إن أَكُ قَد أَقصَرتُ عَن طولِ رِحلَةٍ

فَيا رُبَّ أَصحابٍ بَعَثتُ كِرامِ

Though I have fallen short of a lengthy journey,

O Lord of noble friends I have sent as ransom,

فَقُلتُ لَهُم سيروا فِدىً خالَتي لَكُم

أَما تَجِدونَ الريحَ ذاتَ سَهامِ

I said to them "Travel in ransom for my aunt,

Do you not find the blowing wind with arrows?"

فَقاموا إِلى عيسٍ قَدِ اِنضَمَّ لَحمُها

مُوَقَّفَةٍ أَرساغُها بِخَدام

So they stood to a mare whose flesh was firm,

Halted, with its saddlebags attended by servants,

وَقُمتُ إِلى وَجناءَ كَالفَحلِ جَبلَةٍ

تُجاوِبُ شَدِّيَ نِسعَها بِبُغام

And I stood to a mare like a mighty stallion,

Answering my pulling of its lead with neighing.

فَأُدلِجُ حَتّى تَطلُعَ الشَمسُ قاصِداً

وَلَو خُلِطَت ظَلماؤُها بِقَتامِ

I travel until sunrise breaks forth,

Though its darkness mixes with gloom.

فَأَورَدتُهُم ماءً عَلى حينٍ وِردِهِ

عَلَيه خَليطٌ مِن قَطاً وَحَمامِ

I brought them to water at the time of its flowing,

On it a mixture of wildcats and pigeons.

وَأَهوَنُ كَفٍّ لا تَضيرُكَ ضَيرَةً

يَدٌ بَينَ أَيدٍ في إِناءِ طَعامِ

The easiest palm causes you no harm,

A hand between hands in a bowl of food,

يَدٌ مِن بَعيدٍ أَو قَريبٍ أَتَت بِهِ

شَآمِيَّةٌ غَبَراءُ ذاتُ قَتامِ

A hand from far or near that came with it,

Dusty, dark, from Syria.

كَأَنّي وَقَد جاوَزتُ تِسعينَ حِجَّةً

خَلَعتُ بِها يَوماً عِذارِ لِجامي

As if I have crossed ninety pilgrimages,

By which I once cast off the mantle of my youth,

عَلى الراحَتَينِ مَرَّةً وَعَلى العَصا

أَنوءُ ثَلاثاً بَعدَهُنَّ قِيامي

Once on my palms and once on my staff,

I sway thrice after them before my standing.

رَمَتني بَناتُ الدَهرِ مِن حَيثُ لا أَرى

فَكَيفَ بِمَن يُرمى وَلَيسَ بِرامِ

The girls of fate have pelted me from where I see not,

So what of one pelted who has no pelter?

فَلَو أَنَّها نَبلٌ إِذاً لَاِتَّقَيتُها

وَلَكِنَّني أُرمى بِغَيرِ سِهامِ

If only they were arrows I would have avoided them,

But I am pelted with other than arrows.

إِذا ما رَآني الناسُ قالوا أَلَم تَكُن

حَديثاً جَديدَ البَزِّ غَيرَ كَهامِ

When people see me they say "Were you not once

Fresh, with a new cloak, not ragged?"

وَأَفنى وَما أُفني مِنَ الدَهرِ لَيلَةً

وَلَم يُغنِ ما أَفنَيتُ سِلكَ نِظامِ

I perished in a night from fate,

And that which I perished did not profit the course of fate,

وَأَهلَكَني تَأميلُ يَومٍ وَلَيلَةٍ

وَتَأميلُ عامٍ بَعدَ ذاكَ وَعامِ

And thinking of a day and night destroyed me,

As did thinking of a year after that, and years.