راعَهُ الشَيبُ إِذ نَزَل
وَكَفاهُ مِنَ العَذَل
Gray hair alarmed him when it came,
Old age came upon him as he descended,
and was admonition enough for him.
And sufficed him from longing.
وَاِنقَضَت مُدَّةُ الصِبا
وَاِنقَضى اللَهوُ وَالغَزَل
And the span of youth came to an end,
The days of youth expired,
and amusement and courtship came to an end.
And play and love songs expired.
قَد لَعمري دَمَلتُهُ
بِخَضابٍ فَما اِندَمَل
Indeed, by my life, I treated it
By my life, I have adorned it
with dye, but it did not heal.
With henna, so it faded not.
فَاِبك لِلشَّيبِ إِذ بَدا
لا عَلى الرَبعِ وَالطَلَل
So weep for gray hair as it appears,
Weep for old age when it appears,
not over the dwelling-place and the ruins.
Not for the abandoned encampment and deserted dwellings.
وَصَلَ اللَهُ لِلأَمي
رِ عُرى المُلكِ فَاِتَّصَل
May God bind for the emir
May God unite for the leader
the bonds of kingship, that it may hold together.
The bonds of kingship, so they are linked.
مَلِكٌ عَزمُهُ الزَما
نُ وَأَفَعالُهُ الدُوَل
A king whose resolve is Time,
A king whose resolve is fate
and whose deeds are the turns of fortune.
And whose deeds are cycles.
كِسرَوىٌّ بِمَجدِهِ
يَضرُبُ الضارِبُ المَثَل
Khosrow-like in his glory,
A Kisra in his glory,
the proverb-maker cites him as an example.
Sets a simile for the smiter.
وَإِلى طِلِّ عِزِّهِ
يَلجَأُ الخائِفُ الوَجل
And to the shade of his might
And to the shade of his power,
the frightened, trembling man takes refuge.
The timid terrified takes refuge.
كُلُّ خَلقٍ سِوى الإِما
مِ للأَنعامِهِ خَوَل
All creatures, save the imam,
Every creature but the Imam
are servants to his bounty.
Is an animal tending to his animals.
لَيتَهُ حينَ جادَ لي
بِالغِنى جادَ بِالقَفَل
If only, when he was generous to me
Would that when he was generous to me
with wealth, he had also granted me a return home.
With wealth, he was generous with a lock!
Sol 6.1