أَسيتُ إِذا غابَتِ الأَحجالُ وَالغُرَرُ

أَسيتُ إِذا غابَتِ الأَحجالُ وَالغُرَرُ

وَإِنَّما الناسُ في أَيّامِهِم عُرَرُ

وَإِنَّما الناسُ في أَيّامِهِم عُرَرُ

I grieved when the white leg-markings and forehead blazes vanished;

I despair when the encampments and lovely maidens depart,

And people in their own time are nothing but blemishes.

For people in their days are but frail.

وَعُذتُ بِاللَهِ مِن عامٍ أَخي سَنَةٍ

وَعُذتُ بِاللَهِ مِن عامٍ أَخي سَنَةٍ

نُجومُهُ في دُخانٍ ثائِرٍ شَرَُر

نُجومُهُ في دُخانٍ ثائِرٍ شَرَُر

And I sought refuge in God from a year, brother to famine,

I seek refuge in God from a year, my brother, worse than last,

Whose stars are sparks amid billowing smoke.

Its stars arising in smoke that sparks and smolders.

كَأَنَّما بُرُّهُ دُرٌّ لِعِزَّتِهِ

كَأَنَّما بُرُّهُ دُرٌّ لِعِزَّتِهِ

وَكَيفَ تُؤكَلُ عِندَ المُعدِمِ الدُرَرُ

وَكَيفَ تُؤكَلُ عِندَ المُعدِمِ الدُرَرُ

Its wheat seems like pearls, so scarce it is;

Its prosperity is pearls in honor,

And how can the destitute eat pearls?

Yet how can pearls be consumed in destitution?

وَطَرَّةُ الرَوضِ يُدمي الرِجلَ مَوطِئُها

وَطَرَّةُ الرَوضِ يُدمي الرِجلَ مَوطِئُها

يُنسيكَ ما جَنَتِ الأَصداغُ وَالطُرَرُ

يُنسيكَ ما جَنَتِ الأَصداغُ وَالطُرَرُ

And the meadow's fringe, whose footing bloodies the foot,

Dewdrops on meadows wound the feet that tread them.

Makes you forget what temple-locks and forelocks have wrought.

You forget the fantasies dreams and visions stirred.

أَدرِر يَمينَكَ بِالجَدوى إِذا قَدَرَت

أَدرِر يَمينَكَ بِالجَدوى إِذا قَدَرَت

إِنَّ المَنايا لَعَمرِيَ مَنهَجٌ دَرَرُ

إِنَّ المَنايا لَعَمرِيَ مَنهَجٌ دَرَرُ

Let your right hand flow with bounty when it can;

Let your hand flow with bounty when you are able,

Indeed, death, by my life, is a straight, open road.

For death's sure path, I swear, sows only seeds.

وِقابُ أَسماعِنا جاءَت بِمَنفعَةٍ

وِقابُ أَسماعِنا جاءَت بِمَنفعَةٍ

وَما أَتَتنا بِشَيءٍ يُحمَدُ السُرَرُ

وَما أَتَتنا بِشَيءٍ يُحمَدُ السُرَرُ

The hollows of our ears have brought benefit,

Our ears came round to benefit:

And the navels have brought us nothing praiseworthy.

They brought us nothing for which joy is famed.

سَرّاءُ دَهرِكَ لَم تَكمُل لَدى أَحدٍ

سَرّاءُ دَهرِكَ لَم تَكمُل لَدى أَحدٍ

فَلَيتَ طِفلَكَ لَم تُقطَع لَهُ سُرَرُ

فَلَيتَ طِفلَكَ لَم تُقطَع لَهُ سُرَرُ

The happiness of your age has never been complete for anyone;

The bliss of your world was incomplete for anyone.

So would that your infant's umbilical cord had never been cut.

Would that as a child your crib were never strewn.

أَسَرَّكَ الآنَ أَن تُلقى عَلى قَلَقٍ

أَسَرَّكَ الآنَ أَن تُلقى عَلى قَلَقٍ

مِثلَ الأَسَرِّ حَماهُ نَومَهُ السُرَرُ

مِثلَ الأَسَرِّ حَماهُ نَومَهُ السُرَرُ

Does it please you now to be cast into restlessness,

It saddens you now to meet disquiet

Like a sore-breasted camel whose sores deny it sleep?

Like sorrow, guarded in its sleep by bliss.

لَم نَهجُرِ الماءَ إِلّا بَعدَ تَجرِبَةٍ

لَم نَهجُرِ الماءَ إِلّا بَعدَ تَجرِبَةٍ

لَقَد شَرِبنا فَلَم تَذهَب بِها الحِرَرُ

لَقَد شَرِبنا فَلَم تَذهَب بِها الحِرَرُ

We forsook water only after putting it to the test;

We shunned not water until after trying it—

We certainly drank, yet that did not dispel our burning thirst.

We drank, yet still the heat remained unquenched.

سَرارَةُ الوَهدِ يَلقى الجَنبُ مَضجَعَها

سَرارَةُ الوَهدِ يَلقى الجَنبُ مَضجَعَها

خَيرٌ مِنَ التِبرِ مَنسوجاً بِهِ السُرُرُ

خَيرٌ مِنَ التِبرِ مَنسوجاً بِهِ السُرُرُ

The heart of a hollow, where one's flank finds a resting place,

The soft sands where the gazelle finds repose

Is better than gold woven into couches.

