عجائب الدهر شتّى

عجائب الدهر شتّى

لم تنحصر في حساب

لم تنحصر في حساب

The wonders of time are manifold;

The wonders of time are manifold,

no reckoning can encompass them.

beyond the bounds of any reckoning.

منها التصدي لعشق

منها التصدي لعشق

من بعد شرخ الشباب

من بعد شرخ الشباب

Among them is taking on passion

Among them is venturing into love

after youth’s first bloom.

after the bloom of youth.

تغير الشأن فيه

تغير الشأن فيه

فعاد بالانقلاب

فعاد بالانقلاب

In him the whole condition changes

His condition has changed,

and comes back utterly reversed.

and turned into its opposite:

بينا الغرام عذاب

بينا الغرام عذاب

إذا به في العذاب

إذا به في العذاب

While passion itself is torment—

while passion was sweet water,

behold him there, amid the torment.

suddenly he was in torment.

كأنما هو جان

كأنما هو جان

يقوده للعقاب

يقوده للعقاب

As though he were a criminal

As though he were an offender,

being led away to punishment,

it leads him to punishment,

يسوقه بعصاه

يسوقه بعصاه

مستطرقا غير باب

مستطرقا غير باب

driven onward with a staff,

driving him with its staff,

knocking at the wrong door.

seeking entry at another door.

فوجده في ضلال

فوجده في ضلال

وشيبه في خضاب

وشيبه في خضاب

His face is lost in error,

It found him astray,

his gray hair steeped in dye;

and his gray hair dyed,

وشجوه كنعيق

وشجوه كنعيق

ولا نعيق الغراب

ولا نعيق الغراب

his plaint is like a croak—

and his lament like cawing—

yet not the raven’s croak.

not even a crow's caw compares.

وحاله حال ديك

وحاله حال ديك

منتف في اضطراب

منتف في اضطراب

His state is that of a rooster,

His state is that of a rooster,

plucked bare and flailing in panic;

plucked bare and agitated,

أو حال طاف بنهر

أو حال طاف بنهر

مجرد من ثياب

مجرد من ثياب

or that of a man afloat in a river,

or of a man afloat in a river,

stripped of his clothes,

stripped of his clothes.

يهزه الموج حتى

يهزه الموج حتى

تخاله في السحاب

تخاله في السحاب

tossed by the waves until

The waves shake him until

you would think him in the clouds.

you think him among the clouds.

مذ شأنه في انعكاس

مذ شأنه في انعكاس

وأمره في تباب

وأمره في تباب

Ever since his state turned upside down

Since his condition is reversed,

and all his affairs fell to ruin,

and his affairs are in ruin,

وصاله من محال

وصاله من محال

كناظر للسراب

كناظر للسراب

union with his beloved became impossible—

his loving union is impossible,

like a man gazing at a mirage.

like one gazing at a mirage.

إذ جلده في حنوط

إذ جلده في حنوط

وعقله في ذهاب

وعقله في ذهاب

For his skin is steeped in burial spices,

For his skin is covered in embalming spices,

and his mind is slipping away;

and his mind is slipping away,

وعظمه في ارتعاش

وعظمه في ارتعاش

ومشيه بانكباب

ومشيه بانكباب

his bones are all a-tremble,

and his bones are trembling,

and he walks doubled over;

and he walks bent forward.

ووجهه في انكماش

ووجهه في انكماش

مجعد في التهاب

مجعد في التهاب

his face has shriveled,

And his face is shrunken,

wrinkled and inflamed;

wrinkled and inflamed.

محدودب الظهر حان

محدودب الظهر حان

يخطو على الأخشاب

يخطو على الأخشاب

hunchbacked, his time has come

Humpbacked and stooping,

to tread upon the coffin boards.

he steps along on wooden supports.

وقده في اعوجاج

وقده في اعوجاج

وأنفه في التراب

وأنفه في التراب

His frame is crooked,

And his frame is crooked,

his nose down in the dust.

and his nose is in the dust.

يبني على الفتح فاه

يبني على الفتح فاه

لرفع ذاك اللعاب

لرفع ذاك اللعاب

He fixes his mouth on fatḥ—wide open—

He keeps his mouth fixed open

to keep that drool raised in rafʿ.

to clear away that saliva.

لم يبق في فيه سن

لم يبق في فيه سن

يرد سرب الذباب

يرد سرب الذباب

Not a tooth remains in his mouth

Not a tooth remains in his mouth

to fend off the swarm of flies;

to ward off a swarm of flies.

يغفو فنهجم عنه

يغفو فنهجم عنه

في منبت الأنياب

في منبت الأنياب

he dozes, and we shoo them from him,

He dozes; then we rush away from him [wording unclear],

from the sockets where his canines grew.

in the sockets of the canine teeth.

شتان لو كان يدري

شتان لو كان يدري

بين الصبي والتصابي

بين الصبي والتصابي

What a gulf—if only he knew—

What a difference—if only he knew—

between true youth and playing the youth!

between a boy and feigning youth!