صَحا سكرٌ منه طويل بزينَبا

صَحا سكرٌ منه طويل بزينَبا

تَعاقَبهُ لما استبانَ وَجرّبا

تَعاقَبهُ لما استبانَ وَجرّبا

His long intoxication with Zaynab has worn off,

He had long been intoxicated with the wine of Zainab,

After repeatedly gripping him, now that he sees clearly and has learned by experience.

Its succession afflicted him when it was evident and probed.

وأحكمهُ شيبُ القَذالِ عن الصبا

وأحكمهُ شيبُ القَذالِ عن الصبا

فكيف تصابيه وقد صارَ أَشيبا

فكيف تصابيه وقد صارَ أَشيبا

And gray hair at the back of his head has restrained him from youthful folly.

And his white hair has retrained him from youth,

So how can he play the youth, when he has turned gray?

So how do you equal him when he has become white-haired?

وَكان لهُ فيما أفادَ حلائِلٌ

وَكان لهُ فيما أفادَ حلائِلٌ

عَجَلنَ إذا لاقينهُ قُلنَ مرحبا

عَجَلنَ إذا لاقينهُ قُلنَ مرحبا

And among what he had acquired were wives,

And he had, in what he obtained, stratagems,

Who hastened, whenever they met him, to say, 'Welcome!'

They hastened, when they met him, to say "Welcome!"

فأصبحنَ لا يسألنه عن بما به

فأصبحنَ لا يسألنه عن بما به

أصعَّدَ في عُلو الهوى أم تصوَّبا

أصعَّدَ في عُلو الهوى أم تصوَّبا

So now they no longer ask him how he fares—

So they became such that they would not ask him about his condition,

Whether he has climbed love's heights or descended.

Did he rise up in the heights of passion or aim at it?

طوامحُ بالأبصار عنه كأنما

طوامحُ بالأبصار عنه كأنما

يَرينَ عليه جُلَّ أدهمَ أجرَبا

يَرينَ عليه جُلَّ أدهمَ أجرَبا

They turn their eyes away from him, as though

Eyes glancing at him as if

They see on him the blanket of a mangy black horse.

They saw the wound of a mangey camel upon him.

فألآنَ إذ هازَلتُهنَّ فإنَّما

فألآنَ إذ هازَلتُهنَّ فإنَّما

يَقُلنَ ألا لم يذهب المرءُ مَذهَبا

يَقُلنَ ألا لم يذهب المرءُ مَذهَبا

So now, when I jest with them, they only

So now when he toys with them, it is as though

Say, 'Ah, the man has not gone away!'

They say, "Indeed, a man cannot go the way he went!"