يَرمي فلا أتحيَّدُ

وأقولُ ما يتعمَّدُ

He throws but I do not waver,

And I say what he intends,

فأقيمُ عذركَ عند عُذ

ذالي وعذرُك يَقعُدُ

So I make your excuse before reproach -

My own and yours halts.

ونحسُّ منكَ وساوساً

أفماردٌ أم أمرَدُ

And we guess from you insinuations -

Is it a rebel or a slackard?

لا تبعُدنَّ فما بعِد

ت بل المفارق يبعَدُ

Do not distance yourself, for distance

Does not, but the separater distances.

قالوا الجهاد فقلت ما

خَلفي أشدّ وأجهَدُ

They said jihad, so I said what

I left behind is more intense and exhausting.

خلَّفتُ خلفيَ مقلةً

كاساتُها تتردَّدُ

I left behind me a beloved

Whose cups keep going around.

إني لأشربُهنَّ والس

ساقي بهنَّ يُعربدُ

I drink them while the

Cupbearer makes them overflow.

وإذا خَمِرتُ فعندَه

بردٌ به أتبرَّدُ

And when I get drunk, with it is

Coolness with which I cool down.

والعَودُ أحمدُ لي ول

كن عاقَ عنه محمدُ

The lute is most beloved to me, but

The devoted Muhammad refused it

بخلائِق يُنسى لرق

قَتها الحبيبُ المسعدُ

Due to manners forgotten for its

Gentleness by the happy beloved.

وندىً غدا بئسَ الخَلي

طُ له ونعم المقصدُ

And a dew tomorrow is miserable company

For him, and excellent is the destination.

حملت يداه لجوده

ما ليس تحمله يدُ

I carried his hands for his generosity

What my hands do not carry.

والمَكرُمات كأنها

من كفِّه تتولدُ

And favors are as if

They originate from his palm.

علماً بأنَّ المال يف

ني والثناءُ مخلدُ

Knowing that money is vanishing

And praise immortalizing.

عن عادةٍ سلفت ولل

إنسانِ ما يتعودُ

Against a habit I preceded, and for the

Human what he gets accustomed to.

وأبو المعالي منكر

وأبو المعالي يشهدُ

And Abu Al-Maali is denier

And Abu Al-Maali testifies.