يا لِقَومي فَتَنَتني جارَتي

يا لِقَومي فَتَنَتني جارَتي

بَعدَ ما شِبتُ وَأَبلاني الكِبَرْ

بَعدَ ما شِبتُ وَأَبلاني الكِبَرْ

O my people! My neighbor has bewitched me,

Oh my people, my neighbor has tempted me

O my people, my neighbor has enchanted me,

After I grew gray and old age wore me down,

After I grew old and was weakened by age

After I have grown gray and old age has worn me down,

وَأتَتْ لي سَنواتٌ أَربَعٌ

وَأتَتْ لي سَنواتٌ أَربَعٌ

بَعدَ ستين تَقضَّت لي أُخَرْ

بَعدَ ستين تَقضَّت لي أُخَرْ

And four years have come upon me,

And four years have come upon me

And four more years have come to pass for me,

After sixty others had passed me by.

After sixty passed me by

After another sixty have already slipped away,

بَعدَ ما كُنتُ فَتىً ذا مِرَّةٍ

بَعدَ ما كُنتُ فَتىً ذا مِرَّةٍ

بَين غِزلانٍ أَثارَتها البَطَرْ

بَين غِزلانٍ أَثارَتها البَطَرْ

After I had been a youth full of vigor,

After I was once a virile young man

After I was a youth of robust vigor,

Among gazelles stirred by wanton pride.

Among does aroused by the rain

Among gazelles stirred by playful pride;

شيبة أَنكرن حيناً شأنَها

شيبة أَنكرن حيناً شأنَها

وَأَنا القَرمُ اذا عُدَّت مُضَرْ

وَأَنا القَرمُ اذا عُدَّت مُضَرْ

Gray hair—they disdained its appearance for a time,

Gray hair took me by surprise

A hoary age whose state they sometimes spurned,

Yet I am the chief when Mudar is reckoned.

When I, an old man, was counted as harmful

Even though I am the revered chieftain when the tribe of Mudar is counted.

حَبَّذا الشربُ بدارين إِذا

حَبَّذا الشربُ بدارين إِذا

بِتُّ أُسقاها وَقَد غابَ القَمَرْ

بِتُّ أُسقاها وَقَد غابَ القَمَرْ

How lovely the drinking at Darin, when

How lovely is drinking in the two abodes when

How excellent is the drinking in Darin when

I spent the night being served wine, the moon already set.

I stay up at night after the moon has gone

I spend the night being poured wine after the moon has set,

عندنا صنّاجَةٌ رَقّاصَةٌ

عندنا صنّاجَةٌ رَقّاصَةٌ

وَغُلامٌ كُلَّما شِئنا زَمَرْ

وَغُلامٌ كُلَّما شِئنا زَمَرْ

With us was a dancing cymbal-player,

We have a tinkling jug

While we have a dancing girl playing the cymbals,

And a youth who played the pipe whenever we wished.

And a boy who drums whenever we desire

And a young boy who plays the flute whenever we desire;

حَسَنُ العرنين ذو قَصّابةٍ

حَسَنُ العرنين ذو قَصّابةٍ

زانَهُ شَذرٌ وَياقوتٌ وَدُرّْ

زانَهُ شَذرٌ وَياقوتٌ وَدُرّْ

Fine-nosed, wearing an ornamental headband,

Beautiful fair one with a butcher's brand

Fine-featured and holding a reed pipe,

Gold beads, rubies, and pearls adorned him.

His adornment: speckles, ruby, and pearl

Adorned with beads of gold, rubies, and pearls.

وَإِذا قُلتُ لَهُ قم فاسقنا

وَإِذا قُلتُ لَهُ قم فاسقنا

قامَ يَمشي مشيَةَ اللَيثِ الهَصِرْ

قامَ يَمشي مشيَةَ اللَيثِ الهَصِرْ

And when I said to him, 'Rise, then give us drink,'

And if I say to him “Rise and serve us drinks”

And when I say to him, "Arise and pour for us,"

He rose, walking with a bone-crushing lion's gait,

He gets up and walks with the stride of a ferocious lion

He rises, walking with the stride of a crushing lion,

وَأَتانا بِشَمولٍ قَهوَةٍ

وَأَتانا بِشَمولٍ قَهوَةٍ

نَتَعاطاها بِكاساتِ الصُّفُرْ

نَتَعاطاها بِكاساتِ الصُّفُرْ

And brought us wine;

And he brings us coffee in a brass pot

Bringing us a cool and aged wine,

We passed it round in cups of brass

That we sip from golden cups

Which we pass to one another in cups of brass,

وَأَباريقَ تَناهَت سَعَةً

وَأَباريقَ تَناهَت سَعَةً

وَالَّذي في الكَفِّ مَلثومٌ أَغَرّْ

وَالَّذي في الكَفِّ مَلثومٌ أَغَرّْ

And pitchers of immense capacity.

And pitchers as vast as can be

And from pitchers of the utmost capacity,

And the vessel in his palm was veiled and gleaming white,

And the one in his grip has a sealed spout

While the vessel in the hand is veiled and gleaming,

مِثل فَرخٍ هَبَّ في غيطلةٍ

مِثل فَرخٍ هَبَّ في غيطلةٍ

حَذَرَ الصَقرِ فأقعى وَنَظَرْ

حَذَرَ الصَقرِ فأقعى وَنَظَرْ

Like a fledgling that sprang up in a thicket,

Like a chick startled in the bushes

Like a young bird waking in a dense thicket,

Fearing the falcon, then crouched and looked;

Fearing the falcon, ducking down and looking

Wary of the falcon, crouching as it keeps watch,

أَو كَظَبيِ اللصبِ وافى مَرقباً

أَو كَظَبيِ اللصبِ وافى مَرقباً

حَذرَ القانِص صُبحاً فَنَفرْ

حَذرَ القانِص صُبحاً فَنَفرْ

Or like a gazelle of the ravine that reached a lookout,

Or a gazelle at a watering hole sighting a hunter

Or like a mountain-cleft gazelle reaching a high vantage point,

Then fled at dawn for fear of the hunter,

Fearing the bowman in the early morn and startling

Fearing the hunter at dawn, so it took flight,

فعلا ثُمَّ اِستَوى مُرتَئباً

فعلا ثُمَّ اِستَوى مُرتَئباً

قُلَّةَ الطَورِ عَلى رأسِ الحَجَرْ

قُلَّةَ الطَورِ عَلى رأسِ الحَجَرْ

And climbed, then stood erect,

Then actually standing still, apprehensive

Ascending, then standing firm though terrified,

On the mountain's summit, atop the rock.

Skittish atop a boulder

Upon the mountain peak, at the very crest of the rocks.