سَقياً لِأَيّامٍ مَضَت قَلائِلِ

إِذ آلَ في عُذرِ الشَبابِ الجاهِلِ

A drink for days gone by, how few,

When my excuse was youthful ignorance,

وَأَمَلي مُطيعُ قَلبِ الآمِلِ

وَلِمَّتي مَصقولَةُ السَلاسِلِ

And my hope obeyed the heart of the hopeful one,

And my ambition was polished like chains.

أَحكُمُ في أَحكامِ دَهرٍ غافِلِ

فَقَصَّرَ الحَقُّ عِنانَ الباطِلِ

I judge in the judgments of an inattentive fate,

So right curtailed the rein of falsehood,

وَوَعَظَ الدَهرُ بِشَيبٍ شامِلِ

وَشَكَّني بِأَسهُمٍ قَواتِلِ

And fate preached with encompassing old age,

And bent me with deadly arrows,

صَوائِبٍ تَهتَزُّ في المَقاتِلِ

أَفَلَستُ مِن ذاكَ الزَمانِ القاتِلِ

Misfortunes that shake in the battles,

Am I not rid of that killing time,

إِلّا بِطولِ الذِكرِ وَالبَلابِلِ

قَد كُنتُ حَيّاداً عَنِ الحَبائِلِ

Save by long memory and sights?

I used to shy from the ropes,

لا تَلتَقي بي طُرُقُ المَناهِلِ

وَلا أُرى فَريسَةً لِئاكِلِ

No paths of waterholes meet me,

Nor do I see prey for the eater

مِن مَعشَرٍ هُم جِلَّةُ القَبائِلِ

مُنفَرِداً بِحَسَبٍ وَنائِلِ

From a group who are all the tribes,

Alone with lineage and attaining,

وَأَدَبٍ يُكثِرُ غَيظَ الجاهِلِ

وَقوتِ نَفسٍ كانَ غَيرَ واصِلِ

And discipline that augments the ignorant one’s rage

And strength of soul that was never connecting.

يُقعِدُني عَنهُ قِيامُ السائِلِ

وَيَفتَديني مِن رَجاءِ الباخِلِ

It makes me abstain the standing of the asker

And ransoms me from the stingy one’s hope.

وَرَأيُ قَلبٍ كَالحُسامِ فاصِلِ

مُهَذَّبٍ يَرسُبُ في المَفاصِلِ

And the heart’s opinion is separating like a sword,

Well-mannered, it runs in the joints.

كَم قَد عَرَفتُ مِن صَديقٍ باخِلِ

وَحاسِدٍ يُشيرُ بِالأَنامِلِ

How much have I known of a stingy friend

And envious one who hints with gestures,

يَرجُمُني بِكَذِبٍ وَباطِلِ

Pelting me with lies and falsehood!