لَئِن رَحتُ مُبيَضَّ الذَوائِبِ مِن شَعري

وَأَبدَلَني دَهري غُرابِيَ بِالنِسرِ

Although I have come to be with whitened locks of hair,

And time has exchanged my raven blackness for the vulture's white,

فَيا رُبَّ خَمّارٍ طَرَقتُ بِسُحرَةٍ

فَنَبَّهتُهُ وَالطَيرُ في كَنَفِ الوَكرِ

How many a wine-merchant have I roused at dawn,

Awakening him while the birds were still sheltered in their nests;

أَقُمنا بِهِ نُعطي البَطالَةَ حَقَّها

إِذا لَم يَنَل لَذّاتِها الرَجُلُ المُثري

We lingered there, giving hedonism its full due,

If the man of wealth does not seize its delights,

وَذي غَيَدٍ قَد صادَنا مِنهُ إِذ بَدا

مَحاسِنُ ما بَينَ الجَبينِ إِلى النَحرِ

And a slender beauty captured us—from the moment he appeared—

With the charms displayed between the forehead and the throat,

رَمَيناهُ بِالأَبصارِ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ

فَراحَ وَقَد نِلناهُ بِالنَظَرِ الشَزرِ

We cast our gazes upon him from every direction,

So he departed, while we had struck him with piercing, sidelong glances.