1. تَأَمَّلتُ مِنها غَزالاً رَبيبا

    وَبَدراً مُنيراً وَغُصناً رَطيبا

    I beheld in her a hand-reared gazelle,

    And a radiant full moon, and a supple bough.

  2. جَلَت لَكَ عَن خَضلٍ واضِحٍ

    يَبيتُ سَناهُ عَلَيها رَقيبا

    She revealed to you a dewy, gleaming mouth,

    Whose radiance keeps watch over her all night.

  3. وَهَزَّت لَنا بِسَراةِ الكَثيبِ

    قَضيباً تُفَرِّعُ مِنهُ كَثيبا

    And on the dune’s crest she swayed for us

    A bough from which she raises a sand dune.

  4. عَشِيَّةَ راحَت وَأَترابُها

    يُقَلِّبنَ لِلهَجرِ طَرفاً مُريبا

    On the evening she departed with her age-mates,

    Casting disquieting glances that bode estrangement.

  5. كَواكِبُ لَيلٍ إِذا ما رَأَت

    كَواكِبُ شَيبٍ تَهاوَت غُروبا

    Stars of night—whenever they see

    Stars of gray hair, they tumble down and set.

  6. وَأَقمارُ رَوضٍ قَمَرنَ العُقولَ

    وَغُزلانَ رَملٍ قَلَبنَ القُلوبا

    And garden moons that have captured minds,

    And gazelles of the sands that have overturned hearts.

  7. إِذا زِدتَها نَظَراً زِدتَني

    جَمالاً بَديعاً وَشَكلاً غَريبا

    Whenever you gaze at her more, you give me more

    Wondrous beauty and a rare form.

  8. رَحَلنَ العَشِيَّةَ مِن ذي الغَضا

    وَخَلَّفنَ فيهِ جِمالاً وَطيبا

    They departed at evening from Dhu al-Ghada,

    And left behind there beauty and fragrance.

  9. فَلا تَعجَبا أَن يَعِبنَ المَشيبَ

    فَما عِبنَ في ذاكَ إِلّا مَعيبا

    So do not wonder, you two, that they find fault with gray hair;

    For in that they found fault only with what is flawed.

  10. إِذا كانَ شَيبي بَغيضاً إِلَيَّ

    فَكَيفَ يَكونُ إِلَيها حَبيبا

    If my gray hair is hateful to me,

    How, then, could it be beloved to her?

  11. وَقَد كُنتُ أَرفُلُ بُردَ الشَبابِ

    قَشيباً وَأَرفُلُ وَشياً قَشيبا

    And I once strutted in the mantle of youth,

    Fresh and new, and strutted in fresh brocade.

  12. إِذا مُلتَ مُلتَ قَضيباً رَطيبا

    وَإِن صُلتَ صُلتَ قَضيباً قَضوبا

    When you swayed, you swayed like a supple bough;

    And if you charged, you charged like a cleaving sword.

  13. وَخَلِّ الجُهولِ وَبَغضي لَهُ

    فَإِنّي لَبيبٌ أُحِبُّ اللَبيبا

    And leave the fool—and my hatred of him—alone;

    For I am discerning, and I love the discerning.

  14. يُصادِفُني الضَيفُ طَلقاً ضَحوكا

    وَإِن كُنتُ لَم أَرَ بِدعاً عَجيبا

    The guest finds me cheerful and smiling,

    Even though I have seen no astonishing novelty.

  15. وَأَستَعمِلُ الحُلمَ ما لَم أَكُن

    أَصَبتُ مِنَ الذُلِّ فيهِ نَصيبا

    And I practice forbearance, so long as I have not

    Received through it a share of humiliation.

  16. مِنَ الحُلمِ ضَربٌ إِذا رُمتَهُ

    لَقيتَ مِنَ الذُلِّ فيهِ ضُروبا

    There is a kind of forbearance: if you seek it,

    You encounter in it many kinds of humiliation.