شَعرٌ كَساهُ الدَهرُ صِبغَةَ حاذِقِ

شَعرٌ كَساهُ الدَهرُ صِبغَةَ حاذِقِ

لَوناً أَقامَ بِحالِهِ لَم يَنصُلِ

لَوناً أَقامَ بِحالِهِ لَم يَنصُلِ

Hair that time has clothed in an expert's dye,

Poetry which time has dyed with the hue of a connoisseur

a color that has stayed unchanged and never faded.

A color it established stable, unchanging

شَبَحي وَإِن نِلتُ الثَرَيّا لِلثَرى

شَبَحي وَإِن نِلتُ الثَرَيّا لِلثَرى

طُعمٌ وَعُنصُرُ خَيرِنا كَالعُنصُلِ

طُعمٌ وَعُنصُرُ خَيرِنا كَالعُنصُلِ

My body, even if I reach the Pleiades, is the dust's

My specter, even if I gain wealth for the earth

food; the substance of the best of us is like squill.

Is a flavor and element of our finest, like onions

وَالناسُ كُلُّهُمُ بَغى ما فاتَهُ

وَالناسُ كُلُّهُمُ بَغى ما فاتَهُ

وَغَدا يُحاوِلُ مَطلَباً لَم يَحصُلِ

وَغَدا يُحاوِلُ مَطلَباً لَم يَحصُلِ

And everyone has sought what eluded him,

And all people desire what eludes them

and gone on pursuing a goal he has not attained.

And tomorrow they strive for unattained goals

مُتَنَصِّلٌ مِن غَيرِ ذَنبٍ فيهِمُ

مُتَنَصِّلٌ مِن غَيرِ ذَنبٍ فيهِمُ

وَأَخو ذُنوبٍ لَيسَ بِالمُتَنَصِّلِ

وَأَخو ذُنوبٍ لَيسَ بِالمُتَنَصِّلِ

Among them, one apologizes though guilty of no sin,

Disassociating without any fault among them

and one guilty of sins makes no apology.

And a brother of sins, not one to disassociate

لَو خُيِّروا بَينَ الحَياةِ وَغَيرِها

لَو خُيِّروا بَينَ الحَياةِ وَغَيرِها

ما كانَتِ الدُنيا اِختِيارَ مُحَصِّل

ما كانَتِ الدُنيا اِختِيارَ مُحَصِّل

Were they given a choice between life and its alternative,

If they were to choose between life and otherwise

this world would not be a discerning person's choice.

This world would not be the chooser's attainment

وَأَرى الفَتى بَلَغَ المَكارِمَ وَالعُلا

وَأَرى الفَتى بَلَغَ المَكارِمَ وَالعُلا

بِالحَظِّ لا بِسِنانِهِ وَالمُنصُلِ

بِالحَظِّ لا بِسِنانِهِ وَالمُنصُلِ

And I see a young man attain nobility and eminence

And I see the youth, having reached the heights of glory

by luck, not by his spearpoint and sword.

Through fortune, not his years or pruning hook

جِسمٌ يَذُمُّ النَفسَ وَهيَ تَذُمُّهُ

جِسمٌ يَذُمُّ النَفسَ وَهيَ تَذُمُّهُ

في مُجمَلٍ مِن أَمرِها وَمُفَصَّلِ

في مُجمَلٍ مِن أَمرِها وَمُفَصَّلِ

A body reproaches the soul, and the soul reproaches it,

A body that blames the soul, and it blames the body

in its affairs, both in outline and in detail.

In an overall and detailed affair between them

يَتَقاطَعونَ وَفي القَطيعَةِ راحَةٌ

يَتَقاطَعونَ وَفي القَطيعَةِ راحَةٌ

مِن بُؤسِ عَيشٍ بِالأَذاةِ مُوَصَّلِ

مِن بُؤسِ عَيشٍ بِالأَذاةِ مُوَصَّلِ

They sever ties with one another, and in estrangement lies relief

They conflict, and in conflict there is respite

from the misery of a life bound up with harm.

From the misery of a life bound by hurts

تَلقى النُفوسُ حُتوفَها مِن مُظلِمٍ

تَلقى النُفوسُ حُتوفَها مِن مُظلِمٍ

أَو مُصبِحٍ أَو مُظهِرٍ أَو مُؤصِلِ

أَو مُصبِحٍ أَو مُظهِرٍ أَو مُؤصِلِ

Souls meet their deaths, whether at nightfall,

Souls receive their shrouds from darkness

or in the morning, or at noon, or in late afternoon.

Or dawn, or daylight, or sunset

فَكَأَنَّ روحَكَ لَم يَحُلَّ بِشَخصِهِ

فَكَأَنَّ روحَكَ لَم يَحُلَّ بِشَخصِهِ

وَالراحُ ما دَبَّت لَهُ في مَفصِلِ

وَالراحُ ما دَبَّت لَهُ في مَفصِلِ

So it is as if your spirit had never dwelt in its body,

It's as if your soul never lodged in its person

and wine had never crept through any of its joints.

And the wind never blew into its joints