سَقى السالِفَ مِن دَهري

سَحابٌ واكِفُ القَطرِ

The clouds of my past era have irrigated me

With pouring rain that lingers

لَقَد وَلّى بِلَذّاتي

وَما أَحمَدتُ مِن عُمري

My pleasures have certainly departed

And I have not enjoyed my life

أَلا يا حَبَّذا عَصرُ ال

شَبابِ الغَضِّ مِن عَصرِ

Oh, blessed was the era of tender youth

More blessed than any era

زَماناً كُنتُ أَجني العَي

شَ مِن أَفنائِهِ الخُضرِ

When I used to reap the livelihood

From its ever-green glades

لَقَد وَلّى الصِبا غَضّاً

أَنيقَ الرَّوضِ وَالزَّهرِ

Youth has certainly departed, tender

And elegant, with meadows and flowers

لَدى كُلِّ فَتاةٍ غا

دَةٍ طَيِّبَةِ النَّشرِ

In the company of every slender and graceful belle

With pleasant scent and soft skin

تُريكَ البَدرَ بَدرَ التِّم

مِ في لَيلٍ مِنَ الشّعرِ

She shows you the full moon in the darkness of night

Shining like a pearl

وَتَفتَرُّ عَنِ الدُرِّ

إِذا اِفتَرَّت عَنِ الثَغرِ

When she smiles, she reveals pearls

As her lips part from her teeth

إِذا ماسَت يَكادُ الرِّد

فُ يَنبَتُّ مِنَ الخَصرِ

When she walks, her waist almost sways

And buds forth from her chest

وَكَم سُكرٍ لَنا مِن لَح

ظِها ناهيكَ مِن سُكرِ

And how much intoxication we derived

From her glances, not to mention her sweetness

وَأَحوى لَحظُهُ يَنفُ

ثُ في الأَلبابِ بِالسِّحرِ

Her amorous glance oozes

And casts a spell on hearts and minds

رَشيقُ القَدِّ يَنأَدُّ

فَيُزري بِالقَنا السُّمرِ

Slender of form, she sways

Swinging her curvy body

وَقَد دَبَّ بِخَدَّيهِ

عِذارٌ باسِطٌ عُذري

The excuses on her cheek have spread

Pleading my innocence

فَكَم مِن لَيلَةٍ مازا

لَ بَينَ السَحرِ وَالنَّحرِ

And how many nights went by

Between dusk and dawn

إِلى أَن عاثَ في اللَيلِ

مُغيراً عَسكَرُ الفَجرِ

Until the army of dawn raided the night

Disturbing it with uproar

مَضَت أَيّامُنا تِلكَ

حَميداتٍ وَلَم نَدرِ

Those days of ours have passed

Nobly, though now beyond recall