بكى الناسُ قبليَ فَقْدَ الشبابِ

بكى الناسُ قبليَ فَقْدَ الشبابِ

بدمعِ القلوبِ فما أنْصَفوهُ

بدمعِ القلوبِ فما أنْصَفوهُ

People before me wept for the loss of youth,

People before me wept when youth departed

with the tears of their hearts, yet they did not do it justice.

With tears from their hearts, though it was not justly gauged,

وإنّي عَلَيْهِ لُمسْتَدركٌ

وإنّي عَلَيْهِ لُمسْتَدركٌ

من البثِّ والحزْنِ ما أهملوهُ

من البثِّ والحزْنِ ما أهملوهُ

And I, in mourning it, am surely making up

Yet I make up for what they neglected

for the anguish and sorrow they neglected.

In weeping and grief for what they overlooked.

لعمرُكَ ما الشيبُ إمّا بدا

لعمرُكَ ما الشيبُ إمّا بدا

بفوديك إلّا الرّدى أو أبوهُ

بفوديك إلّا الرّدى أو أبوهُ

By your life, gray hair, when it appears

By your life! Gray hair comes only

at your temples, is nothing but death—or its father.

With your loss - except for decline or its causes.

ألم تَر أنّكَ بين الشبابِ

ألم تَر أنّكَ بين الشبابِ

كمن ماتَ أو غابَ من شببوهُ

كمن ماتَ أو غابَ من شببوهُ

Do you not see that, among the young, you are

Do you not see that among the youth

like one dead, or one whose admirers in verse have vanished?

You are like one who died or an absent love?

وإن أبصرتك الدّمى أنْكَرَتْ

وإن أبصرتك الدّمى أنْكَرَتْ

معارفَ وَجْهِك منها الوجوهُ

معارفَ وَجْهِك منها الوجوهُ

And if the statue-like beauties see you, unrecognized

And if the tears saw you, they would deny

by their faces are the familiar features of your face.

Recognition of your face among the faces.