كأنَّ اللَّيالي باللَّيالي طَلَبنَني

فهنَّ طَويلاتٌ ذَواتُ طَوائِلِ

As if the nights sought me with the nights,

For they are long, with lengthy tales,

يُحاوِلنَ منِّي ما مَضى من مَسَرَّتي

منَ الخالِياتِ الماضِياتِ الأوائِلِ

They try to take from me what is past of my joy,

From the bare, bygone first times,

وهُنَّ قليلاتٌ قِصارٌ وإنَّما

يُحاوِلنَ ثأراً بالقِصارِ القَلائِلِ

Yet they are short, brief, rather

They try revenge with the brief, little ones.

وإِلا قَصرنَ عن طَريقي فَفي يَدي

على ضَعفِها ما في يدِ ابنِ مُقاتِلِ

Unless they fell short of my path, in my hand,

Despite their weakness, is what is in the hand of the son of Muqatil.

إِذا قُلتُ أَمسى فاعِلاً فكَأنَّني

أتيتُ الَّذي يَأتي ولَستُ بِفاعِلِ

If I say I did it this evening, it is as if

I came to the one who comes and am not a doer.

سلاحُ اللَّيالي كلّ أبيضَ باذِلٍ

تجاذِبُه لا كلُّ أَسمَرَ ذابِلِ

The weapon of the nights is every white healthful one

Pulling him, not every brown fading one.

أبا أحمَدٍ خفَّ الزَّمانُ وصَرفُهُ

إِلَيكَ بِهَذا القاعِد المُتثاقِلِ

O Abu Ahmad, time diminished and diverted him

To you with this sedentary obese one.

فكُن حائِلاً بَينَ الزَّمانِ وبَينَه

فَما شُكرُه بعدَ الزَّمانِ بِحائِلِ

So be an obstacle between time and him,

For his thanks after time are not with an obstacle.

ولا تحرِمَنهُ منكَ تَعظيمَ شَأنِه

فَما كلُّ مَنزورٍ عطيَّة باخِلِ

And do not deprive him of honoring his rank from you,

For not every visited one is a gift of a miser.