قَد تَرَكْنَا الصِّبا لكُلِّ غَوِىٍّ

قَد تَرَكْنَا الصِّبا لكُلِّ غَوِىٍّ

وانْسَلَخْنَا مِن كُلِّ ذامٍ وعابِ

وانْسَلَخْنَا مِن كُلِّ ذامٍ وعابِ

We have left youthful folly to every wayward man,

We have left youth for every vain desire,

and stripped ourselves of every blemish and fault.

And we have cast off every fault and shame.

وانْقَطَعْنَا لِواعِظَاتِ مَشِيبٍ

وانْقَطَعْنَا لِواعِظَاتِ مَشِيبٍ

آذَنَتْنَا حَيَاتُهَا بذَهابِ

آذَنَتْنَا حَيَاتُهَا بذَهابِ

And we have devoted ourselves to gray hair's admonitions,

And we have devoted ourselves to the preaching of the aged,

whose life warned us of departure.

Whose lives have told us of their passing away.

وإِذا ما الصِّبا تَحَمَّلَ عنَّا

وإِذا ما الصِّبا تَحَمَّلَ عنَّا

فقَبِيحٌ بنا ارْتِضَاءُ التَّصابِي

فقَبِيحٌ بنا ارْتِضَاءُ التَّصابِي

And whenever youth departs from us,

And if youth has borne with us,

it is shameful for us to choose to play at youth.

Then it is ugly for us to persist in folly,

وارْتَكَضْنَا حتَّى مَضَى اللَّيْلُ يَسْعى

وارْتَكَضْنَا حتَّى مَضَى اللَّيْلُ يَسْعى

وأَتى الصُّبْحُ قاطِعَ الأَسْبَابِ

وأَتى الصُّبْحُ قاطِعَ الأَسْبَابِ

And we galloped until the night went racing by,

And we rode till the night hurried on,

and dawn came, severing the ties.

And the dawn came, cutting off all means.

فكأَنَّ النُّجُومَ في اللَّيْلِ جَيْشٌ

فكأَنَّ النُّجُومَ في اللَّيْلِ جَيْشٌ

دَخَلُوا للْكُمُونِ في جَوْفِ غابِ

دَخَلُوا للْكُمُونِ في جَوْفِ غابِ

So it was as though the stars in the night were an army

As though the stars in the night were an army,

that entered the heart of a forest to lie concealed;

Who went into ambush in the belly of a forest,

وكأَنَّ الصَّبَاحَ قانِصُ طَيْرٍ

وكأَنَّ الصَّبَاحَ قانِصُ طَيْرٍ

قَبَضَتْ كَفُّه برِجْلِ غُرابِ

قَبَضَتْ كَفُّه برِجْلِ غُرابِ

and as though morning were a bird-hunter

And as though the dawn were a huntsman,

whose hand had seized a raven by the leg.

Whose hand grasped the feet of a crow,

وفُتُوٍّ سَرَوْا وقد عَكَفَ اللَّيْ

وفُتُوٍّ سَرَوْا وقد عَكَفَ اللَّيْ

لُ وأَرْخَى مُغْدَوْدِنَ الأَطْنَابِ

لُ وأَرْخَى مُغْدَوْدِنَ الأَطْنَابِ

And young men journeyed by night, while night had settled

And like a polished sword that night inclined,

and let down its thick, luxuriant tent-ropes.

And let down its plaited hair.

وكأَنَّ النُّجُومَ لمّا هَدَتْهُم

وكأَنَّ النُّجُومَ لمّا هَدَتْهُم

أَشرقَتْ للعُيُونِ مِن آدابِي

أَشرقَتْ للعُيُونِ مِن آدابِي

And as though the stars, when they guided them,

And as though the stars when they faded before it

shone before their eyes from my learning;

Shone for the eyes from among veils.

وكأَنَّ البُرُوقَ إِذ طالَعَتْهُم

وكأَنَّ البُرُوقَ إِذ طالَعَتْهُم

أُوقِدَتْ في سَمائِهَا مِن شِهابِي

أُوقِدَتْ في سَمائِهَا مِن شِهابِي

and as though the lightning flashes, when they appeared before them,

And as though the lightnings when they appeared to them

were kindled in their sky from my meteor.

Were kindled in its heaven from some fiery stones.

يَتَقَرَّوْنَ جَوْزَ كُلِّ فَلاةٍ

يَتَقَرَّوْنَ جَوْزَ كُلِّ فَلاةٍ

جُنْحَ لَيْلٍ جَوْزَاؤُه من رِكابِي

جُنْحَ لَيْلٍ جَوْزَاؤُه من رِكابِي

They traverse the heart of every desert

They steal away the fruit of every desolate region,

in the dark of a night whose Orion is among my mounts.

The wing of a night whose steeds are from my she-camels.

عَنَّ ذِكْرِي لمُدْلجِيهِمْ فتاهُوا

عَنَّ ذِكْرِي لمُدْلجِيهِمْ فتاهُوا

مِن حَدِيثِي في عُرْضِ أَمْرٍ عُجَابِ

مِن حَدِيثِي في عُرْضِ أَمْرٍ عُجَابِ

The thought of me came to their night-travellers, and they were bewildered

From talking of me in their assembly they desisted,

by my tale, in the midst of a wondrous affair:

And turned to discuss some strange and wondrous matter.

