عَجِلتَ يا شَيبُ عَلى مَفرِقي

عَجِلتَ يا شَيبُ عَلى مَفرِقي

وَأَيُّ عُذرٍ لَكَ أَن تَعجَلا

وَأَيُّ عُذرٍ لَكَ أَن تَعجَلا

You came too soon, O gray hair, upon my crown;

You hurried, O gray hair, to my temple

and what excuse have you for such haste?

What excuse do you have to hurry so?

وَكَيفَ أَقدَمتَ عَلى عارِضٍ

وَكَيفَ أَقدَمتَ عَلى عارِضٍ

ما اِستَغرَقَ الشَعرَ وَلا اِستَكمَلا

ما اِستَغرَقَ الشَعرَ وَلا اِستَكمَلا

And how did you dare invade a beard

How did you set upon a transient

not yet filled out with hair or fully grown?

That had not overwhelmed poetry or reached perfection?

كُنتُ أَرى العِشرينَ لي جَنَّةً

كُنتُ أَرى العِشرينَ لي جَنَّةً

مِن طارِقِ الشَيبِ إِذا أَقبَلا

مِن طارِقِ الشَيبِ إِذا أَقبَلا

I used to think my twenty years a shield for me

I used to see twenty as a paradise for me

from the night visitor, gray hair, when it came.

When the raider of gray hair came

فَالآنَ سيّانِ اِبنُ أُمِّ الصِبا

فَالآنَ سيّانِ اِبنُ أُمِّ الصِبا

وَمَن تَسَدّى العُمُرَ الأَطوَلا

وَمَن تَسَدّى العُمُرَ الأَطوَلا

So now alike are youth's own brother

Now the sons of the mother of youth are equal

and one who has traversed the longest span of life.

And he whose life was longer

يا زائِراً ما جاءَ حَتّى مَضى

يا زائِراً ما جاءَ حَتّى مَضى

وَعارِضاً ما غامَ حَتّى اِنجَلى

وَعارِضاً ما غامَ حَتّى اِنجَلى

O visitor, no sooner here than gone,

O visitor who came and went

and cloud, no sooner darkened than cleared away!

And transient who had not dimmed before it faded

وَما رَأى الراؤونَ مِن قَبلِها

وَما رَأى الراؤونَ مِن قَبلِها

زَرعاً ذَوى مِن قَبلِ أَن يُبقِلا

زَرعاً ذَوى مِن قَبلِ أَن يُبقِلا

Never before this had anyone seen

Those who saw had not before it

a crop that withered before it sprouted.

Seen crops wither before they ripened

لَيتَ بَياضاً جاءَني آخِراً

لَيتَ بَياضاً جاءَني آخِراً

فِدى بَياضٍ كانَ لي أَوَّلا

فِدى بَياضٍ كانَ لي أَوَّلا

Would that the whiteness that came to me last

If only the whiteness had come to me last

were ransom for the whiteness I had at first!

Instead of the whiteness that was my first

وَليتَ صُبحاً ساءَني ضَوءُهُ

وَليتَ صُبحاً ساءَني ضَوءُهُ

زالَ وَأَبقى لَيلَهُ الأَليَلا

زالَ وَأَبقى لَيلَهُ الأَليَلا

And would that a dawn whose light distressed me

If only the dawn whose light saddened me

would vanish and leave its pitch-dark night.

Had faded and left its lengthy night

يا ذابِلاً صَوَّحَ فَينانُهُ

يا ذابِلاً صَوَّحَ فَينانُهُ

قَد آنَ لِلذابِلِ أَن يُختَلى

قَد آنَ لِلذابِلِ أَن يُختَلى

O withered one whose lush growth has dried,

O fading one who boasted vainly

the time has come for the withered to be mown.

It is time for the fading one to be plucked

حَطَّ بِرَأسي يَقَقاً أَبيَضاً

حَطَّ بِرَأسي يَقَقاً أَبيَضاً

كَأَنَّما حَطَّ بِهِ مُنصُلا

كَأَنَّما حَطَّ بِهِ مُنصُلا

It laid dazzling whiteness upon my head,

It crowned my head with white spikes

as though it had laid a sword upon it.

