رَأتْ شيئاً يُضاحِكُها فصَدَّتْ

رَأتْ شيئاً يُضاحِكُها فصَدَّتْ

وكان جَزاؤُهُ منها العُبوسا

وكان جَزاؤُهُ منها العُبوسا

She saw something smiling at her and turned away;

She saw something that made her laugh, so she frowned

and its reward from her was a frown.

And her repayment to it was sullenness

وقالَتْ إذ رَأَتْ للمِشْطِ فيه

وقالَتْ إذ رَأَتْ للمِشْطِ فيه

سَواداً لا يُشاكِلُهُ نَفيسا

سَواداً لا يُشاكِلُهُ نَفيسا

And she said, when she saw in it the comb's

And she said, when she saw in it

precious blackness, which did not match it:

A blackness that nothing precious could match

تَلَقَّ العاجَ منه بمِشطِ عاجٍ

تَلَقَّ العاجَ منه بمِشطِ عاجٍ

ودَعْ للآبنوسِ الآبنوسا

ودَعْ للآبنوسِ الآبنوسا

“Meet its ivory with an ivory comb,

Take the ivory from it with an ivory comb

and leave ebony for ebony.”

And leave the ebony to ebony

فإنْ أَسِيتْ لجُرْحِ الشَّيْبِ نَفْسي

فإنْ أَسِيتْ لجُرْحِ الشَّيْبِ نَفْسي

فإنَّ الشَّيْبَ جُرْحٌ ليسَ يُوسى

فإنَّ الشَّيْبَ جُرْحٌ ليسَ يُوسى

For if my soul has grieved over the wound of gray hair,

If I hurt my soul over the wound of greying

then gray hair is a wound that cannot be healed.

Then greying is a wound that cannot be healed