نَزَلَ المَشيبُ وَإِنَّهُ

نَزَلَ المَشيبُ وَإِنَّهُ

في مَفرِقي لاغَروَ نازِل

في مَفرِقي لاغَروَ نازِل

Gray hair has descended, and indeed

The gray hairs descended, and indeed

it settles at the parting of my hair—no wonder.

They settled in my temples, with no doubt

وَبَكيتُ إِذ رَحَلَ الشَبا

وَبَكيتُ إِذ رَحَلَ الشَبا

بُ فَآهِ آهِ عَلَيهِ راحِل

بُ فَآهِ آهِ عَلَيهِ راحِل

And I wept when youth departed;

And I wept when youthfulness departed

so alas, alas for it as it departed!

Alas! Alas! For its departing

بِاللَهِ قُل لي يافُلا

بِاللَهِ قُل لي يافُلا

نُ وَلي أَقولُ وَلي أُسائِل

نُ وَلي أَقولُ وَلي أُسائِل

By God, tell me, so-and-so—

By Allah, tell me, O companion

and to myself I speak, and myself I question—

And for me to say and for me to ask

أَتُريدُ في السَبعينَ ما

أَتُريدُ في السَبعينَ ما

قَد كُنتَ في العِشرينَ فاعِل

قَد كُنتَ في العِشرينَ فاعِل

do you want, at seventy, what

Do you want, in your seventies, what

you used to do at twenty?

You used to do in your twenties?

هَيهاتِ لا وَاللَهِ ما

هَيهاتِ لا وَاللَهِ ما

هَذا الحَديثُ حَديثُ عاقِل

هَذا الحَديثُ حَديثُ عاقِل

Far from it! No, by God—

Never! No, by Allah, this

this is not the talk of a sensible man.

Is not the talk of one rational

قَد كُنتَ تُعذَر بِالصِبا

قَد كُنتَ تُعذَر بِالصِبا

وَاليَومَ ذاكَ العُذرُ زائِل

وَاليَومَ ذاكَ العُذرُ زائِل

You once were excused because of youth;

You used to be excused for youth

and today that excuse is gone.

And today that excuse is gone

مَنَّيتَ نَفسَكَ باطِلاً

مَنَّيتَ نَفسَكَ باطِلاً

فَإِلى مَتى تَرضى بِباطِل

فَإِلى مَتى تَرضى بِباطِل

You have held out vain hopes to yourself;

You indulged yourself in vain

so how long will you be content with falsehood?

So until when will you accept the false?

قَد صارَ مِن دونِ الَّذي

قَد صارَ مِن دونِ الَّذي

تُبديهِ مِن مَزحٍ مَراحِل

تُبديهِ مِن مَزحٍ مَراحِل

There now lie, between you and what

It has gone from other than what

you display of jesting, many stages.

You show of play and phases

ضَيَّعتَ ذا الزَمَن الطَوي

ضَيَّعتَ ذا الزَمَن الطَوي

لَ وَلَم تَفُز مِنهُ بِطائِل

لَ وَلَم تَفُز مِنهُ بِطائِل

You have wasted this long span of time,

You wasted this long time

and gained nothing worthwhile from it.

And did not gain anything useful from it