زَمَنُ الأنْسِ كلّما ولّى

زَمَنُ الأنْسِ كلّما ولّى

ردُّهُ مُعْوِزُ

ردُّهُ مُعْوِزُ

Whenever the time of fellowship passes,

The time of intimacy, whenever it passes

bringing it back is hard to achieve.

Its return is deficient

فاغْتَنِمْ منْكَ ريِّقَ العُمْرِ

فاغْتَنِمْ منْكَ ريِّقَ العُمْرِ

فهْوَ مُسْتَوفِزُ

فهْوَ مُسْتَوفِزُ

So seize the fresh prime of your life,

So take advantage of your prime of life

for it is poised to depart.

For it is fleeting

أُطْرُدِ الهَمَّ بابْنَةِ العِنَبِ

أُطْرُدِ الهَمَّ بابْنَةِ العِنَبِ

واجْلُ غيْمَ الثّرَى

واجْلُ غيْمَ الثّرَى

Drive sorrow away with the daughter of the grape,

I dispel cares with wine

and dispel the cloud of earth

And cover the dust of the ground

عنْ شُموسٍ عكَفْنَ في حُجُبِ

عنْ شُموسٍ عكَفْنَ في حُجُبِ

عنْ عُيونِ الوَرى

عنْ عُيونِ الوَرى

from suns that have dwelt behind veils,

From suns that alighted in veils

away from the eyes of humankind.

From the eyes of all

هيَ كنْزٌ منْ خالِصِ الذّهَبِ

هيَ كنْزٌ منْ خالِصِ الذّهَبِ

حُلَّ عنْهُ العُرَى

حُلَّ عنْهُ العُرَى

It is a treasure of pure gold:

It is a treasure of pure gold

undo its bonds.

Stripped of covering

كمْ فَقيرٍ أتى على وعْدٍ

كمْ فَقيرٍ أتى على وعْدٍ

فيهِ يسْتَنْجِزُ

فيهِ يسْتَنْجِزُ

How many a poor man has come on a promise,

How many poor came upon a promise

seeking its fulfillment there.

In which he acts

والوَعيدُ الشّديدُ معْروفُ

والوَعيدُ الشّديدُ معْروفُ

للّذي يَكْنِزُ

للّذي يَكْنِزُ

And the stern warning is well known

And stern warning is known

to the one who hoards.

To him who hoards

أضْحَكَ الفَجْرُ مَبْسِمَ الشّرْقِ

أضْحَكَ الفَجْرُ مَبْسِمَ الشّرْقِ

فاسْتَرابَ الظّلامْ

فاسْتَرابَ الظّلامْ

Dawn made the mouth of the east smile,

Dawn smiled the smile of the east

so darkness grew uneasy.

So darkness was amazed

وانْتَضَى الأفْقُ صارِمَ البَرْقِ

وانْتَضَى الأفْقُ صارِمَ البَرْقِ

منْ قِرابِ الغَمامْ

منْ قِرابِ الغَمامْ

And the horizon unsheathed lightning's keen sword

And the horizon sparkled

from the scabbard of the clouds.

With the lightning of clouds

وتجلّتْ تَرائِبُ الوُرْقِ

وتجلّتْ تَرائِبُ الوُرْقِ

دُرَّ زهْرِ الكِمامْ

دُرَّ زهْرِ الكِمامْ

And the breasts of the grey doves shone forth,

And the leaves were revealed

as pearls of blossoms in their calyxes.

Pearls of jasmine flowers

ولجَيْشِ الصّباحِ في الأفْقِ

ولجَيْشِ الصّباحِ في الأفْقِ

رايَةٌ تُرْكَزُ

رايَةٌ تُرْكَزُ

And for morning's army, on the horizon,

And for the army of morning in the horizon

a banner is planted.

A flag is planted

وخُيولُ السّحابِ بالبَرْقِ

وخُيولُ السّحابِ بالبَرْقِ

أبداً تُهْمَزُ

أبداً تُهْمَزُ

And the horses of the clouds, by lightning,

And the horses of clouds with lightning

are forever spurred.

