خَلَعَ الصِبا عَن مَنكبَيهِ مَشيب

خَلَعَ الصِبا عَن مَنكبَيهِ مَشيب

فَطَوى الذَوائب رأَسهُ المَخضوبُ

فَطَوى الذَوائب رأَسهُ المَخضوبُ

Gray age stripped youth from his shoulders,

Gray hair stripped youth from his shoulders;

Youth has slipped from his shoulders

and so his henna-dyed head gathered up its tresses.

so his dyed head folded away its locks.

So he wrapped the locks, his dyed head

نَشَرَ البِلى في عارِضيَهِ عَقارِباً

نَشَرَ البِلى في عارِضيَهِ عَقارِباً

بيضاً لَهُنَّ عَلى القُرونِ دَبيبُ

بيضاً لَهُنَّ عَلى القُرونِ دَبيبُ

Decay spread scorpions across his temples—

Decay scattered scorpions along his cheeks,

Time has spread white spiders

white ones, creeping over the locks.

white ones that creep over his tresses.

Crawling on his temples

ما كانَ أَنضَرَ عيشَهُ وأَغضَّهُ

ما كانَ أَنضَرَ عيشَهُ وأَغضَّهُ

أَيام فَضلُ رِدائِهِ مَسحوبُ

أَيام فَضلُ رِدائِهِ مَسحوبُ

How radiant and fresh his life once was,

How fresh and tender his life once was,

His livelihood was never greener and fresher

in days when the trailing hem of his cloak swept the ground.

in the days when the end of his cloak trailed behind him.

Than when his cloak tails dragged