وَغِيدٍ أَنْكَرَتْ شَمَطِي فَظَلَّتْ

وَغِيدٍ أَنْكَرَتْ شَمَطِي فَظَلَّتْ

تُغَمِّضُ دونَهُ طَرْفاً مَريضا

تُغَمِّضُ دونَهُ طَرْفاً مَريضا

And many a graceful maiden disapproved of my greying hair and kept

And beautiful one denied my kissed lips so she

closing her languid eye to it.

kept closing before it a sick eye.

وَشيمتُها التَّزاوُرُ عَنْ مَشيبٍ

وَشيمتُها التَّزاوُرُ عَنْ مَشيبٍ

يَرُدُّ حَبيبَ غانِيَةٍ بَغيضا

يَرُدُّ حَبيبَ غانِيَةٍ بَغيضا

And her nature is to turn away from grey hair

Her habit to pretend about a gray hair

that turns a beauty's beloved into one she hates.

that makes a lover to a singer hateful.

فَما ارْتاعَتْ مِنَ الحَيّاتِ سُوداً

فَما ارْتاعَتْ مِنَ الحَيّاتِ سُوداً

كَما ارْتاعَتْ مِنَ الشَّعَراتِ بِيضا

كَما ارْتاعَتْ مِنَ الشَّعَراتِ بِيضا

For she was not so frightened by black snakes

So she did not dread from snakes black

as she was frightened by white hairs.

as she dreaded from hairs white.