أَقفَرَ مَغنى الدِيارِ بِالنَجِفِ

وَحُلتُ عَمّا عَهِدتُ مِن لَطَفِ

The dwellings in Najaf are desolate of song,

And I have ceased from what I was used to of gentleness.

طَوَيتُ عَنها الرِضا مُذَمَّمَةً

لَمّا اِنطَوى غَضُّ عَيشِها الأُنُفِ

I turned away satisfied though it was painful,

When the prime of its life faded away.

حَلَلتُ عَن سَكرَةِ الصِبابَةِ مِن

خَوفِ إِلَهي بِمَعزَلٍ قَذُفِ

I refrained from the intoxication of youth,

Fearing my God in seclusion and solitude.

سَئِمتُ وِردَ الصِبا فَقَد يَئِسَت

مِنّي بَناتُ الخُدورِ وَالخَزَفِ

I grew weary of visiting the youths, so they

Despaired of me, the girls of tents and cottages.

سَلَوتُ عَن نُهَّدٍ نُسِبنَ إِلى

حُسنِ قَوامٍ وَاللَحظُ في وَطَفِ

I avoided the breasts attributed to a shapely figure,

And a glance circulating amidst the twisting paths.

يَمَدُدنَ حَبلَ الصِبا لِمَن أَلِفَت

رِجلاهُ قِدَّ المُحولِ وَالدَنَفِ

They stretch the rope of youth for whoever's legs

Are straight like tent poles standing upright.

وَمُدنَفٍ زادَ في النُحولِ مِنَ ال

وَجدِ إِلى مِثلِ دِقَّةِ الأَلِفِ

And an emaciated one who increased his leanness

With passion, to the thinness of an arm bone.

يُشارِكُ الطَيرَ في النَحيبِ وَلا

يُشرِكُهُ في النُحولِ وَالقَضَفِ

He shares the birds in lamenting, but does not

Share with them leanness, hardship, and distress.

وَمُسمِعاتٍ نَهَكنَ أَعظُمَهُ

فَهوَ مِنَ الضَيمِ غَيرُ مُنتَصِفِ

And female listeners whom he made suffer greatly,

So he gets no justice from the oppression.

مُفتَخِراتٍ بِالجَورِ عُجباً كَما

يَفخَرُ أَهلُ السَفاهِ بِالجَنَفِ

Proud of tyranny, how strange, as are

The foolish proud of insanity and deviation.

وَقَهوَةٍ مِن نِتاجِ قُطرَبُلٍ

تَخطِفُ عَقلَ الفَتى بِلا عُنُفِ

And coffee from the produce of Qatrabul,

That steals the intellect of the youth without force.

تُرجِعُ شَرخَ الشَبابِ لِلخَرِفِ الف

اني وَتُدني الفَتى مِنَ الشَغَفِ

It returns the crevices of youth to the doddering old,

And brings the young man closer to senility.