لاَ وَشَبَابِي وَلَذَاذَاتِهِ

لاَ وَشَبَابِي وَلَذَاذَاتِهِ

مَا الشَّيْبُ إلاَّ بَرَصُ الشَّعْرِ

مَا الشَّيْبُ إلاَّ بَرَصُ الشَّعْرِ

No, by my youth and its delights,

No, not my youth nor its pleasures,

Gray hair is nothing but vitiligo of the hair.

Gray hair is but leprosy of the hair.

لَيْلُ شَبَابِي شَانَهُ فَجْرُهُ

لَيْلُ شَبَابِي شَانَهُ فَجْرُهُ

يَا حُسْنُهُ كَانَ بِلاَ فَجْرِ

يَا حُسْنُهُ كَانَ بِلاَ فَجْرِ

The night of my youth was marred by its dawn.

The night of my youth was like its dawn,

Oh, how lovely it was without a dawn!

Oh, its beauty without a dawn!

هُمَا لِبَاسَانِ فَمَنْ يُبْلَ ذَا

هُمَا لِبَاسَانِ فَمَنْ يُبْلَ ذَا

يَرْدُدْ بِهِ عَارِيَةَ الدَّهْرِ

يَرْدُدْ بِهِ عَارِيَةَ الدَّهْرِ

They are two garments; whoever is given this one

They are two garments, so who can wear

Returns with it Time's loan.

And rend the nakedness of time?

والشَّيْبُ لاَ تُسْلِمُ أَثْوَابُهُ

والشَّيْبُ لاَ تُسْلِمُ أَثْوَابُهُ

لاَبِسَهَا إِلاَّ إِلَى القَبْرِ

لاَبِسَهَا إِلاَّ إِلَى القَبْرِ

And gray hair—its garments do not surrender

Gray hair does not surrender its clothes

Their wearer except to the grave.

To its wearer save to the grave.