وَيلُمِّ لَذّاتِ الشَبابِ مَعيشَةً

وَيلُمِّ لَذّاتِ الشَبابِ مَعيشَةً

مَعَ الكُثرِ يُعطاهُ الفَتى المُتلِفُ النَدي

مَعَ الكُثرِ يُعطاهُ الفَتى المُتلِفُ النَدي

Ah, the delights of youth—what a life,

Woe to the pleasures of youth as a livelihood

with wealth bestowed on the prodigal, generous young man!

Along with abundance, the carefree young man is given

وَقَد يَعقِلُ القُلُّ الفَتى دونَ هَمَّهِ

وَقَد يَعقِلُ القُلُّ الفَتى دونَ هَمَّهِ

وَقَد كانَ لَولا القُلُّ طَلّاعَ أَنجُدِ

وَقَد كانَ لَولا القُلُّ طَلّاعَ أَنجُدِ

And sometimes poverty fetters a young man short of his ambition,

And the heart may make the young man reasonable without his worry

and, but for poverty, he would have scaled many heights.

And without the heart he would have been a daring scout

وَقَد أَقطَعُ الخَرقَ المَخوفَ بِهِ الرَدى

وَقَد أَقطَعُ الخَرقَ المَخوفَ بِهِ الرَدى

بِعَنسٍ كَجَفنِ الفارِسِيِّ المُسَرَّدِ

بِعَنسٍ كَجَفنِ الفارِسِيِّ المُسَرَّدِ

And often I cross the vast desert where death is feared,

And I have cut through the terrifying tear with it torn apart

on a sturdy she-camel like a Persian's tightly stitched scabbard.

With a spear like the eyelid of the fully armed Persian

كَأَنَّ ذِراعَيها عَلى الخَلِّ بَعدَما

كَأَنَّ ذِراعَيها عَلى الخَلِّ بَعدَما

وَنينَ ذِراعا ماتِحٍ مُتَجَرِّدِ

وَنينَ ذِراعا ماتِحٍ مُتَجَرِّدِ

Her forelegs on the sandy track seem, after

As if its arms upon the mole were, after

they have tired, like the arms of a water-drawer stripped bare.

The wailing of the arms of an undressed warrior