Are never blunted

وقُدودُ الغُصونِ ترْتاحُ

وقُدودُ الغُصونِ ترْتاحُ

للِقا النّسيمْ

للِقا النّسيمْ

And the branches' slender forms rejoice

And the branches' candles rest

at meeting the breeze.

For the gentle breeze's arrival

وشَميمُ الرِّياضِ نفّاحٌ

وشَميمُ الرِّياضِ نفّاحٌ

كثَنا الكَريمْ

كثَنا الكَريمْ

And the fragrance of the gardens wafts abroad,

And the meadow's fragrance blows

like praise of the generous man.

Like the generous youth

ومُحيّاً للصّباحِ يلْتاحُ

ومُحيّاً للصّباحِ يلْتاحُ

في الجَمالِ الوَسيمْ

في الجَمالِ الوَسيمْ

And morning's countenance gleams

And greeting the morning exults

in comely beauty.

In handsome beauty

وخَطيبُ الحَمامِ في الغُصْنِ

وخَطيبُ الحَمامِ في الغُصْنِ

مُسْهِبٌ موجِزُ

مُسْهِبٌ موجِزُ

And the orator of the doves upon the branch

And the pigeon's suitor on the branch

speaks at length, yet concisely.

Flowing, concise

يُنْكِرُ النّوْمَ فهْوَ بالعَتْبِ

يُنْكِرُ النّوْمَ فهْوَ بالعَتْبِ

مُفْصِحٌ مُلْغِزُ

مُفْصِحٌ مُلْغِزُ

He censures sleep, and in his reproach

Denying sleep, he is in reproach

speaks plainly, yet in riddles.

Articulate, ambiguous

للبَدْرِ قُدْرَةٌ منَ النّاسِ

للبَدْرِ قُدْرَةٌ منَ النّاسِ

ذاتُ نهْجٍ قَويمْ

ذاتُ نهْجٍ قَويمْ

The full moon has power among people,

The full moon has power over people

possessing an upright course.

Of upright approach

لا تَرى في المُدامِ منْ باسِ

لا تَرى في المُدامِ منْ باسِ

وارْتِشافِ النّديمْ

وارْتِشافِ النّديمْ

You see no harm in wine

You see not in the wine-cup

or in the boon companion's sipping.

Or the drinking companions

بحَديثِ الغَرامِ والكاسِ

بحَديثِ الغَرامِ والكاسِ

في الزّمانِ القَديمْ

في الزّمانِ القَديمْ

With talk of love and the cup,

Talk of love and the goblet

in days of old,

In olden times

طوّروا صفْحَ كُلِّ ديوانٍ

طوّروا صفْحَ كُلِّ ديوانٍ

وبهِ طرّزوا

وبهِ طرّزوا

they transformed the page of every poetry collection,

They developed the page of every anthology

and embroidered it with that.

And with it they decorated

لا تُجِزْ في شَريعَةِ الظّرْفِ

لا تُجِزْ في شَريعَةِ الظّرْفِ

غيْرَ ما جوّزوا

غيْرَ ما جوّزوا

Do not permit, in the law of refinement,

Do not permit in the canon of grace

anything but what they permitted.

Other than what they sanctioned

قِفْ رِكابَ المَدائِحِ الغُرِّ

قِفْ رِكابَ المَدائِحِ الغُرِّ

بإمامِ الهُدَى

بإمامِ الهُدَى

Halt the riding camels of radiant praises

Stop at the threshold of magnificent eulogies

before the imam of guidance:

To the Imam of guidance

يوسُفِ المُلْكِ نُخْبَةِ الأمْرِ

يوسُفِ المُلْكِ نُخْبَةِ الأمْرِ

غيْثِ أفْقِ النّدَى

غيْثِ أفْقِ النّدَى

Yusuf of kingship, the choicest in command,

Yusuf, cream of rule

the rain of bounty's horizon,

Rain of the horizon’s light

مَنْ لأسْلافِهِ بَني نصْرِ

مَنْ لأسْلافِهِ بَني نصْرِ

في جِهادِ العِدَى

في جِهادِ العِدَى

he for whose forebears, the Banu Nasr,

To his ancestors, the victorious Nasr

in waging war against the foe...

In fighting enemies