خُذا اليَومَ كَفّي لِلبِياعِ عَلى النُهى

خُذا اليَومَ كَفّي لِلبِياعِ عَلى النُهى

فَلَم يَبقَ لِلإِطرابِ عَينٌ وَلا أَثرُ

فَلَم يَبقَ لِلإِطرابِ عَينٌ وَلا أَثرُ

Take my hand today, you two, in a pledge to follow reason;

Take my hands today from selling in the markets,

For of rapture neither substance nor trace remains.

So there remains no more turmoil within to trace.

فَقَد كُنتُ لا أُعطي العَواذِلَ طاعَةً

فَقَد كُنتُ لا أُعطي العَواذِلَ طاعَةً

وَأَعذِرُ نَفسي في التَصابي وَلا عُذرُ

وَأَعذِرُ نَفسي في التَصابي وَلا عُذرُ

For I used to give the reproaching women no obedience,

For I was not one to grant the youths obedience,

And excuse myself for youthful dalliance, though there was no excuse.

Yet I'd excuse myself amidst the passions without excuse.

تَقَضَّت لُباناتُ الصِبا وَتَصَرَّمَت

تَقَضَّت لُباناتُ الصِبا وَتَصَرَّمَت

فَلا نَهيَ لِلّاحي عَلَيَّ وَلا أَمرُ

فَلا نَهيَ لِلّاحي عَلَيَّ وَلا أَمرُ

The desires of youth have passed and come to an end;

The ecstasies of youth have passed and gone,

So the reproacher has no prohibition or command over me.

No command or prohibition remains for this companion.

وَلا تَحسِبا أَنّي نَضَوتُ بَطالَتي

وَلا تَحسِبا أَنّي نَضَوتُ بَطالَتي

نُزوعاً وَلَكِن صَغَّرَ اللَذَةِ الكِبرُ

نُزوعاً وَلَكِن صَغَّرَ اللَذَةِ الكِبرُ

And do not think, you two, that I have shed my frivolity

Think not that I have abandoned my ramblings

Out of renunciation; rather, old age has diminished pleasure.

Out of self-discipline, but rather age diminished the thrill.

وَلا أَمتَري أَنَّ الشَبابَ هُوَ الغِنى

وَلا أَمتَري أَنَّ الشَبابَ هُوَ الغِنى

وَإِن قَلَّ مالٌ فَالمَشيبُ هُوَ الفَقرُ

وَإِن قَلَّ مالٌ فَالمَشيبُ هُوَ الفَقرُ

And I do not doubt that youth itself is wealth,

Do not believe that only youth spells riches -

Even if money is scant—for gray hair itself is poverty.

Though money be scarce, old age is true poverty.