يا مَرحَباً أَلفاً وَأَلفا

بِالكاسِراتِ إِلَيَّ طَرفا

O welcome, a thousand welcomes

To the coy-eyed beauties towards me a glance did throw

رُجحِ الرَوادِفِ كَالظِبا

ءِ تَعَرَّضَت حُوّاً وُوُطفا

Lower the litters, like the wild cows

Sweeping haughtily along

أَنكَرنَ مَركَبِيَ الحِما

رَ وَكُنَّ لا يُنكِرنَ طِرفا

They denied to recognize my ship

Though once they’d never fail to know a glance

وَسَأَلنَني أَينَ الشَبا

بُ فَقُلتُ بانَ وَكانَ حَلفا

And asked me where was my youth’s freshness fled

I said, it perished, though the oaths I swore were true

أَفنى شَبابي فَاِنقَضى

حِلفُ النِساءِ تَبِعنَ حِلفا

My youth is gone, and vanished

The oaths of women, followed youth, too

أَعطَيتُهُنَّ مَوَدَّتي

فَجَزَينَني كَذِباً وَخُلفا

I gave them loyalty and loving care

Yet they rewarded me with lies and hateful deeds unfair

وَقَصائِدٍ مِثلِ الرُقى

أَرسَلتُهُنَّ فَكُنَّ شَغفا

Poems like spells I sent them, and they filled me

With passion and desire

أَوجَعنَ كُلَّ مُغازِلٍ

وَعَصَفنَ بِالغَيرانِ عَصفا

They made me suffer pain in every love song

And stormed with separation, wrath and ire

مِن كُلِّ لَذّاتِ الفَتى

قَد نِلتُ نائِلَةً وَعُرفا

Of every joy for men that can be found

I've gained my share and more

صِدتُ الأَوانِسَ كَالدُمى

وَسَقَيتُهُنَّ الخَمرَ صِرفا

I turned from maidens shunning me

And gave them wine in flowing store