ذَكَرَ الشَبابَ فَهاجَهُ التَذكارُ

أَسَفاً وَعاوَدَ نَفسَهُ اِستِعبارُ

The memory of youth stirred him

And he sighed in melancholy, trying to pull himself together

لا عُذرَ لي عِندَ العَذارى بَعدَما

شابَت بِرَأسِي لِمَّةٌ وَعِذارُ

I have no excuse anymore before the virgins

Since some gray hairs appeared on my head as a sign of old age

وَالوَقرُ في أُذُنِ الفَتى أَشهى لَهُ

مِن قَولِهِم إِنَّ المَشيبَ وَقارُ

Gravity in a young man's ear is more pleasing to him

Than their talk that gray hair brings dignity

لِلّهِ أَيّامُ الصِبا لَو لَم تَكُن

شَجَراتِ غَيٍّ ما لَهُنَّ ثِمارُ

By God, the days of youth, if they were not

Like fruitless trees, would be fruitless

ما كانَ أَقصَرَهُنَّ عِندي مُدَّةً

وَكَذاكَ أَيّامُ السُرورِ قِصارُ

None of them seemed short to me

And so are the days of happiness, fleeting

مَعَ كُلُّ غانِيَةٍ كَأَنَّ رُضابَها

عَسَلٌ مِنَ الأَشَرِ العِذابِ مُشارُ

With every singing girl it is as if her tambourine

Is honey sucked from bitter aloe wood

بَيضاءُ صِيغَ مِنَ النُجُومِ لِنَحرِها

عِقدٌ وَمِن قَصَفِ الهِلالِ سِوارُ

Her white neck is like a string of stars

Her wrists adorned with crescent moon bracelets

غَدَرت بِميثاقِ الوِدادِ وَكُلُّ مَن

تَهفُو عَلَيهِ غَديرَةٌ غَدّارُ

She betrayed the pact of love, and whoever

A deceitful pond flows over, it will deceive in the morning

إِنَّ الغَواني في غِنىً عَن مُرمِلٍ

نَزَلَ القَتِيرُ عَلَيهِ وَالإِقتارُ

Singers have no need of a wrinkled old man

Destitution has befallen him and poverty

أَمّا الشَبابُ فَما يَعُودُ وَرُبَّما

عادَ المُعِزُّ فَعاوَدَ الإِيسارُ

As for youth, it does not return, but sometimes

Good fortune returns and prosperity is restored

مَلِكٌ إِذا مَطَرَت سَحائِبُ جُودِهِ

لَم تُنتَجَع لِبِلادِهِ الأَمطارُ

A king, when the clouds of his generosity rain down

The rains cannot be contained in his lands

تَجِبُ القُلوبُ مَخافَةً مِن بَأسِهِ

وَتُغَضُّ عَنهُ إِذا بَدا الأَبصارُ

Hearts shrink in fear of his might

And eyes avert when he appears

نَجَحَ الزَمانُ بِذِكرِهِ وَتَجَمَّلَت

بِحَديثِهِ الشُعَراءُ وَالأَشعارُ

Time succeeds through mention of him, and poetry

And poets are adorned by discourse of him

سَلهُ وَحاذِر مِن أَنامِلِ كَفِّهِ

غَرَقاً فَهُنَّ إِذا طَمَينَ بِحارُ

Ask him for peace and beware of the palms of his hands

Lest you drown, for they are seas when he is calm

تَندى فَلَو لَمَسَت حِجارَةَ حَرَّةٍ

لانَت بِلِينِ بَنانِهِ الأَحجارُ

His dew, if it touched hot stones

Would melt them with the softness of his fingers

وَكَأَنَّما في كُلِّ عُضوٍ مُزنَةٌ

مِن كَفِّهِ أَو دِيمَةُ مِدرارُ

As if each limb has a balance

From his palm, or a flowing spring

لِلّهِ أَيُّ سَراةِ قَومِ أَصبَحُوا

وَكَأَنَّما أَوصافُهُم أَسمارُ

By God, what excellent companions they have become

It is as if their traits themselves are richest

طالُوا بِحُسنِ الذِكرِ إِلّا أَنَهُم

عَن نَيلِ أَسبابِ القَبيحِ قِصارُ

They have attained glory through good repute

But fall short of achieving the causes of disgrace

مِن كُلِّ مَحمُودِ الفَعالِ يَزِيدُهُ

عُسراً عَلى لُوّامِهِ الإِعسارُ

Every admirable deed makes it harder

For its critic to disparage it

قَد أَكثَرَ الفِعلَ الجَميلَ فَواحِدٌ

في نَفسِهِ الإِقلالُ وَالإِكثارُ

He has done many good acts, so that one man

Contains both scarcity and abundance

صاحَبتُهُم فَغَرِقتُ في إِحسانِهِم

غَرَقَ القَذاةِ دَحا بِها التَيّارُ

I associated with them, so I drowned in their benevolence

As the flood carries off a straw

وَعَرَفتُهُم فَعَرفتُ أَنّي مِنهُمُ

لا بِي وَلا بِجَميلِهِم إِنكارُ

And I recognized them, so I recognized that I

Cannot disavow either them or their kindness

يا أَيُّها المَلِكُ الَّذي عَزَماتُهُ

يَفعَلنَ مالا تَفعَلُ الأَقدارُ

O king, whose resolves

Accomplish what destiny does not

لِلّهِ فِعلُكَ في ابنِ عَمِّكَ إِنَّهُ

فِعلٌ عَلَيهِ مِنَ السُعُودِ أَمارُ

By God, your treatment of your cousin

Bears signs of good fortune for him

أَصبَحتُما في بَلدَةٍ مَأَنُوسَةٍ

فازَ المُقِيمُ بِها وَعَزَّ الجارُ

You have come to live in a familiar abode

So the resident prospers and the neighbor thrives

لِمَ لا نَزِيدُ عَلى الأَعادي قُوَّةً

وَلَنا يَمينٌ مِنكُمُ وَيَسارُ

Why do we not increase in strength over enemies

When we have your right hand and left?

لَو نابَنا خَطبٌ لَقِينا مِنكُما

وَزَراً تَحَطُّ بِقُربِهِ الأَوزارُ

If we sought help, we would find from both of you

A burden the likes of which burdens cannot bear

عُمِّرتُما لِلمَكرُماتِ وَدُمتُما

ما دامَ لَيلٌ مُظلِمٌ وَنَهارُ

May you both live long, for favors

As long as there is gloomy night and shining day