أقولُ لذي قامَةٍ كالقَضيبِ

وَخَصرٍ تَبارَكَ من خَصَّرَه

I say to one with stature like a rod

And waist that is blessed by its shaper

وَوَجه يُباري سَنَاهُ المُدامُ

يُصَبُّ من الكوبِ في القُبَّرَة

With a face that rivals its teeth in brightness

As he pours from the cup into the goblet

ألا فاغضُضِ الطرفَ يا ذا الفتى

فلِلَّهِ طرفُكَ ما أسحَرَه

Oh turn your eyes away o you, the epitome of youth

By God, your eyes - how enchanting!

لقد لعبت بي صُرُوفُ الزَّمان

كلعبِ الفتى والفتى بالكُرَة

Indeed, the turns of fate have played with me

Like the playing of a boy with a ball

وَطُيِّرتُ شَرقاً إلى غَربِها

كَطَيرِ العَواصِفِ بالزُنبُرَة

And I was tossed eastward to its west

Like the birds of storms with feathers

ويُعجبني أنني شاعرٌ

وقولُ البريَّةِ ما أشعرَهُ

And I'm amazed that I am a poet

And the words of verse - how poetic!

ولو رَهنُوني وكتبي معاً

مع الشِّعرِ والظَّرفِ والمحبرَة

And if they wagered me and my books

Along with poetry, wit and inkwell

على قوتِ يومٍ لَرَدُّوا الرهانَ

وأرمَوا إلى فضةٍ محضَرَة

For a day’s nourishment, they’d take back the bet

And toss silver freshly minted

حَرامٌ حرامٌ زَمانُ الفقيرِ

حَرامٌ حرامُهُ ما أقذَرَه

Forbidden, forbidden - the era of the destitute

Forbidden, forbidden - how foul!

إذا كان عيشُ الفتى ضيِّقاً

فخيرٌ من العيشَةِ المقبَرَة

When the life of a youth is constricted

Better than a life entombed