بَكَيتَ الصِبا مِن قَبلِ أَن يَذهَبَ الصِبا

بَكَيتَ الصِبا مِن قَبلِ أَن يَذهَبَ الصِبا

فَيا لَيتَ شِعري ما تَقولُ إِذا وَلّى

فَيا لَيتَ شِعري ما تَقولُ إِذا وَلّى

You wept for youth before youth departed;

You wept for youth before youth could slip away,

You wept for youth before youth had even departed,

and oh, if only I knew what you will say when it is gone!

So I wonder what you will say when it’s gone.

So I wonder indeed what you will say when it is actually gone.

تَوَهَّمتَهُ يَبقى إِذا أَنتَ صُنتَهُ

تَوَهَّمتَهُ يَبقى إِذا أَنتَ صُنتَهُ

عَنِ الشَفَةِ الحَمراءَ وَالمُقلَةِ الكُحلا

عَنِ الشَفَةِ الحَمراءَ وَالمُقلَةِ الكُحلا

You imagined it would last if you shielded it

You thought it would last if you guarded it closely

You imagined it would remain if you shielded it

from the red lip and the kohl-dark eye.

From the rosy lips and the kohl-rimmed eyes.

From the crimson lip and the kohl-darkened eye.

وَخِلتِ الهَوى جَهلاً فَلَم يَكُنِ الهُدى

وَخِلتِ الهَوى جَهلاً فَلَم يَكُنِ الهُدى

أَخيراً سِوى الأَمرِ الَّذي خِلتَهُ جَهلا

أَخيراً سِوى الأَمرِ الَّذي خِلتَهُ جَهلا

And you deemed love folly; yet guidance was,

But love in ignorance led you astray,

You mistook passion for ignorance, yet true guidance proved to be

in the end, nothing but what you had deemed folly.

And wisdom came only too late.

In the end, nothing other than the very thing you deemed ignorance.

خَشيتَ عَلَيهِ أَن يُطَوِّحَهُ الهَوى

خَشيتَ عَلَيهِ أَن يُطَوِّحَهُ الهَوى

فَأَلفاكَ هَذا الخَوفُ في الهُوَّةِ السُفلى

فَأَلفاكَ هَذا الخَوفُ في الهُوَّةِ السُفلى

You feared for it, lest love hurl it away;

You feared passion would toss it aside,

You feared for youth, that love would cast it to ruin,

so this fear found you in the lowest abyss.

And this fear cast you down in the pit.

But this very fear has found you in the lowest abyss.

أَتَلجُمُ ماءَ النَهرِ عَن جَرَيانِهِ

أَتَلجُمُ ماءَ النَهرِ عَن جَرَيانِهِ

مَخافَةَ أَن يَفنى إِذَن فَاِشرَبِ الوَحلا

مَخافَةَ أَن يَفنى إِذَن فَاِشرَبِ الوَحلا

Do you bridle the river's water to stop its flow,

Would you dam the river to keep it from flowing

Do you rein in the water of the river from flowing

for fear it will run out? Then drink the mud!

Lest otherwise it would vanish? Then drink and be sated.

For fear it will run dry? Then go ahead, drink the mud.

سَيَبلى الصِبا مَهما حَرِصتَ عَلى الصِبا

سَيَبلى الصِبا مَهما حَرِصتَ عَلى الصِبا

فَدَعهُ يَذوقُ الحُبَّ مِن قَبلِ أَن يَبلى

فَدَعهُ يَذوقُ الحُبَّ مِن قَبلِ أَن يَبلى

Youth will fade, however carefully you guard youth;

However you strive to guard youth, it will fade.

Youth will wear away no matter how eagerly you guard it,

so let it taste love before it fades.

So let it taste love before it decays.

So let it taste love before it wears away.

فَما ديمَةٌ صَبَّت عَلى الصَخرِ مائَها

فَما ديمَةٌ صَبَّت عَلى الصَخرِ مائَها

فَما أَنبَتَت زَهراً وَلا أَطلَعَت بَقلا

فَما أَنبَتَت زَهراً وَلا أَطلَعَت بَقلا

For no steady rain that poured its water upon rock,

The rain showered endlessly on the rock

For no rain cloud that poured its waters upon a rock—

and grew no flowers nor brought forth herbage,

But sprouted no flowers, bore no herbs.

Growing neither flowers nor bringing forth herbs—

بِأَضيَعَ مِن بُردِ الشَبابِ عَلى اِمرِئٍ

بِأَضيَعَ مِن بُردِ الشَبابِ عَلى اِمرِئٍ

إِذا اِستَطعَمَتهُ النَفسُ أَطعَمَها العَذلا

إِذا اِستَطعَمَتهُ النَفسُ أَطعَمَها العَذلا

is more wasted than youth's mantle upon a man

More futile than rain on a rock is youth

Is more wasted than the mantle of youth upon a man

who, when his soul asks him for food, feeds it reproach.

Wasted on one whose heart craves but bitterness when hungry.

