أَرِقتُ فَهَل نَجمُ الدُجُنَّةِ آرِقُ

وَتَجري الغَوادي بِالرَدى وَالطَوارِقُ

I stayed up late, did the star of darkness stay up?

The valleys flow with dew and lightning,

وَيُطرِبُني بَعدَ النُهى قَولُ قائِلٍ

سَقى بارِقاً مِن جانِبِ الغَورِ بارِقُ

And after the prohibition, the words of a speaker excite me,

"One who watered with lightning by the side of the deep canyon."

أَبى الدَهرُ جوداً بِالسُرورِ وَإِن دَنا

إِلَيهِ الفَتى أَو نالَهُ فَهُوَ سارِقُ

Fate refused joy, even if

The youth approached it or attained it, he is a thief.

هَلِ اليَومُ إِلّا شارِقٌ ثُمَّ غارِبٌ

أَوِ اللَيلُ إِلّا غارِبٌ ثُمَّ شارِقُ

Is today not but rising then setting?

Or the night not but setting then rising?

مَرازِبُ كِسرى ما وَقَت مُهجَةً لَهُ

وَقَيصَرُ لَم يَمنَع رِداهُ البَطارِقُ

The palaces of Chosroes, when have they been violated?

And Caesar, did his numerous armies not protect him?

وَيَغبِرُ في الأَيّامِ مَن طالَ عُمرُهُ

فَتَغبَرُّ مِن طولِ البَقاءِ المَفارِقُ

And he grows old in the days, he whose life is long,

So with the length of survival, parting grows old.

مَحا أَلِفاتِ الشَرخِ عَن طِرسِ شَيبِهِ

لِتَخلُوَ مِن لَونِ الشَبابِ المَهارِقُ

It erased the friendships of youth from the page of his gray hair

So it would be empty of the color of departed youth.

وَمازالَ في شُربِ الأَباريقِ كارِهاً

لَما بَعَثَتهُ في الرِياحِ الأَبارِقُ

And it continued to hate drinking from cups

When the winds roused it to drink.

يَعافونَ تُرباً فيهِ تُطوى جُسومُهُم

وَمِنهُ بِحَقٍّ فُرشُها وَالنَمارِقُ

They will be covered with dust in it, their bodies folded,

And rightly furnishing it are their beddings and pavilions.

وَيُشبِهُ كَعباً إِذ بَكى وَمُتَمِّماً

لَدى كُلِّ عَقلٍ مَعبَدٌ وَمُخارِقُ

And it resembles Ka'b when he wept and Mutammim

At the side of every mind a praised and gifted one.

نَظيرَ اِبنَةِ الجونِ الَّتي النَوحُ شَأنُها

مُغَنِّيَةٌ عَن صَوتِها اللُبُّ مارِقُ

The like of the daughter of Jawn whose affair

Is the weeping of her voice, the inspirer of elegies.