أَينَ الشَبابُ وَأَيَّةً سَلَكا

أَينَ الشَبابُ وَأَيَّةً سَلَكا

لا أَينَ يُطلَبُ ضَلَّ بَل هَلَكا

لا أَينَ يُطلَبُ ضَلَّ بَل هَلَكا

Where is youth, and which way has it gone?

Where is the vigor of youth, where has it gone?

Nowhere can it be sought: lost—rather, perished.

Not lost, for it cannot be found, rather it's perished and gone.

لا تَعجَبي يا سَلمَ مِن رَجُلٍ

لا تَعجَبي يا سَلمَ مِن رَجُلٍ

ضَحِكَ المَشيبُ بِرَأسِهِ فَبَكى

ضَحِكَ المَشيبُ بِرَأسِهِ فَبَكى

Do not marvel, O Salm, at a man

Do not wonder, O Salma, at a man

On whose head gray hair laughed, so he wept.

Whose hair turned grey as he wept with laughter.

قَد كانَ يَضحَكُ في شَبيبَتِهِ

قَد كانَ يَضحَكُ في شَبيبَتِهِ

فَأَتى المَشيبُ فَقَلَّما ضَحِكا

فَأَتى المَشيبُ فَقَلَّما ضَحِكا

He used to laugh in his youth;

In his youth he would laugh heartily,

Then gray hair came, and he seldom laughed.

But grey hair came and scarce his laughter rang.

يا سَلمَ ما بِالشَيبِ مَنقَصَةٌ

يا سَلمَ ما بِالشَيبِ مَنقَصَةٌ

لا سوقَةً يُبقي وَلا مَلِكا

لا سوقَةً يُبقي وَلا مَلِكا

O Salm, there is no defect in gray hair:

O Salma, grey hair brings no disgrace,

It spares neither commoner nor king.

Neither loss of rule nor loss of reign.

قَصَرَ الغَوايَةَ عَن هَوى قَمَرٍ

قَصَرَ الغَوايَةَ عَن هَوى قَمَرٍ

وَجَدَ السَبيلَ إِلَيهِ مُشتَرَكا

وَجَدَ السَبيلَ إِلَيهِ مُشتَرَكا

He curbed his foolish love for a moon

His passion for the moon was cut short,

Whose path he found shared by others,

And he found the way to her shared by all.

وَعداً بِأُخرى عَزَّ مَطلَبُها

وَعداً بِأُخرى عَزَّ مَطلَبُها

صَبّاً يَطا مِن دونِها الحَسَكا

صَبّاً يَطا مِن دونِها الحَسَكا

And hastened toward another, hard to attain,

With a promise of another, his quest was hindered,

Lovesick, treading thorns on the way to her.

Pouring his devotion upon her while others strove in vain.

يا لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ نَومُكُما

يا لَيتَ شِعري كَيفَ نَومُكُما

يا صاحِبَيَّ إِذا دَمي سُفِكا

يا صاحِبَيَّ إِذا دَمي سُفِكا

Oh, if only I knew how you two would sleep,

Oh, how I wish I knew how you two sleep,

O my two companions, if my blood were shed!

My friends, when my blood is spilled.

لا تَأخُذا بِظُلامَتي أَحَداً

لا تَأخُذا بِظُلامَتي أَحَداً

قَلبي وَطَرفي في دَمي اِشتَرَكا

قَلبي وَطَرفي في دَمي اِشتَرَكا

Do not hold anyone to account for the wrong done to me:

Take not my darkness to blame another,

My heart and my gaze shared in shedding my blood.

For my heart and eyes in my blood are drowned.