لقد قَدَح الشيبُ في جانِبي

لقد قَدَح الشيبُ في جانِبي

وأَثَّر ما ليس بالواجِبِ

وأَثَّر ما ليس بالواجِبِ

Gray hair has indeed marred my standing,

Gray hair has struck my temple

And left a mark it had no right to leave.

And affected what was not necessary

أتانيَ عندَ تولِّى الشباب

أتانيَ عندَ تولِّى الشباب

فُلقِّبت بالأَشْمَط الشائب

فُلقِّبت بالأَشْمَط الشائب

It came to me as youth was departing,

It came to me as youth was leaving

So I was dubbed the grizzled, gray-haired one.

So I was nicknamed gray-haired young man

فلما تظلَّمتُ من فعله

فلما تظلَّمتُ من فعله

وضِقتُ به قال لي صاحبي

وضِقتُ به قال لي صاحبي

So when I complained of what it had done,

When I complained about its act

And grew distressed by it, my companion said to me:

And was annoyed by it, my friend said to me

لقد غَضَّ منك فهَلاّ لبستَ

لقد غَضَّ منك فهَلاّ لبستَ

علىرغمه حُلَّةَ الخاضِب

علىرغمه حُلَّةَ الخاضِب

“It has indeed diminished you; so why not don,

It diminished you so why not wear

In defiance of it, the robe of one who dyes his hair?”

The garb of the youthful despite it

فقلت الشبابُ على صدقه

فقلت الشبابُ على صدقه

يَخون فما الظنُّ بالكاذب

يَخون فما الظنُّ بالكاذب

So I said: “Youth, for all its truthfulness,

So I said youth in its sincerity

Betrays—what, then, can one expect of the liar?”

Betrays, so what to expect from the liar