يا صاحِبي شَيَّبتُ عَفواً

يا صاحِبي شَيَّبتُ عَفواً

وَشَرِبتُ بِالتَكديرِ صَفوا

وَشَرِبتُ بِالتَكديرِ صَفوا

O my friend, I have grown gray unawares,

O my companion, my hair has greyed unbidden

And drunk a clear draught mingled with murk.

And I have drunk bitterness in draughts

وَسُقيتُ كاساتِ الهَوى

وَسُقيتُ كاساتِ الهَوى

فَوَجَدتُها مُرّاً وَحُلوا

فَوَجَدتُها مُرّاً وَحُلوا

I was given cups of love,

And quaffed the cups of passion

And found them bitter and sweet.

Finding them bitter and sweet

ظَبيٌ يُجاهِرُ بِالقِلى

ظَبيٌ يُجاهِرُ بِالقِلى

تيهاً عَلى ذُلّي وَقَسوا

تيهاً عَلى ذُلّي وَقَسوا

A gazelle openly proclaims his aversion,

A gazelle openly grazing the arid land

Haughty over my abasement, and cruel.

Wandering in my weakness and hardness

شَغَلَ الفُؤادَ بِكُربَةٍ

شَغَلَ الفُؤادَ بِكُربَةٍ

قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ وَصارَ خِلوا

قَبَضَت عَلَيهِ وَصارَ خِلوا

He filled the heart with anguish

It has busied my heart with a sorrow

That gripped it, while he was free of love.

That has seized it and made it empty

واهاً لِأَيّامِ الصِبا

واهاً لِأَيّامِ الصِبا

مُحِيَت مِنَ الآنامِ مَحوا

مُحِيَت مِنَ الآنامِ مَحوا

Alas for the days of youth,

Woe to the days of youth

Utterly erased from the world.

Effaced from people without a trace

أَزمانَ أَبلُغُ في المُنى

أَزمانَ أَبلُغُ في المُنى

أَقطارَها مَرَحاً وَلَهوا

أَقطارَها مَرَحاً وَلَهوا

Times when I reached, in my desires,

Days in which I indulged in wishes

Their farthest bounds, in merriment and play.

Roving through their regions in delight and amusement

أَيّامَ تُغفَرُ زَلَّتي

أَيّامَ تُغفَرُ زَلَّتي

وَيُظَنُّ عَمدُ الذَنبِ سَهوا

وَيُظَنُّ عَمدُ الذَنبِ سَهوا

Days when my lapse was forgiven,

Days when my slip is forgiven

And deliberate sin was deemed an oversight.

And the intention of sin thought a lapse

يَغدو عَلَيَّ بِكَأسِهِ

يَغدو عَلَيَّ بِكَأسِهِ

رَشَأٌ مَريضُ الطَرفِ أَحوى

رَشَأٌ مَريضُ الطَرفِ أَحوى

He would come to me in the morning with his cup—

The morning comes to me with his cup

A dark-hued gazelle-fawn with languid eyes.

A sight refreshing my languorous eyes

حُشِيَت عَقارِبُ صُدغِهِ

حُشِيَت عَقارِبُ صُدغِهِ

بِالمِسكِ في خَدَّيهِ حَشوا

بِالمِسكِ في خَدَّيهِ حَشوا

The scorpion-curls at his temple were filled

The corners of his cheeks stuffed

With musk upon his cheeks, packed full.

With musk, perfume in his cheeks

وَكَأَنَّما أَجفانُهُ

وَكَأَنَّما أَجفانُهُ

تَشكو إِلَيكَ السُقمَ شَكوا

تَشكو إِلَيكَ السُقمَ شَكوا

And it was as though his eyelids

As if his eyelids complain to you

Were plaintively complaining to you of sickness.

Of illness in plaintive murmurs

في فِتيَةٍ قَدَّمتُهُم

في فِتيَةٍ قَدَّمتُهُم

قَبلي وَما اِستَخلَفتُ كُفوا

قَبلي وَما اِستَخلَفتُ كُفوا

Among young men whom I sent ahead

In some youths I preferred before me

Before me, and found no equal to replace them.

And none have I found a match

أَمسَوا جَوىً في القَلبِ يُح

أَمسَوا جَوىً في القَلبِ يُح

زِنُهُ وَأَحزاناً وَشَجوا

زِنُهُ وَأَحزاناً وَشَجوا

They became anguish in the heart, grieving

They have become, in my heart, a burning yearning

It—and sorrows and heartache.

That saddens it, with sorrows and passion

سَل لِلمَنازِلِ سَقيَةً

سَل لِلمَنازِلِ سَقيَةً

وَالرَبعِ وَالدَيرَينِ أَقوى

وَالرَبعِ وَالدَيرَينِ أَقوى

Ask a shower of rain for the dwellings,

Ask the dwellings for water

And the campsite and the two monasteries, lying deserted,

And the meadows, the two convents stronger

حَتّى تَظَلَّ بِقاعُهُ

حَتّى تَظَلَّ بِقاعُهُ

شُهُباً مُنَوَّرَةً وَحُوّا

شُهُباً مُنَوَّرَةً وَحُوّا

Until its grounds remain

Until their places remain

Pale and flower-bright, and darkly green.

