عيشَتي سَلَّتي وَرَمسي غِمدي

فَاِقرُبوني فيهِ وَلا تَقرَبوني

My life is my quiver, and my poems are my arrows,

So bring me close to the target, but do not let me draw near,

زَبَّنَتها عَن دَرِّها أُمُّ دَفرٍ

فَصِفوها بِالحَيزَبونِ الزَبونِ

Their perfume was hidden from its pearls by a shell,

So describe it with gazelle musk and ambergris.

وَرَأَيتُ البَقاءَ فيها وَإِن مُد

دَ لِوَشكِ الحِمامِ كَالعُربونِ

And I saw survival in it, though it passes quickly

Like the dowry before union, a mere down payment,

إِنَّ في الشَرِّ فَاِعلَموهُ خَياراً

وَحُبونُ الرِجالِ فَوقَ الحُبونُ

For in evil, know that there are still good things,

And men's love is above all jewels.

لَيسَ حالُ المَخبولِ فيما يُلاقي

مِثلَ حالِ المَطوِيِّ وَالمَخبونِ

The state of the deceived with what they encounter

Is not like those who bend and those who cheat.

وَهُمُ الناسُ وَالحَياةُ لَهُم سو

قٌ فَمِن غابِنٍ وَمِن مَغبونِ

People and life are an open market for them,

With some who lose and some who profit.

هَرمَ البازِلُ الَّذي يَحمِلُ العِب

أَ فَأَمسى يَعُزُّهُ اِبنُ اللَبونِ

The poor wretch who carries offal

Has he not come to esteem the son of Labun?

كَم قَطَعنا مِن حِندِسٍ وَنَهارٍ

وَكَأَنَّ الزَمانَ في دَيدَبونِ

How much steam and daylight have we traversed,

As if time creeps like a lizard!

فَرَعى اللَهُ جيرَةً ما تَناءَوا

عَن رَحيبٍ لَبانُهُ مَلبونِ

May God pasture a neighbor who would not

Turn away from a downpour whose drops are clear.

أَطرَبوني وَما اِبنُ سَبرَةَ في السَب

رَةِ إِلّا مَنِيَّةُ الأَطرَبونِ

They excited me, and the son of Sabra in Sabra

Is none but the death of the aroused one.