أخي رأيت الشيب موتاً وإن بكى
له منبت حي ففي إثره يقفو
My brother, I have seen gray hair as death, though tears are shed
My brother, I saw gray hair as death, though it weeps
For it by a living root, which follows in its wake.
It has a living root, so after it youth grows
إذا شاب شعر صح مذ شاب موته
وإن قصارى ما بقي بعده يقفو
When hair turns gray, its death is certain from the moment it grays.
When the hair turns youthful, it is healthy since its death has youth
And the ultimate fate of what remains is to follow after it.
And the most that remains after it grows youth
ألا إن موت الشعر نصفٌ وما بقي
وما ولي من القوة الضعف
Take heed: the death of hair is half; and what remains
Indeed, the death of hair is half, and what remains
And what follows strength is weakness.
Is not like the strength, it is weakness
إذا مات نصف المرء والنصف بعده
لعمر أبي لم يبق من نصفه النصف
When half a man has died, and the other half follows it,
When half of a man dies, and after it the other half
By my father's life, not even half of his half remains.
By my father's life, half of his half does not remain
وهل عاش نصف بعد علم علمته
وإن عاش هل عيش على عقبه يصفو
And has a half lived on, after the knowledge I have gained?
Did half live after the knowledge I knew?
And if it lives, can life in its wake be unclouded?
And if it lived, is life after it pure?
حقيق على نفسي أنعى لأنه
تجمع عندي كل ما كان بي يحفو
It is fitting that I mourn my own soul, for
It is true of myself, I mourn it because
All that once showed me kindness has gathered around me.
In me has gathered all that was under my care
وقد أسأرت عندي الليالي بقيةً
مواعظ لي منها ومني لها صنف
And the nights have left me a remnant:
And the remaining nights have been sleepless with me
Lessons from them for me, and a kind of lesson from me for them.
Lessons for me from it, and from me, types for it
إذا مات نسلي والذي هو ناسلي
وتربي فإني حرف عطفٍ بهم عطف
When my offspring dies, and he who begot me,
When my progeny dies, and the one who procreates me
And my peer, then I am a conjunction joined to them.
And raises me, I am but a conjunction with them, conjoined
وهل نافع اسمٍ إذا من أخيره
وأوله من كل فعلٍ مضى حرف
And is a noun of any use, when from its end
Is a name beneficial when the best of it
And its beginning, a letter from every verb has gone?
And its first are but letters from every deed gone by?
إذا الحرف كان والد المرء وابنه
وأترابه فالعيش في من بقى حتف
When the letter is a man's father and his son,
When a letter is a man's parent and child
And his peers, then life for whoever remains is death.
And his peers, then life among who remains is misfortune
ألا إن دنيانا يداول كفها
علينا كؤوساً كلها بيننا وكف
Take heed: the hand of our world passes round
Indeed, our world passes its cups between us
Cups to us, all of them affliction among us.
All of them, while we alternate holding and pouring
وما هي إلا روضةٌ حلها الحيا
ومنيتها إلا الشقائق والسهف
And it is only a garden upon which rain has alighted,
It is but a meadow inhabited by life
And its doom is only poppies and parching thirst.
Its perdition is but the anemones and pods
فيا لهف نفسي ما أقاسي من الأذى
لديها مدى ما عشت لو نفعت لهف
So, alas for my soul—what harm I endure
So oh longing of my soul, what suffering from harm
In its presence, for as long as I live—if only anguish availed!
It has with it, however long I live, even if useful, longing
Sol 6.1