بَني الآدابِ غَرَّتكُم قَديماً

بَني الآدابِ غَرَّتكُم قَديماً

زَخارِفُ مِثلُ زَمزَمَةِ الذُبابِ

زَخارِفُ مِثلُ زَمزَمَةِ الذُبابِ

Sons of letters, you were beguiled long ago

You were beguiled by literature of old

By embellishments like the buzzing of flies.

Adornments like the buzzing of flies

وَما شُقَراؤُكُم إِلّا ذِئابٌ

وَما شُقَراؤُكُم إِلّا ذِئابٌ

تَلَصَّصُ في المَدائِحِ وَالسِبابِ

تَلَصَّصُ في المَدائِحِ وَالسِبابِ

And your fair-haired ones are nothing but wolves,

Your comrades are but wolves

Prowling through praises and invective,

Who lurk to praise or malign

أَضَرُّ لِمَن تَوَدُّ مِنَ الأَعادي

أَضَرُّ لِمَن تَوَدُّ مِنَ الأَعادي

وَأَسرَقُ لِلمَقالِ مِنَ الزَبابِ

وَأَسرَقُ لِلمَقالِ مِنَ الزَبابِ

More harmful to those they love than enemies,

More harmful to those you hate

And greater thieves of speech than shrews.

And thievish with words than thieves

أُقارِضُكُم ثَناءً غَيرَ حَقٍّ

أُقارِضُكُم ثَناءً غَيرَ حَقٍّ

كَأَنّا مِنهُ في مَجرى سِبابِ

كَأَنّا مِنهُ في مَجرى سِبابِ

I exchange false praise with you,

I lend you undue praise

As though through it we were on a path of abuse.

As if it flowed from enemies' lips

أَأُذهِبُ فيكُمُ أَيّامَ شَيبي

أَأُذهِبُ فيكُمُ أَيّامَ شَيبي

كَما أَذهَبتُ أَيّامَ الشَبابِ

كَما أَذهَبتُ أَيّامَ الشَبابِ

Shall I spend on you the days of my gray hair,

Shall I spend my grey days on you

As I spent the days of youth?

As I spent my days of youth?

مَعاذَ اللَهِ قَد وَدَّعتُ جَهلي

مَعاذَ اللَهِ قَد وَدَّعتُ جَهلي

فَحَسبي مِن تَميمٍ وَالرَبابِ

فَحَسبي مِن تَميمٍ وَالرَبابِ

God forbid! I have bid my folly farewell;

God forbid! I've turned from my ignorance

I have had enough of Tamim and al-Rabab.

Enough for me are vows and music

أَحاديثَ الضَبابِ وَآلِ كَعبٍ

أَحاديثَ الضَبابِ وَآلِ كَعبٍ

نَبَذتُ سَوالِكاً دَرَجَ الضَبابِ

نَبَذتُ سَوالِكاً دَرَجَ الضَبابِ

Tales of al-Dibab and the house of Ka'b

Tales of mist and House of Ka'b -

I cast aside, leaving them to tread the lizards' paths.

I've discarded like a torrent of mist

وَما سُمُّ الحُبابِ لَدَيَّ إِلّا

وَما سُمُّ الحُبابِ لَدَيَّ إِلّا

كَنَظمٍ قيلَ في آلِ الحَبابِ

كَنَظمٍ قيلَ في آلِ الحَبابِ

And to me, the serpent's venom is no different

To me, praise of the loved is but

From verse composed about the house of al-Habab.

Poems to the House of Lovers composed

لِيَعدُ مَعَ الضَبابِ سَليلُ حُجرٍ

لِيَعدُ مَعَ الضَبابِ سَليلُ حُجرٍ

وَسائِرَ قَولِهِ في اِبنِ الضَبابِ

وَسائِرَ قَولِهِ في اِبنِ الضَبابِ

Let Hujr's scion run with the lizards,

Let the scion of Hujr reckon them

And with the rest of his verse about Ibn al-Dibab.

And all else said of Ibn al-Mist

فَما أُمُّ الحُوَيرِثِ في كَلامي

فَما أُمُّ الحُوَيرِثِ في كَلامي

بِعارِضَةٍ وَلا أُمُّ الرَبابِ

بِعارِضَةٍ وَلا أُمُّ الرَبابِ

For Umm al-Huwayrith does not, in my speech,

In my words Mother of Howeirath

Appear—nor does Umm al-Rabab.

Is no metaphor, nor Mother of Music

وَإِنَّ مُقاتِلَ الفُرسانِ عِندي

وَإِنَّ مُقاتِلَ الفُرسانِ عِندي

مَصارِعُ تِلكُمُ الغُنمِ الرُبابِ

مَصارِعُ تِلكُمُ الغُنمِ الرُبابِ

And to me, the slayings of horsemen

And warrior felling horsemen is to me

Are the deaths of those ewes that have just lambed.

Slayer of those bleating ewes

وَأَلقَيتُ الفَصاحَةَ عَن لِساني

وَأَلقَيتُ الفَصاحَةَ عَن لِساني

مُسَلَّمَةً إِلى العُربِ اللُبابِ

مُسَلَّمَةً إِلى العُربِ اللُبابِ

And I have cast eloquence off my tongue,

I have surrendered eloquence

Handed over to the purest of Arabs.

To the Arabs whose utterances pour

شُغولٌ يَنقَضَينَ بِغَيرِ حَمدٍ

شُغولٌ يَنقَضَينَ بِغَيرِ حَمدٍ

وَلا يَرجِعنَ إِلّا بِالتَبابِ

وَلا يَرجِعنَ إِلّا بِالتَبابِ

Pursuits come to an end without praise,

Vexations dissipate without praise

And return with nothing but ruin.

And return only with malediction

ذَروني يَفقِدِ الهَذَيانَ لَفظي

ذَروني يَفقِدِ الهَذَيانَ لَفظي

وَأُغلِقُ لِلحِمامِ عَلَيَّ بابي

وَأُغلِقُ لِلحِمامِ عَلَيَّ بابي

Leave me alone; let my speech be rid of babble,

Leave me to lose mindless speech

And let me shut my door upon myself, awaiting death.

And I'll bar my door to the doves