مِنْ حُسْنِ جِسْمِي وَالشَبابِ العُسْنُقِ

إِذْ لِمَّتِي سَوْداءُ لَمْ تَمَرَّقِ

From my body's beauty and youthful bloom

When my black hair showed no hint of gloom

حَتَّى انْتَهَى شَيْطانُ كُلِّي مُفْرِقِ

حَتَّى رَأَيْنَ الشَيْبَ ذا التَلَهْوُقِ

Until the devil in me was fully spent

Until I saw the grey that comes and went

يَغْشَى عِذارِي لِحْيَتِي وَيَرْتَقِي

وَمَخْفِق أَطْرافُهُ فِي مَخْفِقِ

To cover my temples, in my beard entwine

And flutter at its edges line by line

أَخْوَقَ مِنْ ذاكَ البَعِيد الأَخْوَقِ

إِذا أَنْفَأَت أَجْوافُهُ عَنْ سَمْلَقِ

More fearful than the distant owl’s bleak tones

When from its hollow breast low hooting moans

مَرَّتْ كَجِلْدِ الصَرْصَران الأَمْهَقِ

مِنْ بُعْدِ مَغزايَ وَبُعْدِ المُغْفِقِ

It passed as quickly as the lizard’s skin

From distant dreams and long forgot sin