يا صاحِبي شَيَّبتُ عَفواً

وَشَرِبتُ بِالتَكديرِ صَفوا

O my companion, my hair has greyed unbidden

And I have drunk bitterness in draughts

وَسُقيتُ كاساتِ الهَوى

فَوَجَدتُها مُرّاً وَحُلوا

And quaffed the cups of passion

Finding them bitter and sweet

ظَبيٌ يُجاهِرُ بِالقِلى

تيهاً عَلى ذُلّي وَقَسوا

A gazelle openly grazing the arid land

Wandering in my weakness and hardness

شَغَلَ الفُؤادَ بِكُربَةٍ

قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ وَصارَ خِلوا

It has busied my heart with a sorrow

That has seized it and made it empty

واهاً لِأَيّامِ الصِبا

مُحِيَت مِنَ الآنامِ مَحوا

Woe to the days of youth

Effaced from people without a trace

أَزمانَ أَبلُغُ في المُنى

أَقطارَها مَرَحاً وَلَهوا

Days in which I indulged in wishes

Roving through their regions in delight and amusement

أَيّامَ تُغفَرُ زَلَّتي

وَيُظَنُّ عَمدُ الذَنبِ سَهوا

Days when my slip is forgiven

And the intention of sin thought a lapse

يَغدو عَلَيَّ بِكَأسِهِ

رَشَأٌ مَريضُ الطَرفِ أَحوى

The morning comes to me with his cup

A sight refreshing my languorous eyes

حُشِيَت عَقارِبُ صُدغِهِ

بِالمِسكِ في خَدَّيهِ حَشوا

The corners of his cheeks stuffed

With musk, perfume in his cheeks

وَكَأَنَّما أَجفانُهُ

تَشكو إِلَيكَ السُقمَ شَكوا

As if his eyelids complain to you

Of illness in plaintive murmurs

في فِتيَةٍ قَدَّمتُهُم

قَبلي وَما اِستَخلَفتُ كُفوا

In some youths I preferred before me

And none have I found a match

أَمسَوا جَوىً في القَلبِ يُح

زِنُهُ وَأَحزاناً وَشَجوا

They have become, in my heart, a burning yearning

That saddens it, with sorrows and passion

سَل لِلمَنازِلِ سَقيَةً

وَالرَبعِ وَالدَيرَينِ أَقوى

Ask the dwellings for water

And the meadows, the two convents stronger

حَتّى تَظَلَّ بِقاعُهُ

شُهُباً مُنَوَّرَةً وَحُوّا

Until their places remain

Fiery stars illuminated and bent

وَيَهُزُّ أَجنِحَةَ النَبا

تِ نَسيمُهُ وَيَحُنُّ زَهوا

And the breeze of it shakes

The wings of plants and bends their glory

مِن كُلِّ عَيشٍ قَد أَصَب

تُ لَذيذَهُ وَسَلَكتُ نَحوا

Of every sweet life I have attained

Its pleasures and walked its path

زَمَنُ الصِبا وَرَدَدتُ كَف

فاً بَعدَهُ وَقَصَرتُ خَطوا

The days of youth but I folded my palm

After them and shortened my stride

سَلَّ المَشيبُ سُيوفَهُ

فَسَطا عَلى اللَذّاتِ صَطوا

Grey hair has bared its swords

And stretched over pleasures its shadow

حَتّى اِنثَنَت حُمَةُ الشَبا

بِ كَليلَةً وَصَحَوتُ صَحوا

Till the mist of youth bent

Withering and I woke at dawn

وَلَقَد لَقَيتُ عَظيمَةً

مَحذورَةً وَحَمَلتُ عَبوا

And indeed I have met a tremendous

Threat and shouldered a heavy load

وَرَفَلتُ في قُمصِ الحَدي

دِ وَما أَرى في اللَيلِ ضَوّا

And I strutted in the shirt of iron

But I do not see in the night glimmers

بِشِمِلَّةٍ جَوّالَةٍ

تَنضو مَطايا الرَكبِ نَضوا

With a roving, far-wandering cloak

That makes the steeds of riders leap

رَحَلَت بِها هِمَمُ اِمرِئٍ

وَمُقامُها في الهَمِّ أَسوا

The resolves of a man have journeyed with it

And its abode in cares the severest

أَومى إِلَيها بِالزِما

مِ فَلَم تَدَع لِلسَطوِ عَدوا

He gestured to it in hard times

But did not leave any room for trespassing

وَلَقَد فَضَضتُ عَنِ الصَبا

حِ ظَلامَهُ سَحَراً وَغُدوا

And indeed I have shed for youth

Its darkness at dawn and in the morning

بِمُخَنَّثٍ ذي مَيعَةٍ

يَنزو أَمامَ الخَيلِ نَزوا

With an effeminate of little strength

Who prances before the horses prancing

في إِثرِ سارِيَةٍ تَبَط

طَنَ نورُها خَفضاً وَرَبوا

In the footsteps of a starry banner

Whose light has humbly dimmed and bent

نُحِرَت عَلى حُرِّ الثَرى

بِسُقاتِ وابِلِها فَأَروى

Sacrificed on the heat of the ground

With its pouring showers watering it