أَلا عَلِّلاني قَبلَ أَن يَأتِيَ المَوتُ

وَيُبنى لِجُثماني بِدارِ البِلى بَيتُ

Oh how I wish to be advised before death comes

And a house of ruin is built for my body

أَلا عَلِّلاني كَم حَبيبٍ تَعَذَّرَت

مَوَدَّتُهُ عَن وَصلِهِ قَد تَسَلَّيتُ

Oh how I wish to be advised, how many a beloved

Whose affection was inaccessible to reunion I endured

أَلا عَلِّلاني لَيسَ سَعيِي بِمُدرَكٍ

وَلا بِوُقوفي بِالَّذي خُطَّ لي فَوتُ

Oh how I wish to be advised, my efforts are not for attainment

Nor for standing at that which was destined I missed

فَأَهلَكَني ما أَهلَكَ الناسَ كُلَّهُم

صُروفُ المُنى وَالحِرصُ وَاللَوُّ وَاللَيتُ

So I was destroyed by what destroyed all people

The turns of fate, greed, infatuation, and would that I had

أَلا رُبَّ دَسّاسٍ إِلى الكَيدِ حامِلٍ

ضِبابَ حُقودٍ قَد عَرَفتُ وَدارَيتُ

Oh how many a sly enemy bearing

Grudges’ clouds I knew and chased away

فَعادَ صَديقاً بَعدَما كانَ شائِناً

بَعيدَ الرِضى عَنّي فَصافى وَصافَيتُ

So he became a friend after he had been hostile

Far from pleased with me, but then reconciled and I reconciled

وَخِطَّةِ رِبحٍ في العُلى قَد أَجَبتُها

وَخِطَّةِ خَسفٍ ذاتِ بَخسٍ تَأَبَّيتُ

And I answered the plan of profitable gain

And the plan of devastating loss I refused

وَزادُ التُقى مِثلُ الرَفيقِ مُقَدَّماً

تَزَوَّدَ قَلبي سائِغاً لي وَأَسرَيتُ

With piety’s provision held ahead like a companion

My heart pleasantly provisioned itself and I provisioned

فَلاقَيتُهُ في مَنزِلٍ قَد أُعِدَّ لي

مَحَلّاً كَريماً لا يَرومُ فَأَقرَيتُ

So I met Him in an abode prepared for me

An honorable lodging I do not aim for, and I lodged

وَمِن عَجَبِ الأَيّامِ بَغيُ مَعاشِرٍ

غِضابٍ عَلى سَبقي إِذا أَنا جارَيتُ

And from the wonders of days the hatred of comrades

Bent on affliction when I surpass them I experienced

لَهُم رَحِمٌ دُنياهُمُ يَعرِفونَها

إِذا أَنهَكوها بِالقَطيعَةِ أَبقَيتُ

To them belongs a womb-world they know

When they exhaust it with estrangement I give life

يَصُدّونَ عَن شُكري وَتُهجَرُ سُنَّتي

عَلى قُربِ عَهدٍ مِثلَ ما يُهجَرُ البَيتُ

They bar me from gratitude and my way is shunned

Shortly after proximity like a house is shunned

فَذَلِكَ دَأبُ البِرِّ مِنّي وَدَأبُهُم

إِذا قُتِلوا نُعمايَ بِالكُفرِ أَحيَيتُ

So that is the way of righteousness from me and their way

When they kill my blessings with disbelief I give life

يُغيظُهُمُ فَضلي عَلَيهِم وَنَقصُهُم

كَأَنِّيَ قَسَّمتُ الحُظوظَ فَحابَيتُ

My exceeding them angers them and their deficiency

As though I distributed the lots and favored

وَكَم كُرَبٍ أَخّاذَةٍ بِحُلوقِهِم

مُصَمِّمَةِ البَلوى كَشَفتُ وَجَلَّيتُ

And how many firm coiling afflictions in their throats

I undid and relieved

عَرَفتُ زَماني بُؤسَهُ وَرَخائَهُ

وَلاقَيتُ مَكروهَ الخُطوبِ وَعانَيتُ

I knew my time, its misery and comfort

And I faced the hated misfortunes and endured

وَدَهرٍ مُؤاتٍ قَد مَلَكتُ نَعيمَهُ

وَأُعطيتُ مِن حَلواءِ عَيشٍ وَأَعطَيتُ

And a favorable fate whose bliss I possessed

And I was given the sweetness of livelihood and I gave

وَآخَرُ يُشجيني صَبَرتُ لِمَضِّهِ

وَكَم مِن شَجىً تَحتَ التَصَبُّرِ قاسَيتُ

And another that grieves me, for its pain I was patient

And how many agonies beneath composure I tasted

وَخَصمٍ يَهُدُّ القَرمَ رَجعُ جَوابِهِ

مَلَأتُ لَهُ صاعَ الخِصامِ فَوَفَّيتُ

And an adversary whose foolish talk is abundant

I filled for him contention’s bucket and sufficed

أُصافي بَني الشَحناءِ ما جَمجَموا بِها

لِبُقيا فَإِن أَغرَوا بِيَ الشَرَّ أَغرَيتُ

I match the fabrications of the hostile what they muddled with it

For the remains, and if they delude me with evil I deluded

وَأَتبَعُ مِصباحَ اليَقينِ فَإِن بَدا

لِيَ الشَكُّ في شَيءٍ يُريبُ تَناهَيتُ

And I follow the lantern of certainty, so if

Doubt in something uncertain appears, I refrain

وَبَهماءَ دَيمومٍ كَسَوتُ قِفارَها

مَناسِمَ حُرجوجٍ وَبَهماءَ عَرَّيتُ

And the desolation of perpetuity I covered its expanses

With scintillating mirages, and the desolation I laid bare

