يا أسمُ إنّ صْبابتي

يا أسمُ إنّ صْبابتي

بك لو أويتِ لها طويلَهْ

بك لو أويتِ لها طويلَهْ

O Asma, indeed my longing

O name, if my youth

for you is enduring—if only you would pity it.

Had lingered with you longer

وأخذتِنِي بذنوبِ شي

وأخذتِنِي بذنوبِ شي

بٍ لم تكنْ لي فيه حِيلَهْ

بٍ لم تكنْ لي فيه حِيلَهْ

And you held me to account for the sins of gray

And you took me to task

hair, over which I had no control.

For sins I had no power to avoid

نزلتْ شَواتي وَخْطَةٌ

نزلتْ شَواتي وَخْطَةٌ

منه أحاذرها نزيلَهْ

منه أحاذرها نزيلَهْ

A fleck has settled on my scalp,

My steps faltered

a fleck of gray I dread as a lodger.

And I feared where they would lead

وقضى الشّبابُ وسيلتي

وقضى الشّبابُ وسيلتي

فالآن ما لِي من وسيلَهْ

فالآن ما لِي من وسيلَهْ

And youth, my means of approach, has died;

Youth has passed and my means

so now I have no means of approach.

Now I have no means

لكِ مِنَّةٌ يوم الفرا

لكِ مِنَّةٌ يوم الفرا

قِ وقد وقفتِ لنا ثَقيلَهْ

قِ وقد وقفتِ لنا ثَقيلَهْ

You did me a kindness on the day of parting,

You favored me the day we parted

when you stopped for us, reluctant.

And bore for us a heavy burden

وأسَوْتِ بالتّوديع في

وأسَوْتِ بالتّوديع في

يوم النّوى نفساً عليلهْ

يوم النّوى نفساً عليلهْ

And with your farewell you healed, on

And in saying farewell you made

the day of separation, an ailing soul.

My ailing soul suffer on the day of separation

وأنلْتِ منك عطيّةً

وأنلْتِ منك عطيّةً

ما كنتِ قبلُ لها مُنيلَهْ

ما كنتِ قبلُ لها مُنيلَهْ

And you bestowed a gift from yourself

And you granted me a gift

that you had never bestowed before.

I had never hoped to obtain

هي عند مَن حَمَل الغرا

هي عند مَن حَمَل الغرا

مَ كثيرةٌ وهي القليلَهْ

مَ كثيرةٌ وهي القليلَهْ

To one who bears the burden of love, it is

It is much for one who bears estrangement

much, though it is little.

Yet to me it is so little