إِذا ما تَقَضّى الأَربَعونَ فَلا تُرِد

إِذا ما تَقَضّى الأَربَعونَ فَلا تُرِد

سِوى اِمرَأَةٍ في الأَربَعينَ لَها قِسمُ

سِوى اِمرَأَةٍ في الأَربَعينَ لَها قِسمُ

When forty years have passed, desire none

When forty years are done, desire no more

but a woman who has her share of forty years.

Save a maid in her forties with a fate in store,

فَإِنَّ الَّذي وَفّى الثَلاثينَ وَاِرتَقى

فَإِنَّ الَّذي وَفّى الثَلاثينَ وَاِرتَقى

عَلَيهُنَّ عَشراً لِلفَناءِ بِهِ وَسمُ

عَلَيهُنَّ عَشراً لِلفَناءِ بِهِ وَسمُ

For he who has completed thirty and climbed

For he who thirties past did shun and soar

ten years beyond them bears the mark of death.

On them must add ten more to deathward bore.

زَمانُ الغَواني عَصرَ جِسمَكَ زائِدٌ

زَمانُ الغَواني عَصرَ جِسمَكَ زائِدٌ

وَهُنَّ عَناءٌ بَعدَ أَن يَقِفَ الجِسمُ

وَهُنَّ عَناءٌ بَعدَ أَن يَقِفَ الجِسمُ

The time for fair women is when your body is growing,

Time of delight is plus to body's need;

and they are a burden once the body stops growing.

And they are toil when power to joy recede.

سَأَلتَ بَني الأَيّامِ عَن ذاهِبِ الصِبا

سَأَلتَ بَني الأَيّامِ عَن ذاهِبِ الصِبا

كَأَنَّكَ قُلتَ الآنَ ما فَعَلَت طَسمُ

كَأَنَّكَ قُلتَ الآنَ ما فَعَلَت طَسمُ

You asked the sons of the days about vanished youth,

The days thou askest of lost youth, indeed,

as though you now said, 'What has become of Tasm?'

As though saying "Whither went the talisman?"

تُريدُ مِنَ الدُنيا خِلافاً لِما مَضى

تُريدُ مِنَ الدُنيا خِلافاً لِما مَضى

وَأَعياكَ تَدبيرٌ بِهِ سَبَقَ الرَسمُ

وَأَعياكَ تَدبيرٌ بِهِ سَبَقَ الرَسمُ

You desire from the world something unlike what has passed,

From life thou seekest what is past and fled,

and a design whose pattern was set beforehand has baffled you.

And thou art tasked beyond what Fate hath sped.

هُوَ الداءُ لا يَنفَكُّ يُشكى وَيُشتَكى

هُوَ الداءُ لا يَنفَكُّ يُشكى وَيُشتَكى

وَلَو شاءَ رَبُّ الناسِ أَدرَكَهُ الحَسمُ

وَلَو شاءَ رَبُّ الناسِ أَدرَكَهُ الحَسمُ

It is the malady, endlessly lamented and complained of;

The ill clings fast and is bemoaned and pled,

and had the Lord of humankind willed, a decisive cure would have reached it.

Though God of men, an He but willed, th' account would read.

مَضى الشَخصُ ثُمَّ الذِكرُ فَاِنقَرَضا مَعاً

مَضى الشَخصُ ثُمَّ الذِكرُ فَاِنقَرَضا مَعاً

وَما ماتَ كُلَّ المَوت مَن عاشَ مِنهُ اِسمُ

وَما ماتَ كُلَّ المَوت مَن عاشَ مِنهُ اِسمُ

The person passed away, then the memory; both perished together.

The person passed, and eke the name is dead,

And one whose name lives on has not wholly died.

Not wholly dead who lives by deixis dread.