يَارَبيعَ العُفَاةٍ هذا الشِّتاءُ

يَارَبيعَ العُفَاةٍ هذا الشِّتاءُ

مَنْ تَولَّى شَبابُهُ والفَتاءُ

مَنْ تَولَّى شَبابُهُ والفَتاءُ

O springtime of supplicants, this winter is

O spring of innocence, this winter

one whose youth and vigor have departed.

Who has outgrown his youth and prime?

وَتَوَلَّتْ مِن كُلِّ أُفُقٍ رِياحٌ

وَتَوَلَّتْ مِن كُلِّ أُفُقٍ رِياحٌ

تَتَّقيها قَبلَ السِّراجِ ذُكاءُ

تَتَّقيها قَبلَ السِّراجِ ذُكاءُ

And winds have turned away from every horizon,

Winds have turned from every horizon,

which Dhukāʾ, the sun, shuns before al-Sirāj does.

Keenness takes shelter before the lamp.

سَرَقُوا لي في لَيْلَةِ العِيد دِيكاً

سَرَقُوا لي في لَيْلَةِ العِيد دِيكاً

هُوَ لِلعيشِ والعُيُونِ سَواءُ

هُوَ لِلعيشِ والعُيُونِ سَواءُ

On the night of the feast they stole a rooster of mine,

On the feast night they stole a rooster from me,

as good to eat as to look at.

It sees equally the living and the eyes.

سَرَقُوهُ وَخلَّفُوا الفَحْمَ والثَّلْ

سَرَقُوهُ وَخلَّفُوا الفَحْمَ والثَّلْ

جَ فَحَسْبي مُصِيبةٌ بَلْياءُ

جَ فَحَسْبي مُصِيبةٌ بَلْياءُ

They stole him, leaving behind the charcoal and snow;

They stole it leaving the coal and ashes;

so a grievous calamity is quite enough for me.

So my disaster is a terrible calamity.

قَدْ مَضَى العِيدُ مِثْلَما جَا

قَدْ مَضَى العِيدُ مِثْلَما جَا

ءَ لا قَلاءٌ عِنْدي فِيهِ ولا شِواءُ

ءَ لا قَلاءٌ عِنْدي فِيهِ ولا شِواءُ

The feast has passed just as it came:

The feast has passed just as it came;

I had neither fried food nor roast meat during it.

For me there is therein neither food nor roasting.

مُنذُ عامٍ وبّيتُهُ وله قَب

مُنذُ عامٍ وبّيتُهُ وله قَب

لَ غَذائي غَذاؤُهُ والعَشَاءُ

لَ غَذائي غَذاؤُهُ والعَشَاءُ

For a year I housed him, and he had, before

For a year have I housed it, and before that

my own food, his food and supper.

Its food was my food, and my supper.