أسَفاً على تلك المحاسن

أسَفاً على تلك المحاسن

كيْفَ بدَّلَها الغبارُ

كيْفَ بدَّلَها الغبارُ

Alas for those beauties—

Alas, for those charms -

how the dust has transformed them!

How has dust changed them!

وبياضِ هاتيك الخدود

وبياضِ هاتيك الخدود

فكيف سوَّرها العذار

فكيف سوَّرها العذار

And for the whiteness of those cheeks—

And the whiteness of those cheeks -

how the first beard has ringed them!

How has grime dyed them!

كانَ العزيزَ وقد بدا

كانَ العزيزَ وقد بدا

وعليه للذل انكسار

وعليه للذل انكسار

He had been honored; yet there appeared

He who was exalted now appears

upon him the brokenness of humiliation.

Broken by humiliation.

كانت محاسنُ وجهِهِ

كانت محاسنُ وجهِهِ

تزهو كما يزهو النضار

تزهو كما يزهو النضار

The beauties of his face

The beauty of his face once shone

shone as gold shines,

Like the radiance of blossoms.

ويزين ذيّاك البياضَ

ويزين ذيّاك البياضَ

من الحياءِ الاحمرار

من الحياءِ الاحمرار

and it adorns that whiteness—

And the whiteness adorning it

the blush born of modesty.

Was tinged by a blush of modesty.

يهوى زيارَته المشوقَ

يهوى زيارَته المشوقَ

وإن يكن شَطَّ المزار

وإن يكن شَطَّ المزار

The yearning lover longs to visit him,

He who was enchanting to visit

even if the place of visitation lies far away.

Though the journey was far.

فَغَشاه ليلٌ ما له

فَغَشاه ليلٌ ما له

من بعد غشيته نهار

من بعد غشيته نهار

Then a night engulfed him, with no

But a night unlike any other

day after its envelopment of him.

Has shrouded his day.

وجَفاه من يَهواه حتَّى

وجَفاه من يَهواه حتَّى

لا يزورُ ولا يزار

لا يزورُ ولا يزار

The one who loves him shuns him now, until

Those he loved have abandoned him,

he neither visits nor is visited.

No more to visit or be visited.

إن كانَ فيه بقيَّةٌ

إن كانَ فيه بقيَّةٌ

فلسَوْفَ يُدْرِكها البَوار

فلسَوْفَ يُدْرِكها البَوار

If any remnant remains in him,

If a trace of him remains,

ruin will surely overtake it.

Ruin will overtake it.