إِذا طَلَعَ الشَيبُ المُلِمُّ فَحَيِّهِ

إِذا طَلَعَ الشَيبُ المُلِمُّ فَحَيِّهِ

وَلا تَرضَ لِلعَينِ الشَبابَ المُزَوَّرا

وَلا تَرضَ لِلعَينِ الشَبابَ المُزَوَّرا

When gray hair appears as a visitor, greet it;

When the sign of old age appears, welcome it

And do not accept counterfeit youth for the eye.

And do not wish for the disguise of youth in your eyes

لَقَد غابَ عَن فَودَيكَ خَمسينَ حَجَّةً

لَقَد غابَ عَن فَودَيكَ خَمسينَ حَجَّةً

فَأَهلاً بِهِ لَمّا دَنا وَتَسَوَّرا

فَأَهلاً بِهِ لَمّا دَنا وَتَسَوَّرا

Indeed, it was absent from your temples for fifty years;

Fifty pilgrimages have passed since your cheeks bloomed

So welcome it, now that it has drawn near and scaled the wall.

So greet it when it comes near and climbs up

فَمِن عَثَراتِ المَرءِ في الرَأي أَنَّهُ

فَمِن عَثَراتِ المَرءِ في الرَأي أَنَّهُ

إِذا ما جَرى ذِكرُ الخِضابِ تَشَوَّرا

إِذا ما جَرى ذِكرُ الخِضابِ تَشَوَّرا

For among a man's errors in judgment is this:

It is one of man's mistakes in judgement that

When hair dye is mentioned, he feels ashamed.

When dyeing is mentioned he gets embarrassed