As if it crowned it with a sickle

هَذا وَلَم أَعدُ بِحالِ الصِبا

هَذا وَلَم أَعدُ بِحالِ الصِبا

فَكَيفَ مَن جاوَزَ أَو أَوغَلا

فَكَيفَ مَن جاوَزَ أَو أَوغَلا

This, though I have not passed beyond the state of youth;

This while I was not old in my youth

then what of one who has passed it, or advanced far beyond?

So what of one who surpassed or went deeper?

مِن خَوفِهِ كُنتُ أَهابُ السُرى

مِن خَوفِهِ كُنتُ أَهابُ السُرى

شُحّاً عَلى وَجهِيَ أَن يُبذَلا

شُحّاً عَلى وَجهِيَ أَن يُبذَلا

For fear of it, I used to dread night journeys,

Out of fear it would be wasted on my face

unwilling to let my face be squandered.

I was stingy to walk about at night

فَلَيتَني كُنتُ تَسَربَلتُهُ

فَلَيتَني كُنتُ تَسَربَلتُهُ

في طَلَبِ العِزِّ وَنَيلِ العُلى

في طَلَبِ العِزِّ وَنَيلِ العُلى

So would that I had clothed myself in it

If only I had worn it out

in seeking glory and reaching the heights.

Seeking glory and reaching the heights

قالوا دَعِ القاعِدَ يُزري بِهِ

قالوا دَعِ القاعِدَ يُزري بِهِ

مَن قَطَعَ اللَيلَ وَجابَ الفَلا

مَن قَطَعَ اللَيلَ وَجابَ الفَلا

They said: Leave the stay-at-home to be shamed

They said "Leave the sitter whom"

by one who traverses the night and crosses the wastes.

"The night walker and wanderer ridicules"

قَد كانَ شِعري رُبَّما يَدَّعي

قَد كانَ شِعري رُبَّما يَدَّعي

نُزولَهُ بي قَبلَ أَن يَنزِلا

نُزولَهُ بي قَبلَ أَن يَنزِلا

My poetry would sometimes claim

My poetry would sometimes claim

that gray hair had come upon me before it came.

To have descended on me before it descended

فَالآنَ يَحميني بِبَيضائِهِ

فَالآنَ يَحميني بِبَيضائِهِ

أَن أُكذِبَ القَولَ وَأَن أُبطِلا

أَن أُكذِبَ القَولَ وَأَن أُبطِلا

So now it shields me with its whiteness

Now its whiteness protects me

from belying my words and uttering falsehood.

From lying words and nullifying them

قُل لِعَذولي اليَومَ نَم صامِتاً

قُل لِعَذولي اليَومَ نَم صامِتاً

فَقَد كَفاني الشَيبُ أَن أُعذَلا

فَقَد كَفاني الشَيبُ أَن أُعذَلا

Tell my reproacher today: Sleep in silence;

Say to my critic today, "Sleep silent

for gray hair is reproach enough for me.

For gray hair relieves me from having to apologize"

طِبتُ بِهِ نَفساً وَمَن لَم يَجِد

طِبتُ بِهِ نَفساً وَمَن لَم يَجِد

إِلّا الرَدى أَذعَنَ وَاِستَقبَلا

إِلّا الرَدى أَذعَنَ وَاِستَقبَلا

I am content with it; and whoever finds

I have accepted it in myself, and he who found

nothing but death submits and faces it.

Only demise resigned and turned to it

لَم يَلقَ مِن دوني لَهُ مَصرِفاً

لَم يَلقَ مِن دوني لَهُ مَصرِفاً

وَلَم أَجِد مِن دونِهِ مَوئِلا

وَلَم أَجِد مِن دونِهِ مَوئِلا

It found no way to turn aside from me,

It found no other refuge but me

and I found no refuge from it.

And I found no haven but it