هِمَّةٌ في السَّمَاءِ تَسْحَبُ ذَيْلاً

هِمَّةٌ في السَّمَاءِ تَسْحَبُ ذَيْلاً

مِن ذُيُولِ العُلا وجَدٌّ كابِي

مِن ذُيُولِ العُلا وجَدٌّ كابِي

a resolve in the heavens, trailing a train

A high ambition in the sky draws a train,

from the trains of glory, yet a stumbling fortune;

Of trains of elevation but determination declines.

وفَتًى أَرْهَفَتْ ظُبَاهُ المَعَالِى

وفَتًى أَرْهَفَتْ ظُبَاهُ المَعَالِى

فَثَنَتْهُ بالباتِرِ القِرْضَابِ

فَثَنَتْهُ بالباتِرِ القِرْضَابِ

and a youth whose blade-edges lofty pursuits sharpened,

And a youth whom the ideals made delicate,

then bent him back with the severing, keen-cutting sword.

So that the patrician broke him with the rod of might.

نَيَّبَتْهُ أَيَّامُهُ ولَيالِي

نَيَّبَتْهُ أَيَّامُهُ ولَيالِي

هِ بظُفْرٍ مِن الخُطُوبِ ونابِ

هِ بظُفْرٍ مِن الخُطُوبِ ونابِ

His days and nights have mauled him

Days and nights disgraced him,

with a claw and a fang of calamities.

With good fortune in blows and frowns.

حُوَّلٌ لَوْ رآهُ صَرْفُ اللَّيَالي

حُوَّلٌ لَوْ رآهُ صَرْفُ اللَّيَالي

لَتَوَارى مِن خَوْفِهِ في حِجابِ

لَتَوَارى مِن خَوْفِهِ في حِجابِ

A master of stratagems—if the nights' vicissitudes saw him,

One whom the caprices of nights, if he saw them,

they would hide behind a veil for fear of him.

Would hide from them in fear in a veil.

ذاقَ أَيّامَهُ فكانَ سَواءً

ذاقَ أَيّامَهُ فكانَ سَواءً

عِنْدَهُ طَعْمُ شُهْدِها والصّابِ

عِنْدَهُ طَعْمُ شُهْدِها والصّابِ

He tasted his days, and found no difference

He tasted of his days, and they were the same,

between the taste of their honey and that of bitter sap.

The savor of their honey and their bitterness to him.

ولَو انَّ الدُّنْيَا كَرِيمةُ نَجْرٍ

ولَو انَّ الدُّنْيَا كَرِيمةُ نَجْرٍ

لم تَكُنْ طُعْمَةً لفَرْسِ الكِلابِ

لم تَكُنْ طُعْمَةً لفَرْسِ الكِلابِ

And if the world were of noble stock,

And if the world were a generous rewarder

it would not be a morsel for dogs to tear apart.

It would not be a mouthful for the horse of the dogs.

وإِذا ما نَظَرْتُ ما حازَ غَيْرِي

وإِذا ما نَظَرْتُ ما حازَ غَيْرِي

قلَّ عمّا حَمَلْتُهُ في ثِيابِي

قلَّ عمّا حَمَلْتُهُ في ثِيابِي

And whenever I look at what another has gained,

And when I look what others than I have won,

it is little beside what I carry within my clothes.

My burden that I carry in my clothes is lightened.

جِيفةٌ أَنْتَنَتْ فطارَ إلَيْهَا

جِيفةٌ أَنْتَنَتْ فطارَ إلَيْهَا

مِن بَني دَهْرِها فِرَاخُ الذِّئَابِ

مِن بَني دَهْرِها فِرَاخُ الذِّئَابِ

A carcass grown foul; to it flew

A carcass that has stunk, to which

wolf cubs from among the sons of its age.

The young ones of her people of the vultures hurry.

مِن شُهَيْدٍ في سِرِّهَا ثُمَّ مِنْ أَش

مِن شُهَيْدٍ في سِرِّهَا ثُمَّ مِنْ أَش

جَعَ في السِّرِ مِن لُبَابِ اللُّبَابِ

جَعَ في السِّرِ مِن لُبَابِ اللُّبَابِ

Of Shuhayd, in its choicest stock, then of Ash-

Of a martyr in his mystery, then of an ardent lover

jaʿ, in the choicest stock, of the essence of the essence.

Who is secret in his ardency from the subtle of the subtle.

خُطَبَاءُ الأَنَام إنْ عَنَّ خَطْبٌ

خُطَبَاءُ الأَنَام إنْ عَنَّ خَطْبٌ

وأَعارِيبُ في مُتُونِ عِرابِ

وأَعارِيبُ في مُتُونِ عِرابِ

Orators of humankind if a grave affair arises,

The orators of mankind, if an address fails them,

and Bedouin Arabs on the backs of Arab thoroughbreds.

And the Bedouins in the deserts of the Arabs.