العِدى مِنّي وَرُحتُ أُوَقَّرُ

Do you recite verse against me, till into hiding have gone

Do you water me with poetry until the enemies

The dogs of my foes, away from me, while I have come to be honored?

From me took cover and I went respected

فَإِن كَنتَ مَجنوناً فَعِندي سَعوطُهُ

فَإِن كَنتَ مَجنوناً فَعِندي سَعوطُهُ

وَإِن كُنتَ جِنِّيّاً فَجَدُّكَ أَعثَرُ

وَإِن كُنتَ جِنِّيّاً فَجَدُّكَ أَعثَرُ

So if you are mad, I have the medicinal snuff for it;

So if you are insane, with me is its treatment

And if you are a jinn, your luck is worse.

And if you are a jinni, your grandfather is more unsteady

جَنَيتَ عَلَيكَ الحَربَ ثُمَّ خَشيتَها

جَنَيتَ عَلَيكَ الحَربَ ثُمَّ خَشيتَها

فَأَصبَحتَ تَخفى تارَةً ثُمَّ تَظهَرُ

فَأَصبَحتَ تَخفى تارَةً ثُمَّ تَظهَرُ

You brought war upon yourself, then feared it,

You brought war upon yourself, then you feared it

So now you hide awhile, then show yourself.

So you began hiding sometimes then appearing

كَسارِقَةٍ لَحماً فَدَلَّ قُتارُهُ

كَسارِقَةٍ لَحماً فَدَلَّ قُتارُهُ

عَلَيها وَأَخزاها الشِواءُ المُهَبَّرُ

عَلَيها وَأَخزاها الشِواءُ المُهَبَّرُ

Like a woman stealing meat: its roasting scent pointed

Like a meat thief so its smoke gave her away

To her, and the thick-cut roast disgraced her.

And the simmering ashes disgraced her

وَما قَلَّ نَفسُ الخَيرِ بَل قَلَّ أَهلُهُ

وَما قَلَّ نَفسُ الخَيرِ بَل قَلَّ أَهلُهُ

وَأَخطَأتَهُ وَالشَرُّ في الناسِ أَكثَرُ

وَأَخطَأتَهُ وَالشَرُّ في الناسِ أَكثَرُ

Goodness itself has not grown scarce; rather, its people have.

And the people of goodness did not diminish, but its people did

And you have missed it; evil is more plentiful among people.

And you missed it while evil amongst people is more

أَبا حَسَنٍ هَلّا وَأَنتَ اِبنُ أَعجَمٍ

أَبا حَسَنٍ هَلّا وَأَنتَ اِبنُ أَعجَمٍ

فَخَرتَ بِأَيّامي فَرابَكَ مَفخَرُ

فَخَرتَ بِأَيّامي فَرابَكَ مَفخَرُ

O Abu Hasan, why did you not, being a non-Arab's son,

Abu Hassan, why are you the son of a non-Arab

Boast of my exploits? A source of pride has unsettled you.

So you fell into my days and your pride is hollow

فَلا صَبرَ إِنّي مُقرَنٌ بِاِبنِ حُرَّةٍ

فَلا صَبرَ إِنّي مُقرَنٌ بِاِبنِ حُرَّةٍ

غَداً فَاِعرِفاني وَالرَدى حينَ أَضجَرُ

غَداً فَاِعرِفاني وَالرَدى حينَ أَضجَرُ

So no patience! I am yoked to a freeborn woman's son

So no patience, I am collared to the son of Hurrah

Tomorrow; so know me, both of you—and death—when I grow vexed.

Tomorrow so recognize me and the firmness when I lose composure

دَعا طَبَقَي شَرٍّ فَشُبِّهتُما بِهِ

دَعا طَبَقَي شَرٍّ فَشُبِّهتُما بِهِ

كَأَنَّكُما أَيرانِ بَينَكُما حَرُ

كَأَنَّكُما أَيرانِ بَينَكُما حَرُ

Leave off, you two layers of evil: you have both been likened to it,

He called the layers of evil so you two were equated with it

As though you were two cocks, with a cunt between you.

As if you both are threshing between you the chaff

سَتَعلَمُ أَنّي لا تَبِلُّ رَمِيَّتي

سَتَعلَمُ أَنّي لا تَبِلُّ رَمِيَّتي

وَأَنَّ اِبنَ زِنجِيٍّ وَراءَكَ مُجمَرُ

وَأَنَّ اِبنَ زِنجِيٍّ وَراءَكَ مُجمَرُ

You will learn that the prey I strike does not recover,

You will know that my shooting does not wear out

And that a Zanj man's son is a brazier behind you.

And that the son of the African is behind you burning

أبا حَسَنٍ شانَتكَ أُمُّكَ بِاِسمِها

أبا حَسَنٍ شانَتكَ أُمُّكَ بِاِسمِها

وَمُعسِرَةٌ في بَظرِها أَنتَ أَعسَرُ

وَمُعسِرَةٌ في بَظرِها أَنتَ أَعسَرُ

O Abu Hasan, your mother disgraced you with her name;

Abu Hassan your mother has defamed you with her name

And she is wretched; in her clitoris, you are more wretched.

And stingy in her vulva you are more destitute