اللَيلُ شَيبٌ وَالنَهارُ كِلاهُما

اللَيلُ شَيبٌ وَالنَهارُ كِلاهُما

رَأسي بِكَثرَةِ ما تَدورُ رَحاهُما

رَأسي بِكَثرَةِ ما تَدورُ رَحاهُما

Night and day—both of them—have grayed

Night and day have both grayed

my head by the frequent turning of their millstone.

my head, so often does their millstone turn.

فَأَنا النَذيرُ لِذي الشَبيبَةِ مِنهُما

فَأَنا النَذيرُ لِذي الشَبيبَةِ مِنهُما

لا يَأمَنَنَّهُما فَإِنَّهُما هُما

لا يَأمَنَنَّهُما فَإِنَّهُما هُما

Thus I warn whoever possesses youth against them both:

So I warn the young against them both:

let him never feel safe from them—for it is they

let him never feel safe from them, for they themselves

يَتَناهَبانِ نُفوسَنا وِدِماءَنا

يَتَناهَبانِ نُفوسَنا وِدِماءَنا

وَلُحومَنا عَمداً وَنَحنُ نَراهُما

وَلُحومَنا عَمداً وَنَحنُ نَراهُما

who vie with one another to plunder our souls and blood,

plunder our souls and our blood,

and our flesh, deliberately, while we watch them both.

and our flesh, deliberately, while we watch them.

وَالشَيبُ إِحدى الميتَتَينِ تَقَدَّمَت

وَالشَيبُ إِحدى الميتَتَينِ تَقَدَّمَت

أولاهُما وَتَأَخَّرَت أُخراهُما

أولاهُما وَتَأَخَّرَت أُخراهُما

Gray hair is one of two deaths; first to come was

And gray hair is one of the two deaths; early comes

the earlier one, while the latter has lingered behind.

the first of them, while the other is delayed.

وَكَأَنَّ مَن حَلَّت بِهِ صُغراهُما

وَكَأَنَّ مَن حَلَّت بِهِ صُغراهُما

يَوماً فَقَد حَلَّت بِهِ كُبراهُما

يَوماً فَقَد حَلَّت بِهِ كُبراهُما

It is as though whoever is overtaken by the lesser of the two

And it is as though whoever is visited by the lesser of them

one day has already been overtaken by the greater.

one day has already been visited by the greater.