يقولون الغرابُ إذا تبدّى

يدُلُّ على تفرّق كلّ خلّ

They say when the raven whitens

It portends the scattering of every friend

وهل قاولوا الغراب به غراب

يُدلُّ على تفرُّقه ويُملي

Yet did they ask the raven with his ravenness

If he portends his own scattering and wealth

لقد جار الزّمانُ عليّ حتّى

غدا الزقموطُ عندي خير عدل

Time has been unjust to me until

The buzzard seems to me the best justice

فها أنا شبتُ وشاب شيبي

ولم أر شائباً في السّنّ مثلي

So here I am grown old and my youth has grayed

And I've never seen one of my years so gray

ليأت لأهله من قال يوماً

إذا شاب الغرابُ أتيتُ أهلي

Let him come to his family, he who said one day

When the raven grays, I will come to my family