جارَ هَذا الدَهرُ أَو آبا

جارَ هَذا الدَهرُ أَو آبا

وَقَراكَ الهَمُّ أَوصابا

وَقَراكَ الهَمُّ أَوصابا

This age has been unjust—or relented,

This age has run its course or neared the end,

And grief has served you afflictions.

And worries have consumed you or overwhelmed.

وَوُفودُ النَجمِ واقِفَةٌ

وَوُفودُ النَجمِ واقِفَةٌ

لا تَرى في الغَربِ أَبوابا

لا تَرى في الغَربِ أَبوابا

And the delegations of stars stand still,

Processions of stars stand still,

Seeing no gates in the west.

You see in the west no gates at all.

وَكَأَنَّ الفَجرَ حينَ رَأى

وَكَأَنَّ الفَجرَ حينَ رَأى

لَيلَةً قاسِيَةً هابا

لَيلَةً قاسِيَةً هابا

And as though dawn, when it saw

And dawn seems when it saw

A harsh night, took fright.

A harsh night, terrified and scared.

غَضَبُ الإِدلالِ مِن رَشَإٍ

غَضَبُ الإِدلالِ مِن رَشَإٍ

لابِسٍ لِلحُسنِ جِلبابا

لابِسٍ لِلحُسنِ جِلبابا

Anger born of a young gazelle's coy pride,

The anger of coddling from a lovely one

Wearing beauty as a robe.

Wearing the garb of beauty a cloak.

سُحِرَت عَيني فَلَستُ أَرى

سُحِرَت عَيني فَلَستُ أَرى

غَيرَهُ في الناسِ أَحبابا

غَيرَهُ في الناسِ أَحبابا

My eye has been bewitched, so I see no

My eyes are enchanted, and I do not see

Loved ones among people other than him.

Except him among people as loved ones.

وَلِحَيني إِذ بُليتُ بِهِ

وَلِحَيني إِذ بُليتُ بِهِ

وَأَرى لِلحَينِ أَسبابا

وَأَرى لِلحَينِ أَسبابا

And it was my undoing when I was afflicted with him,

And when I was tested by him for a while

And I see that doom has its causes.

And I see for the moment causes.

غُصُنٌ يَهتَزُّ في قَمَرٍ

غُصُنٌ يَهتَزُّ في قَمَرٍ

راكِضاً لِلوَشيِ سَحّابا

راكِضاً لِلوَشيِ سَحّابا

A bough swaying within a moon,

A branch that sways in the moonlight

Running, trailing brocade.

Galloping to the drizzle clouds.

أَثمَرَت أَغصانُ راحَتِهِ

أَثمَرَت أَغصانُ راحَتِهِ

لِجُناةِ الحُسنِ عُنّابا

لِجُناةِ الحُسنِ عُنّابا

The branches of his palm bore fruit:

The branches of his rest have borne fruit

Jujubes for beauty's gatherers.

For the votaries of beauty, ripe dates.

لامَهُ فِيَّ الوُشاةِ وَكَم

لامَهُ فِيَّ الوُشاةِ وَكَم

ذامَني مِنهُم وَكَم عابا

ذامَني مِنهُم وَكَم عابا

The talebearers reproached him over me—and how many

They blamed me for the slanderers, and how much

Of them reviled me, and how many found fault!

Did they hurt me, and how much did they find fault.

عَذَّبوا صَبّاً بِعَذلِهِمُ

عَذَّبوا صَبّاً بِعَذلِهِمُ

مُتعَباً في الحُبِّ إِتعابا

مُتعَباً في الحُبِّ إِتعابا

They tormented a lovesick man with their reproaches,

They tortured a young man with their injustice,

Utterly exhausted in love.

Weary in love, exhausted.

فَتَبَرّا مِن مَحَبَّتِنا

فَتَبَرّا مِن مَحَبَّتِنا

وَأُراهُ كانَ كَذّابا

وَأُراهُ كانَ كَذّابا

So he disavowed our love,

So he shunned our love,

And I think he was a liar.

And I saw he was a liar.

لا تَرى عَيني لَهُ شَبَهاً

لا تَرى عَيني لَهُ شَبَهاً

غَزِلٌ في الحُبِّ ما حابى

غَزِلٌ في الحُبِّ ما حابى

My eye sees no likeness to him,

My eye does not see him as an equal,

A passionate lover, showing no favoritism in love.

A story in love he did not live up to.

وَحَديثٍ قَد جَعَلتُ لَهُ

وَحَديثٍ قَد جَعَلتُ لَهُ

دونَ عِلمِ الناسِ حُجّابا

دونَ عِلمِ الناسِ حُجّابا

And many a conversation for which I appointed

And a talk I made for him

Gatekeepers to keep it from people's knowledge.

Unknown to people, veils.

لا يَمَلُّ النَثرَ لافِظُهُ

لا يَمَلُّ النَثرَ لافِظُهُ

مُفتَنٌ يُعجَبُ إِعجابا

مُفتَنٌ يُعجَبُ إِعجابا

Its speaker never tires of prose,

The prose of his words does not pall,

Spellbound, filled with deep admiration.

Infatuated, it amazes with admiration.

قَد أَبَحناهُ فَطابَ لَنا

قَد أَبَحناهُ فَطابَ لَنا

وَحَوَينا مِنهُ إِنهابا

وَحَوَينا مِنهُ إِنهابا

We shared it freely, and it was sweet to us,

We whispered it, and it was sweet to us,

And we gathered plunder from it.

And we gained from it a plentiful share.

