خَليلَيَّ خَلَّينا الصِّبا وَتَعاقَلنا

فَيالَيتَ شِعري هَل يَعودُ كَما كُنّا

My friend, we left youth and grew mature

If only I knew, will it be like it once was?

وَهَيهاتَ حالَ الهَمّ دونَ مَراحِنا

وَفارَقَنا شَرخُ الشَّبابِ وَفَرَّقنا

Alas! Worry prevented our comfort

And the prime of youth parted us

سَقى اللَّهُ أَيّامَ السِّباحَةِ رِيَّها

مُداماً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَد أَرحَضَ المُزنا

May God water the days of innocence

With wine, for God has allowed intoxication

وَحَيّا زَمانَ الأَصمَعِيِّ وَنَظرَة

إِلى الدَّيلَمِي غادَرَت بَينَنا ضِغنا

And long live the era of Al-Asma'i and Nathira

To Al-Dailami, which left behind between us, song

وَلَيلَتَنا بِالبُرجِ مِن حِصنِ صمَّع

رَعى اللَّهُ ذاكَ اللَّيلَ وَالبُرجَ وَالحِصنا

And our night at Al-Burj, from the fortress of Sima'

God has sustained that night, and the tower, and the fortress

وَحَربَ أَبي عَمروٍ وَدارَ ابن ثَعلَبٍ

فَكَم قَد عَلِمنا في الجُنونِ بِها فَنّا

And the war of Abi Amro and the house of Ibn Tha'lab

So much madness we knew through it, art

وَلَيلاً قَصَرنا بِالقُرَيطيِّ طولَهُ

إِذا شَدَّدَ الميمات في شَدوِهِ صِحنا

And a night we stayed up with Al-Qurayti, prolonging

When he stresses the meems in his singing, a melody

وَقَولَ عَلِيٍّ لِلنِّيام تَعَرَّفا

عَلى الجَسَدِ المَقرورِ وَالمُقلَةِ الوَسنا

And Ali's words to the asleep, "Do you know

The buried corpse and the rotting tooth?"

مَعاهد أتراب الصبا وَملاعب

أَجَدَّ لَنا ذكرُ السُّرور بِها حُزنا

The dens of the youth and their playgrounds

Recalling the bliss made us sadder

لَياليَ لا نَخشى مِنَ التُّركِ غارَة

وَلا نَبتَغي في وَصلِ أَحبابنا إِذنا

Nights where we don't fear a Turkish raid

Nor do we ask permission to visit friends

نَبِيتُ نَشاوى ما شَرِبنا مُدامَةً

وَنَغدو إِلى خَلعِ العِذارِ كَما كُنّا

We'd stay up drinking wine

And set out to remove garments as we were

وَكَم مُلِحٍّ وافى إِلَينا يَرُدُّنا

فَلَما أَبَينا أَن نَروحَ مَضى عَنّا

And how many jesters came to us, returning us

But when we refused to budge, they left us

أَحاديثُ أَمّا لَفظُها فَهوَ واضِحٌ

جَلِيٌّ وَلَكِن قَلَّ مَن يَفهَمُ المَعنى

Conversations - the words are clear

Explicit, yet few understand the meaning

وَمُستَخبِرٍ عَنّا أَجَبنا سُؤالَهُ

بِعَجماء لا عِلماً أَفادَت وَلا ظَنّا

And an inquirer asked us, so we answered his question

With gibberish, neither imparting knowledge nor guess

أَتانا فَسَمَّينا لَهُ الأَمرَ ناسِقاً

فَأَنبَسَ في إِبهامِهِ وَتَلَذَّذنا

He came to us, so we called the matter far-fetched

So he frowned and we were amused

يُفَسِّرُها لِلقَوم كُلُّ مُلَذَّذٍ

تَواحَشَتِ الأَيّامُ في بُعدِهِ عَنّا

Each reveler explains it to the people

The days grew distant in his absence from us

ذَكَرنا بِها أَحبابَنا فَتَناثَرَت

مَدامِعُ لا يَتركنَ عَيناً وَلا جَفنا

We remembered our loved ones and tears flowed

Leaving no eye or eyelid untouched

مَضوا وَبَقِينا لِلشَّقاوَةِ بَعدَهُم

نَزورُ دِياراً ما نُحِبُّ لَها مَغنى

They left and we remained in misery without them

We visit homes, finding in them no joy