داءٌ وَلَكِنَّهُ داءٌ بِلا أَلَمِ

داءٌ وَلَكِنَّهُ داءٌ بِلا أَلَمِ

شَيبٌ أَلَمَّ بِرَغمِ العَينِ بِاللَمَمِ

شَيبٌ أَلَمَّ بِرَغمِ العَينِ بِاللَمَمِ

An ailment, yet an ailment without pain:

Illness, yet an illness without pain,

gray hair that settled on the locks against the eye's wishes.

Grayness pained despite my eyes with blame,

أَما وَقَد قيلَ ضَيفٌ لِلمَشيبِ فَلا

أَما وَقَد قيلَ ضَيفٌ لِلمَشيبِ فَلا

يَلقاهُ وَاللَهِ وَجهي غَيرَ مُبتَسِمِ

يَلقاهُ وَاللَهِ وَجهي غَيرَ مُبتَسِمِ

Now that gray hair has been called a guest, never

When it's said grayness is a guest, I shall not

will my face, by God, greet it without a smile.

Meet it, by God, except with a smiling face.

وَزادَني في عُلا قَدري وَقارَ نُهىً

وَزادَني في عُلا قَدري وَقارَ نُهىً

فَالنورُ بِالعِلمِ أَو في النارِ بِالعَلَمِ

فَالنورُ بِالعِلمِ أَو في النارِ بِالعَلَمِ

And it added wisdom's dignity to my lofty standing.

It increased my esteem and dignity's height,

For light comes through knowledge, or from fire on a height.

For the light is in knowledge or in the fire's might.

تَبَسَّمَت في ظَلامِ الشَعرِ طالِعَةً

تَبَسَّمَت في ظَلامِ الشَعرِ طالِعَةً

تَبَسُّمَ الكَوكَبِ الدُرِّيِّ في الظُلَمِ

تَبَسُّمَ الكَوكَبِ الدُرِّيِّ في الظُلَمِ

It smiled, rising through the darkness of the hair,

She smiled in the darkness of poetry rising,

with the smile of a pearl-bright star in the gloom.

Like the smile of a pearl star in the gloom.

إِن تَطلُبِ العَيشَ إِذ وَلّى الصِبا فَلِمَن

إِن تَطلُبِ العَيشَ إِذ وَلّى الصِبا فَلِمَن

أَو تُنكِرِ الهَمِّ إِن فاتَ الهَوى فَلِمِ

أَو تُنكِرِ الهَمِّ إِن فاتَ الهَوى فَلِمِ

If you seek life once youth has departed, then for whom?

If you seek life when youth has passed, for whom?

Or if you resent sorrow when passion is lost, then why?

Or deny sadness when passion is lost, for who?

مَن عَلَّمَ القَلَمَ الجاري بِعارِضِهِ

مَن عَلَّمَ القَلَمَ الجاري بِعارِضِهِ

فَقُلتُ مَن عَلَّمَ الإِنسانَ بِالقَلَمِ

فَقُلتُ مَن عَلَّمَ الإِنسانَ بِالقَلَمِ

Who taught the pen that runs along his cheek?

Who taught the pen flowing in its motions?

So I said: the One who taught humankind by the pen.

I said: who taught man with the pen?

ما أَظهَرَ الشَيبُ إِلّا اللَونَ في كِبَري

ما أَظهَرَ الشَيبُ إِلّا اللَونَ في كِبَري

كَلَونِ شَيبي وَلَم أَبلُغ إِلى الحُلُمِ

كَلَونِ شَيبي وَلَم أَبلُغ إِلى الحُلُمِ

Gray hair has revealed nothing but color in my old age,

Grayness revealed only the color in my old age,

like the color of my gray hair before I reached puberty.

Like the color of my grayness, but I'm not wise yet.

وَلِمَّةٍ لَم يُوَفِّ الدَهرُ ذِمَّتَها

وَلِمَّةٍ لَم يُوَفِّ الدَهرُ ذِمَّتَها

هَل يُعرَفُ الدَهرُ في الموفينَ بِالذِمَمِ

هَل يُعرَفُ الدَهرُ في الموفينَ بِالذِمَمِ

And a head of hair whose covenant Time did not honor—

For a nation whose pledge fate hasn't kept,

is Time known among those who keep their pledges?

Can fate be known by those it has shortchanged?

قُدني إِلى الحَتفِ يا دَهري بِها فَمَتى

قُدني إِلى الحَتفِ يا دَهري بِها فَمَتى

لَم يَنقَدِ الجامِعُ الأَعطافِ بِاللجُمِ

لَم يَنقَدِ الجامِعُ الأَعطافِ بِاللجُمِ

Lead me by these locks to death, O my Time—for when

Lead me to death, o fate, for when

has a steed with gathered flanks failed to yield to bridles?