وَشَبابٍ كانَ يُعجِبُني

وَشَبابٍ كانَ يُعجِبُني

وَبِهِ قَد كُنتُ لَعّابا

وَبِهِ قَد كُنتُ لَعّابا

And youth that once delighted me,

And a youth who pleased me,

And in it I had been so playful:

And with whom I used to frolic playfully.

جاهُ حُسنٍ ما رُدِدتُ بِهِ

جاهُ حُسنٍ ما رُدِدتُ بِهِ

وَشَفيعٌ قَطُّ ما خابا

وَشَفيعٌ قَطُّ ما خابا

Beauty's prestige, by which I was never refused,

The fame of beauty I was never turned down for,

And an intercessor that never failed.

And an intercessor who never failed.

ثُمَّ أَدَّينا إِلى شَمَطٍ

ثُمَّ أَدَّينا إِلى شَمَطٍ

مُسبِلٍ في الرَأسِ أَهدابا

مُسبِلٍ في الرَأسِ أَهدابا

Then we came to graying hair,

Then we came to a means,

Letting its fringes fall upon the head.

With the hair on his head hanging loose.

فَأَمامي المُرُّ مِن عُمُري

فَأَمامي المُرُّ مِن عُمُري

وَوَرائي مِنهُ ما طابا

وَوَرائي مِنهُ ما طابا

So the bitter part of my life lies before me,

Before me the bitterness of my life,

And behind me lies what was sweet in it.

And behind me from it what tasted good.

خَضَبَت رَأسي فَقُلتُ لَها

خَضَبَت رَأسي فَقُلتُ لَها

أَخضِبي قَلبي فَقَد شابا

أَخضِبي قَلبي فَقَد شابا

She dyed my head, and I said to her:

My hair turned grey, so I said to it:

Dye my heart, for it has turned gray.

"Turn grey my heart, for it has become old."

شَرطُ دَهري كُلُّهُ غِيَرٌ

شَرطُ دَهري كُلُّهُ غِيَرٌ

حينَ عادَيناهُ إِسحابا

حينَ عادَيناهُ إِسحابا

My time's terms are nothing but reversals,

The condition of my fate is all fickle,

When we opposed it, trailing our robes.

When we made it swell with anger.

وَلَقَد غادَيتُ مُترَعَةً

وَلَقَد غادَيتُ مُترَعَةً

لَم تَشِم في خُلُقي عابا

لَم تَشِم في خُلُقي عابا

And indeed I sought a brimming cup at dawn,

And I have lived sheltered,

It discerned no flaw in my character.

None found in my manners blemish.

وَحَلَبتُ الدَهرَ أَشطُرَهُ

وَحَلَبتُ الدَهرَ أَشطُرَهُ

وَقَضَتهُ النَفسُ أَطرابا

وَقَضَتهُ النَفسُ أَطرابا

And I milked time at every quarter of its udder,

And I milked fate halfway through,

And the soul spent it in raptures.

And the soul spent it confused.

وَخَميسُ الأَرضِ مالِكُهُ

وَخَميسُ الأَرضِ مالِكُهُ

يَملَأُ الأَرضَ بِهِ غابا

يَملَأُ الأَرضَ بِهِ غابا

And the earth's army—its master

And the owner of the fifth of the earth,

Fills the earth with it like a forest,

With it he fills the land crowded.

مِثلُ لُجِّ البَحرِ مُصطَخِباً

مِثلُ لُجِّ البَحرِ مُصطَخِباً

يَزجُرُ اللَيلَ إِذا غابا

يَزجُرُ اللَيلَ إِذا غابا

Like the sea's depths, roaring,

Like the swelling of the sea raging,

It rebukes the night as it vanishes.

It rebukes the night when it becomes dark.

وَلَقَد أَغزو بِسَلهَبَةٍ

وَلَقَد أَغزو بِسَلهَبَةٍ

تُعطِبُ الأَحقافَ إِعطابا

تُعطِبُ الأَحقافَ إِعطابا

And indeed I go raiding on a tall mare,

And I raid with a sharp sword

That utterly destroys the sand-dunes.

That causes the skulls to collapse numbly.

قَد حَذاها الدَهرُ جِلدَتَهُ

قَد حَذاها الدَهرُ جِلدَتَهُ

وَكَساها اللَيلُ أَثوابا

وَكَساها اللَيلُ أَثوابا

Time has shod her with its hide,

Time has clad it with its sheath,

And night has clothed her in robes.

And the night dressed it with robes.

جاسَ فيها الشَكُّ حينَ رَأَت

جاسَ فيها الشَكُّ حينَ رَأَت

بِجُنوبِ الحَزنِ أَسرابا

بِجُنوبِ الحَزنِ أَسرابا

Doubt prowled within her when she saw

Doubt dwelled in it when it saw

Herds along the sides of the rugged ground.

In the corner of grief flocks.

فَرَجَمناها بِغُرَّتِها

فَرَجَمناها بِغُرَّتِها

فَقَضَت لِلحِرصِ آرابا

فَقَضَت لِلحِرصِ آرابا

So we pelted them with her forehead-blaze,

So we stoned it for its delusion,

So she fulfilled eagerness's desires.

And it spent for greed miserly.

وَرَدَدنا الرُمحَ مُختَضِباً

وَرَدَدنا الرُمحَ مُختَضِباً

لِدِماءِ الوَحشِ شَرّابا

لِدِماءِ الوَحشِ شَرّابا

And we brought back the spear stained,

And we repelled the spear blood stained

A deep drinker of wild beasts' blood.

To the blood of beasts a drinker.