خليلَيَّ بعد الشيب هل يحسن الهزلُ

خليلَيَّ بعد الشيب هل يحسن الهزلُ

وهل للغواني عند ذي عدم وصلُ

وهل للغواني عند ذي عدم وصلُ

My two friends, after gray hair, is jesting seemly?

My beloved, after gray hair, is jest seemly?

And do fair women offer intimacy to a man in want?

And is frivolity seemly for the grown man?

أَلم تَرَ أن الحلم للشّيب زينةٌ

أَلم تَرَ أن الحلم للشّيب زينةٌ

ولهو التّصابي بعد مرّ الصِّبا جهلُ

ولهو التّصابي بعد مرّ الصِّبا جهلُ

Have you not seen that forbearance adorns gray hair,

Do you not see that patience is the gray-haired man's adornment?

and that youthful dalliance, once youth has passed, is folly?

And fun after the passing of youth is ignorance?

تولّت بشاشات الشّباب وأَقصرت

تولّت بشاشات الشّباب وأَقصرت

مراقبة الواشين وانقطع العذلُ

مراقبة الواشين وانقطع العذلُ

The delights of youth have departed, and there has ceased

The joys of youth have departed, and I have stopped

the watch for talebearers; reproach has ended.

Spying on the slanderers, and flirtation has ceased.

بلى بقيت أُمنيّةٌ وتِعلَّةٌ

بلى بقيت أُمنيّةٌ وتِعلَّةٌ

يكون بها عن كلّ ملهية شُغلُ

يكون بها عن كلّ ملهية شُغلُ

Indeed, a wish remains, and a solace,

But a wish remained, and an excuse,

which keep me occupied, away from every diversion.

By which to be diverted from all frivolity,

وكانت من الشعر انقضت أَريحيّةٌ

وكانت من الشعر انقضت أَريحيّةٌ

فهيّجَها من بعدما ذهلت ذُهلُ

فهيّجَها من بعدما ذهلت ذُهلُ

And an ardor for poetry had faded,

And it was poetry that blew away my cares,

then Dhuhl rekindled it after it had lapsed.

Reviving me after I had sunk into despondency.

أَبو حسن أَحيا الوصال فأصبحت

أَبو حسن أَحيا الوصال فأصبحت

سبيلُ الرّضى ما بيننا قلَّما ماتَحلُو

سبيلُ الرّضى ما بيننا قلَّما ماتَحلُو

Abu Hasan revived our bond, and now

Abu Hasan revived affection, so the path of contentment between us is seldom traversed.

the path of goodwill between us rarely lacks sweetness [reading uncertain].

He honors me with eloquence and his loved ones praise him in verse,

فيمْنَحنُي برّاص وأَحبُوه مِدْحَةً

فيمْنَحنُي برّاص وأَحبُوه مِدْحَةً

كلانا لما أَولاهُ صاحبُه أَهلُ

كلانا لما أَولاهُ صاحبُه أَهلُ

So he grants me kindness, and I bestow a praise-poem on him;

Each of us for what his companion has endowed him with ability.

each of us deserves what his companion has bestowed upon him.

Open-handed, the most beloved of people, seeker of needs

جوادُ أَحبُّ النّاس طالبُ حاجةٍ

جوادُ أَحبُّ النّاس طالبُ حاجةٍ

إليه وأَحلى الفعل في ماله البذلُ

إليه وأَحلى الفعل في ماله البذلُ

A generous man: dearest of all is one seeking a favor

From him, and the sweetest deed regarding his wealth is giving.

from him; the sweetest use of his wealth is giving.

He speaks and finds the best of people saying,

يقول فيُلفَى أَحسنَ النّاس قائلاً

يقول فيُلفَى أَحسنَ النّاس قائلاً

وأَحسن شيءٍ منه مع ذلك الفعلُ

وأَحسن شيءٍ منه مع ذلك الفعلُ

He speaks and proves the finest of speakers,

And the best thing about him along with that is the deed.

yet, for all that, the finest thing about him is action.

And he prefers decrease of wealth over merit for the exalted,

ويؤثر نقصَ المال في الفضل للعُلى

ويؤثر نقصَ المال في الفضل للعُلى

وما ضاع مالٌ نقصه للعلى فضلُ

وما ضاع مالٌ نقصه للعلى فضلُ

And he chooses to diminish his wealth through generosity, for lofty honor;

And no wealth lost whose decrease merits exaltation.

no wealth is wasted whose diminution for glory is a virtue.

Bounty has ordained that praise is truly due its people,

قضى الجود أَن الحمدَ حقٌّ لأَهله

قضى الجود أَن الحمدَ حقٌّ لأَهله

وبالذَّم في أَصحابه قد قضى البُخلُ

وبالذَّم في أَصحابه قد قضى البُخلُ

Generosity decreed that praise is the due of its practitioners,

And stinginess has decreed dispraise for its companions.

and miserliness has decreed blame for its followers,

As refined manners and qualities have decreed for the content

كما قضتِ الآداب والشيم الرِّضي

كما قضتِ الآداب والشيم الرِّضي

لذهلٍ بأن في النّاس ليس له مثلُ

لذهلٍ بأن في النّاس ليس له مثلُ

just as good manners and pleasing traits have decreed

That among people there is none like him.

for Dhuhl that no one among men is his equal.

O Abu Hasan, most generous of people in nature,

أبا حسن يا أَكرمَ النّاس شيمَةً

أبا حسن يا أَكرمَ النّاس شيمَةً

وفعلاً وأولاداً كما كرُم الأَصلُ

وفعلاً وأولاداً كما كرُم الأَصلُ

O Abu Hasan, noblest of men in character,

Deed, and children, as your origin ennobled.

and in deeds and sons, just as the ancestral root is noble.

You are among them like the lion of the thicket,

كأنك فيما بينهم ليثُ غابة

كأنك فيما بينهم ليثُ غابة

ومنهم بها في كل ناحية شِبلُ

ومنهم بها في كل ناحية شِبلُ

You are among them like a lion of the forest,

And among them in every region are cubs.

and in every corner of it, one of them is a lion cub.

And you are the sweet, pure spring, and they

وأَنت الخِضمَّ العَذب مشربه وهمُ

وأَنت الخِضمَّ العَذب مشربه وهمُ

جداوله كلٌّ له مشرع سهلُ

جداوله كلٌّ له مشرع سهلُ

And you are the vast sea, sweet to drink from, while they

Are its tributaries, each having an easy conduit.

are its streams, each with an easily reached watering place.

You remain and live in wealth and safety,

بقيتم وعشتم في غنىً وسلامة

بقيتم وعشتم في غنىً وسلامة

وعزٍ لكم طولُ الحياة به حلّوُ

وعزٍ لكم طولُ الحياة به حلّوُ

May you endure and live in prosperity and safety,

And a glory lasting your lifetime in which is delight.

and in honor that makes all your lives sweet.

And your glory grows, and your full moon is seen,

ومجدكم ينْمي وبدرُكم يُرى

ومجدكم ينْمي وبدرُكم يُرى

وسعدُكم يسمو وجدّكم يعلو

وسعدُكم يسمو وجدّكم يعلو

And may your glory grow and your full moon be seen,

And your good fortune ascends, and your bounty increases.

and your good fortune soar, and your luck rise.