Can one avoid the unavoidable end?

مِمّا أَبُثُّكَ وَالدُنيا مُغَيِّرَةٌ

مِمّا أَبُثُّكَ وَالدُنيا مُغَيِّرَةٌ

أَنّي وَما مِتُّ مَعدودٌ مِنَ الرِمَمِ

أَنّي وَما مِتُّ مَعدودٌ مِنَ الرِمَمِ

Among the things I confide to you, while the world brings change,

Of what I tell you, as life is ever-changing,

is that I, though not dead, am counted among decaying remains.

That I will die, counted among the fragile.

وَأَنَّني كُنتُ في عَصرِ الشَبابِ وَما

وَأَنَّني كُنتُ في عَصرِ الشَبابِ وَما

أغر نفسي غيري اليوم في الهرم

أغر نفسي غيري اليوم في الهرم

And that in the days of youth I was—and I do not

In the days of my youth, which I don't

deceive myself—other than I am today in decrepit age.

Deceive myself about, unlike today in my old age.

أَضاءَ في لَيلِ مَسرى هِمَّتي قَبَسٌ

أَضاءَ في لَيلِ مَسرى هِمَّتي قَبَسٌ

فَواجَهَ الدَهرُ مِنّي وَجهَ مُحتَشِمِ

فَواجَهَ الدَهرُ مِنّي وَجهَ مُحتَشِمِ

A firebrand shone in the night of my aspiration's journey,

A spark lit up in the night of my ambition,

so Time met in me the face of a dignified man.

So fate faced from me a reverent face.

إِذِ الوُجودُ إِذا نَفسُ الفَتى اِمتُحِنَت

إِذِ الوُجودُ إِذا نَفسُ الفَتى اِمتُحِنَت

فيهِ بِإِحنائِها ضَربٌ مِنَ العَدَمِ

فيهِ بِإِحنائِها ضَربٌ مِنَ العَدَمِ

For existence, when a young man's soul is tested

For when the soul of a youth is tested

within it by being bowed, is a kind of nonexistence.

Through its humiliation, that is a kind of nonexistence.

يَشيبُ نَفساً إِذا شابَت ذَوائِبُهُ

يَشيبُ نَفساً إِذا شابَت ذَوائِبُهُ

وَمِن ضُروبِ التَفَتّي الضَربُ لِلُؤَمِ

وَمِن ضُروبِ التَفَتّي الضَربُ لِلُؤَمِ

He turns gray in spirit when his locks turn gray,

It grays a soul when its locks turn white,

and among the forms of chivalry is striking at baseness.

And reverting to youth is a kind of disgrace.

جَنى المُنى ثُمَّ نادَتني حَوادِثُهُ

جَنى المُنى ثُمَّ نادَتني حَوادِثُهُ

قَوَّمتَ أَمرَكَ بِالتَعويجِ فَاِستَقِمِ

قَوَّمتَ أَمرَكَ بِالتَعويجِ فَاِستَقِمِ

It reaped hopes; then its vicissitudes called to me:

It attained its wishes, then fate called me:

You set your affairs straight through crookedness; so be upright.

You've made your matter crooked, so go straight!

تَبقى خُطوطُ رَمادٍ في القُبورِ بِما

تَبقى خُطوطُ رَمادٍ في القُبورِ بِما

رَأَيتَ شُعلَةَ هَذي النارِ في الفَحَمِ

رَأَيتَ شُعلَةَ هَذي النارِ في الفَحَمِ

Streaks of ash remain in the graves, from what

The lines of ashes remain in graves, so I saw

you saw—the flame of this fire within the charcoal.

The flare of this fire in the coals.

وَأَبيَضَ أَسوَدٍ في القَلبِ قُلتُ لَهُ

وَأَبيَضَ أَسوَدٍ في القَلبِ قُلتُ لَهُ

لَوثٌ مِنَ الهَمِّ أَو لَوثٌ مِنَ الهِمَمِ

لَوثٌ مِنَ الهَمِّ أَو لَوثٌ مِنَ الهِمَمِ

And to a white one, black at heart, I said:

And a blackness and whiteness in my heart, I said:

A stain of sorrow, or a stain of aspirations.

A filthiness of worry or of determination?

أَحرَمتُ مِن لُبسِ أَوطاري بِلَبسَتِهِ

أَحرَمتُ مِن لُبسِ أَوطاري بِلَبسَتِهِ

وَالمَوتُ لَيسَ يَعافُ الصَيدَ في الحَرَمِ

وَالمَوتُ لَيسَ يَعافُ الصَيدَ في الحَرَمِ

By donning its garb, I entered consecration, forgoing the garb of my desires;

I refrained from wearing my fineries with its wear,

and death does not shun prey within the sanctuary.

And death does not pardon prey in the sacred place.