أَما المَشيبُ فَإِنَّهُ قَد أَبرَقا

أَما المَشيبُ فَإِنَّهُ قَد أَبرَقا

وَكَأَنَّني بِسَحابِهِ قَد أَغدَقا

وَكَأَنَّني بِسَحابِهِ قَد أَغدَقا

As for gray hair, it has already flashed with lightning;

The gray hair has already flashed like lightning,

And I seem to see its cloud already raining abundantly.

As if its clouds have poured down heavily.

فَاِبرُك إِلَيهِ أَبيَضاً في أَبيَضٍ

فَاِبرُك إِلَيهِ أَبيَضاً في أَبيَضٍ

لا تَذكُرَنَّ مِنَ النَقا زَمَنَ النَقا

لا تَذكُرَنَّ مِنَ النَقا زَمَنَ النَقا

So kneel before it, white amid white;

So gracefully turn to it white within white,

Do not recall, from the dunes, the days of the dunes.

Remember not the vigor of vigor.

وَمِنَ الشَبابِ خَلَعتُ عَيشاً أَخضَرا

وَمِنَ الشَبابِ خَلَعتُ عَيشاً أَخضَرا

وَصَحِبتُ مِن شَيبي عُدُوّاً أَزرَقا

وَصَحِبتُ مِن شَيبي عُدُوّاً أَزرَقا

And I cast off the verdant life of youth,

And from my youth I put off a green life,

And from my gray hair took a blue-eyed foe as companion.

And met from my gray hair a blue foe.

كانَ الهَوى خِلَّ الصِبا وَصَديقَهُ

كانَ الهَوى خِلَّ الصِبا وَصَديقَهُ

حَتّى تَلا شَيبيوَإَن يَتَفَرَّقا

حَتّى تَلا شَيبيوَإَن يَتَفَرَّقا

Love was youth’s intimate companion and its friend,

Passion was the intimacy of youth and its friend,

Until my gray hair recited, ‘And if the two part...’

Until my gray hair came between and they parted.

لا تَسأَلِ الدُنيا وَإِن أَعطَت فَلا

لا تَسأَلِ الدُنيا وَإِن أَعطَت فَلا

تَأخُذ فَبَعدَ نَعيمِها هَذا الشَقا

تَأخُذ فَبَعدَ نَعيمِها هَذا الشَقا

Do not ask the world; and if it gives, then do not

Do not ask of the days, and if they give, then do not

take, for after its bliss comes this misery.

Take, for after their bliss comes this misery.