شَغَلتُ هُمومَ النَفسِ عَنّي بِرِحلَةٍ

فَأَصبَحتُ مِنها فَوقَ رَحلي وَأَمسَيتُ

I preoccupied the soul’s worries with a journey

And I became above it in my equipment by morning and evening

وَماءِ خَلاءٍ قَد طَرَقتُ بِسُدفَةٍ

عَلَيهِ القَطا كَأَنَّ آجِنَهُ الزَيتُ

And a spring whose surroundings I knocked with a vessel

Like oil flows down it

وَمَرقَبَةٍ مِثلِ السِنانِ عَلَوتُها

كَأَنّي لِأَردافِ الكَواكِبِ ناجَيتُ

And an outlook post like a spear I climbed

As though for the saddle seats of stars I whispered

وَأُمنِيَةٍ لَم أَمنَعِ النَفسَ رَومَها

بَلَغتُ وَأُخرى بَعدَها قَد تَمَنَّيتُ

And a wish I did not forbid my soul its intent

I attained and another thereafter I wished

وَحَربٍ عَوانٍ يُثقِلُ الأَرضَ حَملُها

وَيَلمَعُ في أَطرافِ أَرماحِها المَوتُ

And a vicious war whose burden weighs down the land

And death glints on the edges of its spears

شَهِدتُ بِصَبرٍ لا تُوَلّي جُنودُهُ

فَحاسَيتُ أَكواسَ المَنايا وَساقَيتُ

I witnessed with patience whose troops do not retreat

So I tasted the goblets of doom and I served them

وَضَيفٍ رَمَتني لَيلَةٌ بِسَوادِهِ

فَحَيّاهُ بِشري قَبلَ زادي وَحَيَّيتُ

And a guest the night tossed me in its darkness

So I greeted him ere my provision and greeted

وَباتَ بِمُمسي لَيلَةٍ غابَ شَرُّها

وَقُمتُ فَأَطعَمتُ الثَناءَ وَأُسقيتُ

And he stayed the eve of a night whose evil vanished

And I stood and fed praise and sated

وَنُعمى تَضيقُ النَفسُ حينَ أَرُدُّها

شَكَرتُ عَلَيها ذا البَلادِ وَكافَيتُ

And blessings that straiten the soul when I recount them

I thanked the Lord of the lands and it sufficed

وَداءٍ مِنَ الأَعداءِ دَبَّت سُمومُهُ

وَأَعيا رِفاءَ الشَرِّ بِالسَيفِ داوَيتُ

And a malady from the enemies crept its poisons

And I cured the calm of evil with the sword and healed

وَعَزمٍ كَمَتنِ السَيفِ لي وَلِصاحِبي

فَما أَظهَرَتهُ بَوحَةٌ مُنذُ أَخفَيتُ

And a resolve like the bending of the sword for me and my friend

That an intimation since I concealed did not disclose

وَراحٍ كَلَونِ التِبرِ يَضحَكُ كَأسُها

صَبَحتُ بِها شَرباً كِراماً وَغادَيتُ

And wine like the color of amber smiling in its cup

I began at dawn honorably drinking and left

وَبَيضاءَ تُعطي العَينَ حُسناً وَنَضرَةً

شَغَلتُ بِها عَصرَ الشَبابِ وَأَفنَيتُ

And a fair one who gives the eye beauty and radiance

I busied with her the prime of youth and spent

سَمَوتُ لَها وَاللَيلُ قَد لاحَ نَجمُهُ

فَلاقَيتُ بَدراً في الدُجى حينَ لاقَيتُ

I ascended to her and the night shone its star

And I met a full moon in the dimness when I met

وَكُنتُ اِمرَأً مِنّي التَصابي الَّذي تَرى

فَقَد بَلَغَت مِنّي النُهى فَتَناهَيتُ

And I was a man of the amorousness that you see

For I have attained the climax so I climbed beyond

وَقُلتُ أَلا يا نَفسِ هَل بَعدَ شَيبَةٍ

نَذيرٌ فَما عُذري إِذا ما تَمادَيتُ

And I said oh soul after grey hair

Is there warning, what then is my excuse if I persist?

وَقَد أَبصَرَت عَيني المَنِيَّةَ تَنتَضي

سُيوفَ مَشيبي فَوقَ رَأسي وَأَشفَيتُ

And my eye saw death brandishing

My grey hair’s swords above my head and I looked

فَخَلَّيتُ سُلطانَ التَصابي لِأَهلِهِ

وَأَدبَرتُ عَن شَأنِ الغَوِيِّ وَوَلَّيتُ

So I relinquished the reign of amorousness to its people

And I turned from the matter of the wanton and withdrew

فَما أَنا لَولا الذِكرُ ما قَد عَلِمتُمُ

أَطَعتُ عَذولي بَعدَما كُنتُ عاصَيتُ

Without remembrance I would not have known

I obeyed my own lusts after being disobedient

وَقالوا مَشيبُ الرَأسِ يَحدو إِلى الرَدى

فَقُلتُ أَراني قَد قَرُبتُ وَدانَيتُ

And they said grey hair tilts one close to destruction

I said do you see me brought near and close?

تَبَدَّلَ قَلبي ما تَبَدَّلَ مَفرِقي

بَياضُ تُقايَ قَد نَزَعتُ وَأَبقَيتُ

My heart changed not as my temples changed

I removed white marked by reverence and maintained

وَقَد طالَ ما أَترَعتُ كَأسي مِنَ الصِبا

زَماناً فَقَد عَطَّلتُ كَأسي وَأَفضَيتُ

For long I tipped my cup in youth

So I dismantled my cup after I emptied