يقولون الغرابُ إذا تبدّى

يقولون الغرابُ إذا تبدّى

يدُلُّ على تفرّق كلّ خلّ

يدُلُّ على تفرّق كلّ خلّ

They say that when the crow appears,

They say when the raven whitens

it signals the parting of every friend.

It portends the scattering of every friend

وهل قاولوا الغراب به غراب

وهل قاولوا الغراب به غراب

يُدلُّ على تفرُّقه ويُملي

يُدلُّ على تفرُّقه ويُملي

And have they spoken with the crow? With it is a crow

Yet did they ask the raven with his ravenness

that signals its parting and dictates.

If he portends his own scattering and wealth

لقد جار الزّمانُ عليّ حتّى

لقد جار الزّمانُ عليّ حتّى

غدا الزقموطُ عندي خير عدل

غدا الزقموطُ عندي خير عدل

Time has indeed wronged me, until

Time has been unjust to me until

al-Zaqmut became, in my eyes, the best of just men.

The buzzard seems to me the best justice

فها أنا شبتُ وشاب شيبي

فها أنا شبتُ وشاب شيبي

ولم أر شائباً في السّنّ مثلي

ولم أر شائباً في السّنّ مثلي

So here I am: I have turned gray, and my gray hair has turned gray,

So here I am grown old and my youth has grayed

and I have seen no gray-haired man as old as I.

And I've never seen one of my years so gray

ليأت لأهله من قال يوماً

ليأت لأهله من قال يوماً

إذا شاب الغرابُ أتيتُ أهلي

إذا شاب الغرابُ أتيتُ أهلي

Let whoever once said this come to his family:

Let him come to his family, he who said one day

“When the crow turns gray, I will come to my family.”

When the raven grays, I will come to my family