تعشقتُه شَيخاً كَأنَّ مَشيبَه

تعشقتُه شَيخاً كَأنَّ مَشيبَه

عَلى وَجنَتيهِ ياسمين عَلى وَردِ

عَلى وَجنَتيهِ ياسمين عَلى وَردِ

I fell in love with him as an old man, his silver hair seeming

I fell in love with him, an old man, as though his gray hair

upon his two cheeks like jasmine laid upon roses;

on his cheeks were jasmine upon roses.

أَخا العَقلِ يَدري ما يراد مِن النهى

أَخا العَقلِ يَدري ما يراد مِن النهى

أَمنتُ عَلَيهِ مِن رَقيبٍ وَمِن ضدِّ

أَمنتُ عَلَيهِ مِن رَقيبٍ وَمِن ضدِّ

a man of reason, who knows what reason demands.

A man of reason, he knows what is sought from wisdom;

I felt him safe from any watcher or rival.

I felt secure about him, safe from watcher and adversary.

وَقالوا الوَرى قسمان في شرعة الهَوى

وَقالوا الوَرى قسمان في شرعة الهَوى

لسود اللحى ناسٌ وَناسٌ إِلى المُردِ

لسود اللحى ناسٌ وَناسٌ إِلى المُردِ

They say humankind is divided in two under the law of love:

And they said: people are of two kinds under love's law:

some favor black-bearded men, and others the beardless.

some favor black beards, and others the beardless youths.

أَلا إِنَّني لَو كُنتُ أَصبو لأمردٍ

أَلا إِنَّني لَو كُنتُ أَصبو لأمردٍ

صَبَوت إِلى هَيفاءَ مائِسَةِ القَدِّ

صَبَوت إِلى هَيفاءَ مائِسَةِ القَدِّ

Yet if I were ever to yearn for a beardless youth,

Indeed, if I were to yearn for a beardless youth,

I would yearn instead for a slender woman, graceful and swaying.

I would yearn for a slender-waisted woman with a swaying figure.

وَسود اللحى أَبصَرت فيهم مُشارِكاً

وَسود اللحى أَبصَرت فيهم مُشارِكاً

فَأَحبَبتُ أَن أَبقى بِأَبيضهم وَحدي

فَأَحبَبتُ أَن أَبقى بِأَبيضهم وَحدي

Among black-bearded men, I saw that I had a rival,

And among the black-bearded I saw a rival suitor,

so I chose to remain alone with their white-bearded one.

so I preferred to remain alone with their white-bearded one.