إنْ شِبْتُ منْ قَبْل أَتْرابي فلا عَجَبٌ

فَمِثْلُ ذَا لِبَني الأَيّام قَدْ وقَعَا

If I turned away from my peers before, there's no wonder,

For the like of this has befallen the sons of time.

رَأَى الشَّبابُ صَنِيعي لا يُوفِقُهُ

فَفَرَّ إذْ لَمْ أَجِبْ دِاعِيه حينَ دَعا

Youth saw my ways did not agree with him,

So he fled when I did not respond when he called.

وَأَقْبَل الشَّيْبُ مَسْرُوراً بِطَلْعَتِهِ

كالصُّبْح بَعْدَ ظَلامِ اللّيل قَدْ صَدَعَا

And old age came happily in his appearance,

Like the dawn after the darkness of night has cleared away.