كانَ الشَبابُ مَطِيَّةَ الجَهلِ

وَمُحَسِّنَ الضَحِكاتِ وَالهَزلِ

Youth was the mount of ignorance

Youth was the steed of ignorance and folly,

And the embellisher of laughter and jest

The beautifier of laughter and jest in my sight.

كانَ الجَميلُ إِذا اِرتَدَيتُ بِهِ

وَمَشَيتُ أَخطِرُ صَيَّتَ النَعلِ

Beauty, when I was clad in it

It was a garment of beauty whenever I donned it,

And walked, my sandal-strap did rattle

Strutting with pride as my sandals rang out.

كانَ الفَصيحُ إِذا نَطَقتُ بِهِ

وَأَصاخَتِ الآذانُ لِلمُملي

Eloquence, when I spoke it

It was the tongue of eloquence whenever I spoke,

And ears harkened unto the declaimer

While ears leaned close to attend to my words.

كانَ المُشَفَّعَ في مَآرِبِهِ

عِندَ الفَتاةِ وَمُدرِكَ التَبلِ

The intercessor in his affairs

It was my intercessor in seeking desires,

To the maid and attainment of enjoyment

With the maiden, securing the heart's revenge.

وَالباعِثي وَالناسُ قَد رَقَدوا

حَتّى أَكونَ خَليفَةَ البَعلِ

And arouser whilst people slept

It roused me to wakefulness while the world slept,

That I might be vicegerent to the husband

That I might usurp the absent husband's place.

وَالآمِري حَتّى إِذا عَزَمَت

نَفسي أَعانَ يَدَيَّ بِالفِعلِ

And commander until, when my soul purposed,

It was my commander; whenever my soul resolved,

It aided my hand to do the deed

It lent its aid to my hands in the deed.

فَالآنَ صِرتُ إِلى مُقارَبَةٍ

وَحَطَطتُ عَن ظَهرِ الصِبى رَحلي

Now have I come to doddering old age

But now I have come to the bounds of prudence,

And alighted from youth’s back my saddle

And unburdened my saddle from the back of youth.

وَالكَأسُ أَهواها وَإِن رَزَأَت

بُلَغَ المَعاشِ وَقَلَّلَت فَضلي

And the wine-cup which I loved, though it blamed me,

Yet I yearn for the cup, though it ravage my wealth,

Livelihood hath reached scant measure and lack

Consuming my substance and lessening my grace.

صَفراءُ مَجَّدَها مُرازِبُها

جَلَّت عَنِ النُظَراءِ وَالمِثلِ

A yellow one, glorified by its vintagers,

A yellow vintage, by Persian lords glorified,

Transcending peers and match

Far too sublime for a rival or peer.

ذُخِرَت لِآدَمَ قَبلَ خِقَتِهِ

فَتَقَدَّمَتهُ بِخَطوَةِ القَبلِ

Kept for Adam before his creation

Preserved for Adam before his creation,

It stepped before him with the pace of meeting

Preceding him thus by the priority of time.

فَأَتاكَ شَيءٌ لا تُلامِسُهُ

إِلّا بِحِسِّ غَريزَةِ العَقلِ

So a thing came to you you touch not

It comes to you as a presence untouched,

Save with very reason’s digit-tip

Save by the instinctual sense of the mind.

فَتَرودُ مِنها العَينُ في بَشَرٍ

حُرِّ الصَحيفَةِ ناصِعٍ سَهلِ

Whereat the eye in a fair face turns back

The eye roams over it as over a complexion,

Smooth parchment, beaming, gentle

Of a page that is pure, translucent, and smooth.

فَإِذا عَلاها الماءُ أَلبَسَها

حَبَباً كَمِثلِ جَلاجِلِ الحِجلِ

And when the water overlays it

When water ascends it, it clothes it in pearls,

It clothes it with motes like anklets' dust

Like bubbles that ring as the bells of an anklet.

حَتّى إِذا سَكَنَت جَوانِحُها

كَتَبَت بِمِثلِ أَكارِعِ النَملِ

Till, when its ferment settles,

Until, when the tumult within it subsides,

It writes the like of ants' tracks

It writes with a script like the traces of ants—

خَطَّينِ مِن شَتّى وَمُجتَمِعٍ

غُفلٍ مِنَ الإِعجامِ وَالشَكلِ

Two lines diverse conjoined,

Two lines, some scattered and others conjoined,

Uncouthly, of obscurity and shape

Bereft of all markings or vowels to be read.

فَاِعذِر أَخاكَ فَإِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ

مَرَنَت مَسامِعُهُ عَلى العَذلِ

So excuse your brother for he is a man

So pardon your brother, for he is a man

Whose hearing is dulled for reproof

Whose ears have grown callous to scolding and blame.