Are better than a mattress richly furnished.

ما قُرَّةُ العَينِ ذاتُ الوِردِ مَعوِزَةٌ

ما قُرَّةُ العَينِ ذاتُ الوِردِ مَعوِزَةٌ

وَغُيِّبَت عَن بَواكي الأَعيُنِ القُرَرُ

وَغُيِّبَت عَن بَواكي الأَعيُنِ القُرَرُ

The water-fed 'eye's delight' plant is not scarce,

Solace of the eye is not in flowers

Yet delights have been withheld from weeping eyes.

That disappear from tearful eyes' lament.

فينا التَحاسُدُ مَعروفٌ فَهَل حَسِدَت

فينا التَحاسُدُ مَعروفٌ فَهَل حَسِدَت

مُجتَرَّةُ الإِبلِ أُخرى ما لَها جِرَرُ

مُجتَرَّةُ الإِبلِ أُخرى ما لَها جِرَرُ

Mutual envy is well known among us; but has envy ever been felt

Among us envy is well known. Did she

By a cud-chewing camel toward another that has no cud?

Who trails behind envy the others' litters?

ما شِرَّةٌ مِن خَليلِ النَفسِ واحِدَةٌ

ما شِرَّةٌ مِن خَليلِ النَفسِ واحِدَةٌ

لا بَل تُوافيكَ مِن تِلقائِهِ شِرَرُ

لا بَل تُوافيكَ مِن تِلقائِهِ شِرَرُ

Not just one fit of malice comes from the soul's intimate;

No friendship thrives with the carnal soul,

No—many fits of malice come upon you from him.

But enmity comes to you of its own accord.

نَهاكَ ناهيكَ عَن بَيعٍ عَلى غَرَرٍ

نَهاكَ ناهيكَ عَن بَيعٍ عَلى غَرَرٍ

وَأَنتَ كُلُّكَ فيما بانَ لي غَرَرُ

وَأَنتَ كُلُّكَ فيما بانَ لي غَرَرُ

Your admonisher forbade you a sale involving uncertainty,

You forbid and yet you are immersed

Yet you are wholly uncertainty, as I see it.

In what has plainly been revealed as fraud.

أَمّا عُقَيلٌ فَما عَن ظُلمِها عُقُلٌ

أَمّا عُقَيلٌ فَما عَن ظُلمِها عُقُلٌ

تِلكَ الصَريراتُ فيهِمِ ضاعَت الصُرَرُ

تِلكَ الصَريراتُ فيهِمِ ضاعَت الصُرَرُ

As for ʿUqayl, no hobbles restrain it from injustice;

As for Uqayl, no mind restrains their tyranny—

Those ringing coins—among them the purses were lost.

Those hissing snakes in them have lost all track.

مَرُّ اللَيالي إِذا اِستَولى عَلى مَرَسٍ

مَرُّ اللَيالي إِذا اِستَولى عَلى مَرَسٍ

تَقَضَّبَت مِنهُ بِالمُستَمسَكِ المِرَرُ

تَقَضَّبَت مِنهُ بِالمُستَمسَكِ المِرَرُ

When the passing nights take hold of a rope,

When night prevails over a tender sprig,

Its strands snap at the point where one holds fast.

It withers, sucked by clinging cankerworms.

وَالشَرُّ في الإِنسِ مَبثوثٌ وَغَيرِهِمُ

وَالشَرُّ في الإِنسِ مَبثوثٌ وَغَيرِهِمُ

وَالنَفعُ مُذ كانَ مَمزوجٌ بِهِ الضَرَرُ

وَالنَفعُ مُذ كانَ مَمزوجٌ بِهِ الضَرَرُ

And evil is scattered among humans and others besides them,

Evil in men is sown, and elsewhere too,

And benefit has been mingled with harm since it first existed.

While benefit, since it began, with harm is mixed.

تَشاكَلوا في سَجِيّاةٍ مُذَمَّمَةٍ

تَشاكَلوا في سَجِيّاةٍ مُذَمَّمَةٍ

وَأَشبَهَت لَبواتِ الغابَةِ الهِرَرُ

وَأَشبَهَت لَبواتِ الغابَةِ الهِرَرُ

They resemble one another in blameworthy character,

They resemble each other in odious, loathsome traits,

And cats resemble the lionesses of the forest.

And the howls of beasts echo from their dens.

تَناقُضٌ في بَني الدُنيا كَدَهرِهِمُ

تَناقُضٌ في بَني الدُنيا كَدَهرِهِمُ

يَمضي المَقيظُ وَتَأتي بَعدَهُ القِرَرُ

يَمضي المَقيظُ وَتَأتي بَعدَهُ القِرَرُ

There is contradiction in the world's children, as in their time:

Contradiction lives in worldly men like their fate—

Summer heat passes, and cold spells follow it.

The watchful wakeful passes, and then drowsiness prevails.

لِلَّهِ دُرُّ شَبابٍ سارَ ظاعِنُهُ

لِلَّهِ دُرُّ شَبابٍ سارَ ظاعِنُهُ

لَو رَدَّهُ مِن دُموعِ الآسِفِ الدَرَرُ

لَو رَدَّهُ مِن دُموعِ الآسِفِ الدَرَرُ

How splendid was youth—its traveler has departed!

By God, the pearly shine of youth once glided by,

If only the copious flow of a grieving one's tears could bring it back!

As though its flowing tears could bring it back again.