Fiery stars illuminated and bent

وَيَهُزُّ أَجنِحَةَ النَبا

وَيَهُزُّ أَجنِحَةَ النَبا

تِ نَسيمُهُ وَيَحُنُّ زَهوا

تِ نَسيمُهُ وَيَحُنُّ زَهوا

And the wings of the plants are stirred

And the breeze of it shakes

By its breeze, which murmurs proudly.

The wings of plants and bends their glory

مِن كُلِّ عَيشٍ قَد أَصَب

مِن كُلِّ عَيشٍ قَد أَصَب

تُ لَذيذَهُ وَسَلَكتُ نَحوا

تُ لَذيذَهُ وَسَلَكتُ نَحوا

Of every way of life I have tasted

Of every sweet life I have attained

Its sweetness, and pursued a course

Its pleasures and walked its path

زَمَنُ الصِبا وَرَدَدتُ كَف

زَمَنُ الصِبا وَرَدَدتُ كَف

فاً بَعدَهُ وَقَصَرتُ خَطوا

فاً بَعدَهُ وَقَصَرتُ خَطوا

In youth's season; I drew back my hand

The days of youth but I folded my palm

Afterward, and shortened my stride.

After them and shortened my stride

سَلَّ المَشيبُ سُيوفَهُ

سَلَّ المَشيبُ سُيوفَهُ

فَسَطا عَلى اللَذّاتِ صَطوا

فَسَطا عَلى اللَذّاتِ صَطوا

Gray hair unsheathed its swords,

Grey hair has bared its swords

Then fiercely assailed the pleasures,

And stretched over pleasures its shadow

حَتّى اِنثَنَت حُمَةُ الشَبا

حَتّى اِنثَنَت حُمَةُ الشَبا

بِ كَليلَةً وَصَحَوتُ صَحوا

بِ كَليلَةً وَصَحَوتُ صَحوا

Until youth's sharp point bent back,

Till the mist of youth bent

Blunted, and I became fully sober.

Withering and I woke at dawn

وَلَقَد لَقَيتُ عَظيمَةً

وَلَقَد لَقَيتُ عَظيمَةً

مَحذورَةً وَحَمَلتُ عَبوا

مَحذورَةً وَحَمَلتُ عَبوا

And indeed I faced a great ordeal,

And indeed I have met a tremendous

A dreaded one, and bore a burden.

Threat and shouldered a heavy load

وَرَفَلتُ في قُمصِ الحَدي

وَرَفَلتُ في قُمصِ الحَدي

دِ وَما أَرى في اللَيلِ ضَوّا

دِ وَما أَرى في اللَيلِ ضَوّا

And strode proudly in shirts of iron,

And I strutted in the shirt of iron

And saw no light in the night,

But I do not see in the night glimmers

بِشِمِلَّةٍ جَوّالَةٍ

بِشِمِلَّةٍ جَوّالَةٍ

تَنضو مَطايا الرَكبِ نَضوا

تَنضو مَطايا الرَكبِ نَضوا

On a swift, far-ranging she-camel

With a roving, far-wandering cloak

That utterly exhausts the caravan's mounts.

That makes the steeds of riders leap

رَحَلَت بِها هِمَمُ اِمرِئٍ

رَحَلَت بِها هِمَمُ اِمرِئٍ

وَمُقامُها في الهَمِّ أَسوا

وَمُقامُها في الهَمِّ أَسوا

A man's ambitions journeyed with her,

The resolves of a man have journeyed with it

And her staying amid worry was worse.

And its abode in cares the severest

أَومى إِلَيها بِالزِما

أَومى إِلَيها بِالزِما

مِ فَلَم تَدَع لِلسَطوِ عَدوا

مِ فَلَم تَدَع لِلسَطوِ عَدوا

He signaled to her with the reins,

He gestured to it in hard times

So she spared no speed in her charge.

But did not leave any room for trespassing

وَلَقَد فَضَضتُ عَنِ الصَبا

وَلَقَد فَضَضتُ عَنِ الصَبا

حِ ظَلامَهُ سَحَراً وَغُدوا

حِ ظَلامَهُ سَحَراً وَغُدوا

And I have stripped the dawn

And indeed I have shed for youth

Of its darkness, before daybreak and in the morning,

Its darkness at dawn and in the morning

بِمُخَنَّثٍ ذي مَيعَةٍ

بِمُخَنَّثٍ ذي مَيعَةٍ

يَنزو أَمامَ الخَيلِ نَزوا

يَنزو أَمامَ الخَيلِ نَزوا

On a supple steed full of youthful vigor,

With an effeminate of little strength

Leaping vigorously ahead of the horses,

Who prances before the horses prancing

في إِثرِ سارِيَةٍ تَبَط

في إِثرِ سارِيَةٍ تَبَط

طَنَ نورُها خَفضاً وَرَبوا

طَنَ نورُها خَفضاً وَرَبوا

In pursuit of a night-traveling cloud, whose

In the footsteps of a starry banner

Light penetrated lowlands and heights.

Whose light has humbly dimmed and bent

نُحِرَت عَلى حُرِّ الثَرى

نُحِرَت عَلى حُرِّ الثَرى

بِسُقاتِ وابِلِها فَأَروى

بِسُقاتِ وابِلِها فَأَروى

It was slaughtered upon the pure soil,

Sacrificed on the heat of the ground

By streams of its downpour, which quenched the earth.

With its pouring showers watering it