إذا الشَّيبُ باعدَ بين القلوبِ

إذا الشَّيبُ باعدَ بين القلوبِ

فليسَ بمُجْدٍ تَداني الدِّيارِ

فليسَ بمُجْدٍ تَداني الدِّيارِ

When gray hair drives hearts apart,

When gray hair has separated hearts,

then the nearness of homes is of no avail.

It is no triumph for homes to be close together.

سكنْتُ إلى شمسِه كارِهاً

سكنْتُ إلى شمسِه كارِهاً

وقد كنتُ من نَجمِه ذا نِفارِ

وقد كنتُ من نَجمِه ذا نِفارِ

I reluctantly resigned myself to its sun,

I settled on his sun reluctantly,

though I had recoiled from its star.

For I used to shy away from his star.

وغيري اتقى بالخضاب الحبيب

وغيري اتقى بالخضاب الحبيب

ومثلي تنزه عن كل عار

ومثلي تنزه عن كل عار

And another shielded himself from the beloved with dye,

Others have preserved their loved ones with dye,

while one like me kept clear of every disgrace.

And the likes of me remain above all shame.

وزَهَّدَني عارُها في الخِضابِ

وزَهَّدَني عارُها في الخِضابِ

فجانبْتُ زُورَ الشَّبابِ المُعارِ

فجانبْتُ زُورَ الشَّبابِ المُعارِ

And its disgrace turned me away from dye,

Its shamefulness made me shun dye

so I shunned the sham of borrowed youth.

And avoid the false finery of youth.

وسرَّحْتُ للشَّعْرِ بالآبَنوسِ

وسرَّحْتُ للشَّعْرِ بالآبَنوسِ

فسرَّحْتُ بالعاجِ شَيبَ العِذارِ

فسرَّحْتُ بالعاجِ شَيبَ العِذارِ

And I combed my hair with ebony,

I gave free rein to poetry with the camphor plant,

then combed my gray sideburns with ivory.

So I gave free rein to the gray hair of chastity.

أُلاقي الظلامَ بمثلِ الظَّلامِ

أُلاقي الظلامَ بمثلِ الظَّلامِ

وألقى النهارَ بمثلِ النَّهارِ

وألقى النهارَ بمثلِ النَّهارِ

I meet darkness with matching darkness,

I face the darkness with equal darkness

and meet daylight with matching daylight.

And face the daytime with equal daytime.