وَلَيلٍ كَإِبهامِ القَطاةِ مُعَلَّقٍ

بِنورِ صَباحٍ ظَلَّ فيهِ بِمُرقَبِ

And night hung like the paw of a cat

On the light of a dawn whose glow was trapped

أَقَمنا عَلى أَوطارِ لَهوٍ مُعَجَّلٍ

بِهِ وَتَواعَدنا بِلَيلٍ مُعَقَّبِ

In its grasp. Together we whiled away

The hours, heedless of nights yet to come.

عَلى حين لا عَهدُ الشَبابِ بمحلقٍ

لَديّ وَلا زِندُ المشيبِ بِمَثقَبِ

Gone now is the time when youth thought not

Of consequence; when age had little weight.