Who, when his soul craves a taste, feeds it rebuke.

فَلا تَكُ مِثلَ الأُقحُوانَةِ راعَها

فَلا تَكُ مِثلَ الأُقحُوانَةِ راعَها

مِنَ الحَقلِ أَن تُجنى فَلَم تَسكُنِ الحَقلا

مِنَ الحَقلِ أَن تُجنى فَلَم تَسكُنِ الحَقلا

So do not be like the daisy: it feared

Be not like the partridge, protecting her eggs

So do not be like the chamomile flower that was terrified

being plucked from the field, so it did not dwell in the field.

From the field, only to abandon the nest.

To be plucked from the field, and so did not dwell in the field.

وَأَعجَبَها الوادي فَلاذَت بِقاعِهِ

وَأَعجَبَها الوادي فَلاذَت بِقاعِهِ

فَجاءَ عَلَيها السَيلُ في اللَيلِ وَاِستَتلى

فَجاءَ عَلَيها السَيلُ في اللَيلِ وَاِستَتلى

And the valley pleased it, so it sought shelter on its floor;

The valley pleased her, so she sought its shelter,

The valley pleased it, so it took refuge in its depths,

then the flood came upon it by night and swept it along.

But floodwaters came in the night, and she was swept away.

But the flood came upon it in the night and swept it away.

فَما عانَقَت نورَ الكَواكِبِ في الدُجى

فَما عانَقَت نورَ الكَواكِبِ في الدُجى

وَلا لَثَمَت فَجراً وَلا رَشَفَت طَلّا

وَلا لَثَمَت فَجراً وَلا رَشَفَت طَلّا

So it never embraced the stars' light in the darkness,

She never embraced the stars’ light in the gloom,

It never embraced the light of the stars in the darkness,

nor kissed a dawn nor sipped dew.

Or kissed the dawn, or sipped the dew.

Nor did it kiss the dawn, nor sip the dew.

وَزالَت فَلَم يَستَشعِرِ النورَ وَالنَدى

وَزالَت فَلَم يَستَشعِرِ النورَ وَالنَدى

عَلى فَقدِها غَمّاً كَأَن لَم تَكُن قَبلا

عَلى فَقدِها غَمّاً كَأَن لَم تَكُن قَبلا

And it vanished; neither light nor dew felt

She disappeared, and neither light nor mist mourned her absence,

It vanished, and neither the light nor the dew felt

grief at its loss, as though it had never been.

As if she had never been.

Any grief over its loss, as if it had never been.

وَلا تَكُ كَالصَدّاحِ إِذ خالَ أَنَّهُ

وَلا تَكُ كَالصَدّاحِ إِذ خالَ أَنَّهُ

إِذا اِذدَخَرَ الأَلحانَ أَكسَبَها نُبلا

إِذا اِذدَخَرَ الأَلحانَ أَكسَبَها نُبلا

And do not be like the songbird, which imagined that

And be not like the nightingale, thinking his songs

And do not be like the songbird that imagined

if it hoarded its melodies, it would lend them nobility.

Would earn him nobility if he hoarded their beauty.

That hoarding its melodies would grant them nobility.

فَضَنَّ بِها وَالشَمسُ تَنثُرُ تِبرَها

فَضَنَّ بِها وَالشَمسُ تَنثُرُ تِبرَها

وَفَضَّتَها وَالأَرضُ ضاحِكَةٌ جَذلى

وَفَضَّتَها وَالأَرضُ ضاحِكَةٌ جَذلى

So it withheld them while the sun scattered its gold dust

He was miserly while the sun scattered its bounty

So it withheld them while the sun scattered its gold,

and its silver, and the earth was laughing, joyful.

And the earth smiled, blooming and fertile.

And its silver, while the earth laughed in joy.

فَلَمّا مَضى نورُ الرَبيعِ عَنِ الرُبى

فَلَمّا مَضى نورُ الرَبيعِ عَنِ الرُبى

وَدَبَّ إِلى أَزهارِها المَوتُ مُنسَلّا

وَدَبَّ إِلى أَزهارِها المَوتُ مُنسَلّا

Then, when the light of spring had left the hills,

When the light of spring left the meadows

But when the light of spring passed from the hills,

and death crept stealthily into their flowers,

And death crept to its blooms, slow and hidden,

And death crept stealthily toward their blossoms,

تَحَفَّز كَي يَشدو فَلَم يَلقَ حَولَهُ

تَحَفَّز كَي يَشدو فَلَم يَلقَ حَولَهُ

سِوى الوَرَقِ الهاوي كَأَحلامِهِ القَتلى

سِوى الوَرَقِ الهاوي كَأَحلامِهِ القَتلى

it readied itself to sing, but found around it

He tried to sing, but found only fallen leaves around him,

It braced itself to sing, but found nothing around it

nothing but falling leaves, like its slain dreams.

Like his murdered dreams.

Save for falling leaves, like its own slain dreams.