1. This age has run its course or neared the end,
And worries have consumed you or overwhelmed.
١. جارَ هَذا الدَهرُ أَو آبا
وَقَراكَ الهَمُّ أَوصابا
2. Processions of stars stand still,
You see in the west no gates at all.
٢. وَوُفودُ النَجمِ واقِفَةٌ
لا تَرى في الغَربِ أَبوابا
3. And dawn seems when it saw
A harsh night, terrified and scared.
٣. وَكَأَنَّ الفَجرَ حينَ رَأى
لَيلَةً قاسِيَةً هابا
4. The anger of coddling from a lovely one
Wearing the garb of beauty a cloak.
٤. غَضَبُ الإِدلالِ مِن رَشَإٍ
لابِسٍ لِلحُسنِ جِلبابا
5. My eyes are enchanted, and I do not see
Except him among people as loved ones.
٥. سُحِرَت عَيني فَلَستُ أَرى
غَيرَهُ في الناسِ أَحبابا
6. And when I was tested by him for a while
And I see for the moment causes.
٦. وَلِحَيني إِذ بُليتُ بِهِ
وَأَرى لِلحَينِ أَسبابا
7. A branch that sways in the moonlight
Galloping to the drizzle clouds.
٧. غُصُنٌ يَهتَزُّ في قَمَرٍ
راكِضاً لِلوَشيِ سَحّابا
8. The branches of his rest have borne fruit
For the votaries of beauty, ripe dates.
٨. أَثمَرَت أَغصانُ راحَتِهِ
لِجُناةِ الحُسنِ عُنّابا
9. They blamed me for the slanderers, and how much
Did they hurt me, and how much did they find fault.
٩. لامَهُ فِيَّ الوُشاةِ وَكَم
ذامَني مِنهُم وَكَم عابا
10. They tortured a young man with their injustice,
Weary in love, exhausted.
١٠. عَذَّبوا صَبّاً بِعَذلِهِمُ
مُتعَباً في الحُبِّ إِتعابا
11. So he shunned our love,
And I saw he was a liar.
١١. فَتَبَرّا مِن مَحَبَّتِنا
وَأُراهُ كانَ كَذّابا
12. My eye does not see him as an equal,
A story in love he did not live up to.
١٢. لا تَرى عَيني لَهُ شَبَهاً
غَزِلٌ في الحُبِّ ما حابى
13. And a talk I made for him
Unknown to people, veils.
١٣. وَحَديثٍ قَد جَعَلتُ لَهُ
دونَ عِلمِ الناسِ حُجّابا
14. The prose of his words does not pall,
Infatuated, it amazes with admiration.
١٤. لا يَمَلُّ النَثرَ لافِظُهُ
مُفتَنٌ يُعجَبُ إِعجابا
15. We whispered it, and it was sweet to us,
And we gained from it a plentiful share.
١٥. قَد أَبَحناهُ فَطابَ لَنا
وَحَوَينا مِنهُ إِنهابا
16. And a youth who pleased me,
And with whom I used to frolic playfully.
١٦. وَشَبابٍ كانَ يُعجِبُني
وَبِهِ قَد كُنتُ لَعّابا
17. The fame of beauty I was never turned down for,
And an intercessor who never failed.
١٧. جاهُ حُسنٍ ما رُدِدتُ بِهِ
وَشَفيعٌ قَطُّ ما خابا
18. Then we came to a means,
With the hair on his head hanging loose.
١٨. ثُمَّ أَدَّينا إِلى شَمَطٍ
مُسبِلٍ في الرَأسِ أَهدابا
19. Before me the bitterness of my life,
And behind me from it what tasted good.
١٩. فَأَمامي المُرُّ مِن عُمُري
وَوَرائي مِنهُ ما طابا
20. My hair turned grey, so I said to it:
"Turn grey my heart, for it has become old."
٢٠. خَضَبَت رَأسي فَقُلتُ لَها
أَخضِبي قَلبي فَقَد شابا
21. The condition of my fate is all fickle,
When we made it swell with anger.
٢١. شَرطُ دَهري كُلُّهُ غِيَرٌ
حينَ عادَيناهُ إِسحابا
22. And I have lived sheltered,
None found in my manners blemish.
٢٢. وَلَقَد غادَيتُ مُترَعَةً
لَم تَشِم في خُلُقي عابا
23. And I milked fate halfway through,
And the soul spent it confused.
٢٣. وَحَلَبتُ الدَهرَ أَشطُرَهُ
وَقَضَتهُ النَفسُ أَطرابا
24. And the owner of the fifth of the earth,
With it he fills the land crowded.
٢٤. وَخَميسُ الأَرضِ مالِكُهُ
يَملَأُ الأَرضَ بِهِ غابا
25. Like the swelling of the sea raging,
It rebukes the night when it becomes dark.
٢٥. مِثلُ لُجِّ البَحرِ مُصطَخِباً
يَزجُرُ اللَيلَ إِذا غابا
26. And I raid with a sharp sword
That causes the skulls to collapse numbly.
٢٦. وَلَقَد أَغزو بِسَلهَبَةٍ
تُعطِبُ الأَحقافَ إِعطابا
27. Time has clad it with its sheath,
And the night dressed it with robes.
٢٧. قَد حَذاها الدَهرُ جِلدَتَهُ
وَكَساها اللَيلُ أَثوابا
28. Doubt dwelled in it when it saw
In the corner of grief flocks.
٢٨. جاسَ فيها الشَكُّ حينَ رَأَت
بِجُنوبِ الحَزنِ أَسرابا
29. So we stoned it for its delusion,
And it spent for greed miserly.
٢٩. فَرَجَمناها بِغُرَّتِها
فَقَضَت لِلحِرصِ آرابا
30. And we repelled the spear blood stained
To the blood of beasts a drinker.
٣٠. وَرَدَدنا الرُمحَ مُختَضِباً
لِدِماءِ الوَحشِ شَرّابا