مَن لَم يَذُق فَقدَ أَليفِ الصِبا

مَن لَم يَذُق فَقدَ أَليفِ الصِبا

لَم يَدرِ ما أُبدي وَما أُضمِرُ

لَم يَدرِ ما أُبدي وَما أُضمِرُ

Whoever has not tasted the loss of a companion of youth

Who has not tasted the sweetness of youth

Does not know what I reveal and what I conceal.

Knows not what I reveal or what I conceal

أَفقَدَني المَوتُ بِهِ وافِياً

أَفقَدَني المَوتُ بِهِ وافِياً

لا يَعرِفُ الخَتلَ وَلا يَغدِر

لا يَعرِفُ الخَتلَ وَلا يَغدِر

Death robbed me, in him, of a loyal friend,

Death took him from me, faithful,

Who knew no guile and never betrayed.

One who knows no deceit or betrayal

تَقرَأُ في عَينَيهِ كُلَّ الَّذي

تَقرَأُ في عَينَيهِ كُلَّ الَّذي

في نَفسِهِ عَن نَفسِهِ يَستُرُ

في نَفسِهِ عَن نَفسِهِ يَستُرُ

You read in his eyes all that

You can read in his eyes all that

He hides within himself, even from himself.

In his soul about himself he hides

ثَلاثَةٌ لَم تَعرُ عَن عِفَّةٍ

ثَلاثَةٌ لَم تَعرُ عَن عِفَّةٍ

لِسانُهُ وَالذَيلُ وَالمِئزَرُ

لِسانُهُ وَالذَيلُ وَالمِئزَرُ

Three things were never without chastity:

Three things in him knew no lack of virtue:

His tongue, his robe's hem, and his loincloth.

His tongue, his hem, and his loins

قَد كانَ مِتلافاً لِأَموالِهِ

قَد كانَ مِتلافاً لِأَموالِهِ

وَكانَ نَهّاضاً بِمَن يَعثُرُ

وَكانَ نَهّاضاً بِمَن يَعثُرُ

He was lavish in spending his wealth,

He was wont to spend his money

And ever ready to raise up anyone who stumbled.

And to spur on him who stumbles

أَوشَكَ أَن يُفقِرَهُ جودُهُ

أَوشَكَ أَن يُفقِرَهُ جودُهُ

وَمِن صُنوفِ الجودِ ما يُفقِرُ

وَمِن صُنوفِ الجودِ ما يُفقِرُ

His generosity nearly reduced him to poverty,

His generosity almost impoverished him

And some kinds of generosity impoverish.

And generosity has that which impoverishes

أُصيبَ فيهِ المَجدُ يَومَ اِنطَوى

أُصيبَ فيهِ المَجدُ يَومَ اِنطَوى

وَالعُرفُ وَالسائِلُ وَالمُعسِرُ

وَالعُرفُ وَالسائِلُ وَالمُعسِرُ

Glory was stricken in him the day he was folded away,

In his death nobleness was smitten

And so were kindness, the beggar, and the hard-pressed.

And manners, and the questioner, and the destitute

كُنّا عَلى عَهدِ الصِبا سَبعَةً

كُنّا عَلى عَهدِ الصِبا سَبعَةً

بِمُستَطابِ اللَهوِ نَستَأثِرُ

بِمُستَطابِ اللَهوِ نَستَأثِرُ

In the days of youth we were seven,

We were, in the days of youth, seven friends

Keeping delightful amusements to ourselves:

Glorying in pleasures for their own sake

البابِلي صَفوَةُ فِتيانِنا

البابِلي صَفوَةُ فِتيانِنا

وَاِبنُ المولِحي الكاتِبُ الأَشهَرُ

وَاِبنُ المولِحي الكاتِبُ الأَشهَرُ

Al-Babili, the finest of our young men,

Al-Babili was the choicest of our lads

And Ibn al-Mulhi, the most renowned writer,

And the son of al-Mawlaḥi, the most famed scribe

وَصادِقٌ خَيرُ بَني سَيِّدٍ

وَصادِقٌ خَيرُ بَني سَيِّدٍ

وَبَيرَمٌ إِذ عودُهُ أَخضَرُ

وَبَيرَمٌ إِذ عودُهُ أَخضَرُ

And Sadiq, the best of Sayyid's sons,

And Saadiq, the best of the sons of Sayyid

And Bayram, when his bough was green.

And Bayram, while his branch was still green

وَكانَ عَبدُ اللَهِ أُنساً لَنا

وَكانَ عَبدُ اللَهِ أُنساً لَنا

وَأُنسُ عَبدِ اللَهِ لا يُنكَرُ

وَأُنسُ عَبدِ اللَهِ لا يُنكَرُ

And Abd Allah was a joy to us,

And Abdallah was intimate company for us

And the joy of Abd Allah's company is undeniable.

And the company of Abdallah cannot be denied

لَهوٌ كَريمٌ لَم يَشُب صَفوَهُ

لَهوٌ كَريمٌ لَم يَشُب صَفوَهُ

رِجسٌ وَلَم يَشهَدهُ مُستَهتِرُ

رِجسٌ وَلَم يَشهَدهُ مُستَهتِرُ

Noble amusement, whose purity was never tainted

A noble pleasure that pure remained

By filth, nor attended by a libertine.

Unstained, and no profligate witnessed it

فَكَم لَنا مِن مَجلِسٍ طَيِّبٍ

فَكَم لَنا مِن مَجلِسٍ طَيِّبٍ

يَشتاقُهُ هارونُ أَو جَعفَرُ

يَشتاقُهُ هارونُ أَو جَعفَرُ

And how many pleasant gatherings we had,

How many a sweet session had we

That Harun or Ja'far would long for!

Yearned for by Harun or by Ja'far

نَلعَبُ بِاللَفظِ كَما نَشتَهي

نَلعَبُ بِاللَفظِ كَما نَشتَهي

وَنُضمِرُ المَعنى فَما يَظهَرُ

وَنُضمِرُ المَعنى فَما يَظهَرُ

We played with words as we pleased,

We would play with words as we wished

And concealed the meaning so it did not show.

Concealing the meaning, nothing revealed

وَنُرسِلُ النُكتَةَ مَحبوكَةً

وَنُرسِلُ النُكتَةَ مَحبوكَةً

عَن غَيرِنا في الحُسنِ لا تَصدُرُ

عَن غَيرِنا في الحُسنِ لا تَصدُرُ

And sent forth a finely woven jest,

And we would release the subtle jest

Whose like in beauty could come from no one else.

As if from another, in beauty unsurpassed

ثُمَّ اِنطَوى هَذا وَهَذا وَما

ثُمَّ اِنطَوى هَذا وَهَذا وَما

يُطوى مِنَ الأَيّامِ لا يُنشَرُ

يُطوى مِنَ الأَيّامِ لا يُنشَرُ

Then this one and that were folded away; and whatever

Then this one was folded away, and that one, and what

Days are folded away are never unfolded.

Is folded of the days cannot be unfolded

كَم دَوحَةٍ أَودى بِها عاصِفٌ

كَم دَوحَةٍ أَودى بِها عاصِفٌ

وَالنَجمُ مِن مَأمَنِهِ يَنظُرُ

وَالنَجمُ مِن مَأمَنِهِ يَنظُرُ

How many a spreading tree a storm has felled,

How many a grove where a tempest blew

While the low-growing plant looks on from its safe haven.

And the stars gaze out from their shelter