نَزَلَ المشيبُ بِوَفدِهِ لا مَرحَبَا

ورَأَى الشَّبابُ مَكَاَنهُ فَتَجَّنبَا

Old age descended with its delegation, without welcome

And youth saw its place, so avoided it

ضَيفٌ بَغيضٌ لا أَرَى لي عُصرَةً

مِنهُ هَرَبتُ فَلم أَجِد لي مَهرَبَا

An unwanted guest, I see no escape from it

I fled from it, but could find no refuge

بُدِّلتُ بِالعَيشِ اللَّذيذِ ونِعمَةِ ال

عُمرَينِ هَمّاً شاهِداً ومُغَيَّبَا

I was replaced from a sweet life and the blessing of

Two lives, with worry, loss, and banishment

ولَقَد يُصاحِبُني الشَّبابُ فَلم أَكُن

آتي بهِ إلاَّ الفَعَالَ الأَصوَبَا

And indeed youth used to accompany me, yet I

Did not come to it except with the rightest of deeds

ولَقَد حَفِظتُ مَكانَهُ ورَعَيتُهُ

وجَعلَتُهُ مِنِّي الأَحَبَّ الأَقربَا

And indeed I preserved its place and tended it

And made it the most beloved and closest to me