1. فعوّضْتُ شيباً من شبابي كأنّني

    تَوَلّيتُ عن ظلٍّ برغمي إلى الشمسِ

    So I received gray hair in exchange for my youth, as though I

    had turned away from shade, against my will, toward the sun.

  2. وقَطْعي بعيشٍ بعد ستّين حجّةً

    أرى فيه لَبْساً والتخوّف في اللبسِ

    And as for my certainty of living beyond sixty years,

    I see uncertainty in it, and in uncertainty lies fear.

  3. ذنوبيَ تنمي كلّ يومٍ تكسّباً

    فيوْمي بها في اليوْم أثقلُ من أمسي

    My sins grow each day as I keep earning them;

    So, because of them, my day today is heavier than my yesterday.

  4. ألا آمنَ الرحمن خوفي بِعَفْوِهِ

    فإنّيَ من نفسي أخاف على نفسي

    Oh, may the All-Merciful allay my fear with His pardon,

    For I fear for myself because of my own self.