صَحا القَلبُ عَن سَلمى وَشابَ المُعَذَّرُ

وَأَقصَرتُ إِلّا بَعضَ ما أَتَذكَّرُ

My heart was cured of Salma though my youth had passed

And I have shortened except some of what I remember

وَما نِلتُها حَتّى تَولَّت شَبيبَتي

وَحَتّى نَهاني الهاشِمِيُّ المُغَرَّرُ

And I did not attain her until my youth turned away

And the Hashimi who gets fooled forbade me

فَإِن كُنتُ قَد وَدَّعتُ عَمّارَ شاخِصاً

وَبَصَّرَني رُشدي الإِمامُ المُبَصِّرُ

So if I bid farewell to Ammar erect

And my maturity guided me, the Imam who makes insight

هِجانٌ عَلَيها حُمرَةٌ في بَياضِها

تَروقُ بِها العَينَينِ وَالحُسنُ أَحمَرُ

Laughter on her, redness in her whiteness

With which the eyes are delighted and beauty is redder

فَيا حَرَبا بانَ الشَبابُ وَحاجَتي

إِلَيهِنَّ بَينَ العَينِ وَالقَلبِ تَسجُرُ

So O wars! Youth has passed and my need for them

Between the eye and the heart continues to burn

أَقولُ وَقَد أَبدَيتُ لِلَّهوِ صِحَّتي

أَلّا رُبَّما أَلهو وَعِرضي مُوَفَّرُ

I say and I have shown to pleasure my vigor

Perhaps I may play and my honor guarded

فَدَع ما مَضى لَيسَ الحَديثُ بِما مَضى

وَلَكِن بِما أَهدى إِلَيكَ المُجَشِّرُ

Leave what has passed, speech is not about the past

But about what the counselor has guided you to

أَلَم يَنهَكَ الزِنجِيُّ عَنّي وَصِيَّةً

وَقالَ اِحذَرِ الرِئبالَ إِنَّكَ مُعوِرُ

Did not the African warn you from me insistently

And said "Beware of Ri'bal you are exposed"

وَما زِلتَ حَتّى أَورَدَتكَ مَنِيَّةٌ

عَلى أُختِها ما بِالمَنِيَّةِ مَصدَرُ

And you did not stop until a death brought you

To its sister, what is the source of death?

وَأَعثَرتَ مَن كانَ الجوادَ إِلى الخَنا

أَبا حَسَنٍ وَالسائِقُ العُربَ يُعثِرُ

And you caused to stumble who the steed to vulgarity was

Abu Hassan and the driver made the Arabs stumble

أَبا حَسَنٍ لَم تَدرِ ما في إِهاجَتي

وَفي القَومِ مَن يَهدي وَلا يَتَفَكَّرُ

Abu Hassan, you do not know what was in my madness

And in the people is one who guides and does not ponder

أَتَروي عَلَيّ الشِعرَ حَتّى تَخَبَّأت

كِلابُ العِدى مِنّي وَرُحتُ أُوَقَّرُ

Do you water me with poetry until the enemies

From me took cover and I went respected

فَإِن كَنتَ مَجنوناً فَعِندي سَعوطُهُ

وَإِن كُنتَ جِنِّيّاً فَجَدُّكَ أَعثَرُ

So if you are insane, with me is its treatment

And if you are a jinni, your grandfather is more unsteady

جَنَيتَ عَلَيكَ الحَربَ ثُمَّ خَشيتَها

فَأَصبَحتَ تَخفى تارَةً ثُمَّ تَظهَرُ

You brought war upon yourself, then you feared it

So you began hiding sometimes then appearing

كَسارِقَةٍ لَحماً فَدَلَّ قُتارُهُ

عَلَيها وَأَخزاها الشِواءُ المُهَبَّرُ

Like a meat thief so its smoke gave her away

And the simmering ashes disgraced her

وَما قَلَّ نَفسُ الخَيرِ بَل قَلَّ أَهلُهُ

وَأَخطَأتَهُ وَالشَرُّ في الناسِ أَكثَرُ

And the people of goodness did not diminish, but its people did

And you missed it while evil amongst people is more

أَبا حَسَنٍ هَلّا وَأَنتَ اِبنُ أَعجَمٍ

فَخَرتَ بِأَيّامي فَرابَكَ مَفخَرُ

Abu Hassan, why are you the son of a non-Arab

So you fell into my days and your pride is hollow

فَلا صَبرَ إِنّي مُقرَنٌ بِاِبنِ حُرَّةٍ

غَداً فَاِعرِفاني وَالرَدى حينَ أَضجَرُ

So no patience, I am collared to the son of Hurrah

Tomorrow so recognize me and the firmness when I lose composure

دَعا طَبَقَي شَرٍّ فَشُبِّهتُما بِهِ

كَأَنَّكُما أَيرانِ بَينَكُما حَرُ

He called the layers of evil so you two were equated with it

As if you both are threshing between you the chaff

سَتَعلَمُ أَنّي لا تَبِلُّ رَمِيَّتي

وَأَنَّ اِبنَ زِنجِيٍّ وَراءَكَ مُجمَرُ

You will know that my shooting does not wear out

And that the son of the African is behind you burning

أبا حَسَنٍ شانَتكَ أُمُّكَ بِاِسمِها

وَمُعسِرَةٌ في بَظرِها أَنتَ أَعسَرُ

Abu Hassan your mother has defamed you with her name

And stingy in her vulva you are more destitute