وَذيand one with حيلَةٍa stratagem فيconcerning الشَيبِgray hair ظَلَّkept يَحوطُهُtending it
وَذي حيلَةٍ في الشَيبِ ظَلَّ يَحوطُهُ
فَيَخضِبُهُso he dyes it طَوراًat times وَطَوراًand at other times يُنَتِّفُhe plucks
فَيَخضِبُهُ طَوراً وَطَوراً يُنَتِّفُ
And a man with a stratagem against gray hair kept tending it,
And one who had a trick for gray hair kept applying
Dyeing it at times, and at other times plucking it out.
Dye to it time and again, plucking away;
وَماand never لَطُفَتwas subtle لِلشَيبِagainst gray hair حيلَةُa stratagem عالِمٍa learned man
وَما لَطُفَت لِلشَيبِ حيلَةُ عالِمٍ
عَلىthroughout الدَهرِtime إِلّاexcept that حيلَةُthe stratagem الشَيبِgray hair أَلطَفُsubtler
عَلى الدَهرِ إِلّا حيلَةُ الشَيبِ أَلطَفُ
And no learned man's stratagem against gray hair has been subtle,
but no clever trick for gray hair was more elegant
Through the ages, without gray hair's stratagem being subtler still.
against the ravages of time than the trick of gray hair itself.
Sol 6.1