لكل شيء حسن آفة

لكل شيء حسن آفة

وآفة المرد نبات اللحى

وآفة المرد نبات اللحى

Every beautiful thing has a blight,

Every good thing has a detriment

And the blight of beardless youths is the sprouting of beards.

And the detriment of a young man is the growth of his beard

يا غصنا لما اكتسى نضرة

يا غصنا لما اكتسى نضرة

وابتسم النور عليه ذوى

وابتسم النور عليه ذوى

O branch that, when it clothed itself in fresh beauty,

O branch, when you donned radiance

And blossoms smiled upon it, withered!

And the light smiled upon it, its people rejoiced

أحلك الشعر محل القلى

أحلك الشعر محل القلى

وفل من جفنيك سيف الفنا

وفل من جفنيك سيف الفنا

Hair has lodged you in the abode of loathing,

Shaving the beard took the place of uprooting it

And blunted the sword of death in your eyelids.

So spare me from the sword of annihilation

كسوف أقمار الدجا شنعة

كسوف أقمار الدجا شنعة

فكيف إن حل بشمس الضحا

فكيف إن حل بشمس الضحا

An eclipse of the moons of night is hideous;

The eclipse of the moonlit nights is hideous

What, then, if it befalls the midmorning sun?

So how will it be if it afflicts the sun of daybreak

من سودت لحيته خدّه

من سودت لحيته خدّه

مات وإن لم يكن رهن الثرى

مات وإن لم يكن رهن الثرى

Whoever’s beard has blackened his cheek

He whose cheek is blackened by his beard

Has died, even if he is not a captive of the earth.

Is dead though not under the earth