نَزَعَ الفُؤادُ عَنِ البَطالَةِ وَالصِبا

وَقَضى لُبانَتَهُ فَأَقصَرَ وَاِنتَهى

The heart has turned away from youth and idleness

And spent its exuberance, so it has shortened and ended

وَأَرَحتُ حِلماً كانَ عَنّي عازِباً

وَلَقَد يَؤولُ إِلى ضَريبَتِهِ الفَتى

And I have rested a dream that was absent from me

And the youth will surely come to his turn

وَعَلِمتُ أَنَّ المَرءَ غَيرُ مُخَلَّدٍ

وَالعِلمُ يَشفي قَد عَلِمتُ مِنَ العَمى

And I knew that man is not immortal

And knowledge cures, as I have known from blindness

وَالشَيبُ يَختَلِسُ الشَبابَ تَخَوُّنا

حَتّى يَعودَ المَرءُ مُنتَقِصَ القُوى

And grey hair stealthily steals away youth by betrayal

Until man returns diminished in strength

تُنمي إِلى أَقصى الخُطوبِ نُفوسُنا

وَتَعيشُ بِالأَمَلِ المُؤَمَّلِ وَالمُنى

It raises our souls to the utmost tribulations

And lives with hopeful wishing and desire

يا مَن يَرى بَرقاً أَرِقتُ لِضَوئِهِ

أَمسى بَلَألَأَ في حَوارِكِهِ العُلى

O you who see a lightning flash I was sleepless for its glow

It glittered at night in its sublime horizons

لَمّا تَلَحلَحَ بِالبَياضِ عَماؤُهُ

حَولَ الغَريفَةِ كادَ يَثوي أَو ثَوى

When its mist glittered with whiteness

Around the hill, it almost swayed and swayed

فَأَصابَ أَيمَنُهُ المَزاهِرَ كُلَّها

وَاِقتَمَّ أَيسَرُهُ أُثَيدَةَ فَالحَشى

So its right side hit all the flowers

And its left side embraced the gardens and farms

يَدنوا فَيَرتَحِلُ الأَكامَ رَبابُهُ

حَتّى إِذا ما قيلَ يَنعَفِرُ اِنغَلى

They come near so its pillars travel

Until when it is said, it rushes away

فَكَأَنَّهُ لَمّا تَكَشَّفَ وَدقُهُ

ظَهرَ السَماوَةِ وَاِستَقَلَّ عَلى اللَوى

So it is as if when its cover was removed

The sky appeared and it rose above the twisting roads

رُكنٌ مِنَ الأَحبالِ فيهِ تَعِلَّةٌ

يَرمونَ بِالنيرانِ في خَشَبِ الغَضا

A pillar of ropes in it has a defect

They throw fire at the wood of dryness

لَجِبُ السَحابِ إِذا أَلَمَّ بِبَلدَةٍ

لَم تَسقِها الأَمطارُ مُذ زَمَنٍ بَكى

The clouds of rain, when it touches a land

Not watered by rain for a long time, wept

وَيَمُجُّ ريقَتَهُ بِكُلِّ تَنوفَةٍ

سَحَّ المَزادُ إِذا تَبَعَّجَ وَاِنفَرى

And it pushes its saliva with every gust

The clouds dispersed when they were stirred and scattered

جَرَتِ الجَنوبُ بِهِ فَمالَ مُياسِراً

حَتّى إِذا بَلَغَ الفَوارِعَ مِن سَوى

The south winds carried it, so it tilted to the left

Until when it reached the precipices beyond the distance

وَأَصابَ قُلَّةَ غرَّب بَعَجَت بِهِ

ريحٌ شَآمِيَةٌ فَيامَنَ وَاِنتَحى

And hit a low area, it leaned to the west

A northern wind, so it bent to the right and withdrew

فَاِنصَبَ في الأَوداهِ يَلمَعُ بَرقُهُ

طَوراً تَبَيَّنَهُ وَطَوراً لا يَرى

So it poured in the valleys, its lightning flashed

Sometimes visible and sometimes unseen

يَذَرُ المَكانَ المُطمَئِنَّ كَأَنَّهُ

بَحرٌ تَجاوَبَ في جَوانِبِهِ الصدى

It leaves the quiet place as if it were

A sea echoing in its sides