عجبت دختنوس لما رأَتني

عجبت دختنوس لما رأَتني

قد عَلاني من المشيب خمارُ

قد عَلاني من المشيب خمارُ

Dakhtanus was astonished when she saw me:

Dukhnus was astonished when she saw me

a veil of grey hair had settled over me.

With the grayness of old age overwhelming me

فأَهلت بصوتها وأَرنت

فأَهلت بصوتها وأَرنت

لا تهابى قد شاب مني العذارُ

لا تهابى قد شاب مني العذارُ

So she raised her voice and cried aloud.

She cried out with her voice and bleated

Do not be afraid: my sideburns have turned grey.

Do not hesitate, my freshness has grown gray

إِن تريني قد بان غرب شبابي

إِن تريني قد بان غرب شبابي

وأَنى دون مولدي أَعمارُ

وأَنى دون مولدي أَعمارُ

If you see that the keen edge of my youth has departed,

If you see that the eve of my youth has passed

and that lifetimes separate me from my birth,

And my lifetime is less than my date of birth

ابن عامين وابن خمسين عاماً

ابن عامين وابن خمسين عاماً

أَي دَهرٍ أَلا له أَدهارُ

أَي دَهرٍ أَلا له أَدهارُ

I am two years old, and fifty years besides.

A two year old and a fifty year old man

What an age—does it not have ages of its own?

Oh time, it surely has eras

ليت يسمى لها وجوبتها لي

ليت يسمى لها وجوبتها لي

يوم قالَت أَلا ترمَّ تغارُ

يوم قالَت أَلا ترمَّ تغارُ

Would that it were named for her, and her [unclear] were for me,

Would that she had called me by her pet name for me

on the day she said, 'Will you not mend things—are you jealous?' [Wording uncertain.]

The day she said, do not throw off restraint

ليتنا قبل ذلك اليوم متنا

ليتنا قبل ذلك اليوم متنا

أَو فعلنا ما يفعلُ الاحرارُ

أَو فعلنا ما يفعلُ الاحرارُ

Would that we had died before that day,

Would that we had died before that day

or done what free men do—

Or done what free men do

فعل قوم تغانى الحين عنهم

فعل قوم تغانى الحين عنهم

لم اقاتل وقاتل العيزارُ

لم اقاتل وقاتل العيزارُ

the deed of men whom death had no need of.

The deeds of a people song now ignores

I did not fight, while al-Ayzar fought.

I did not fight though the weak fought

فتوليت عنهم واصيبوا

فتوليت عنهم واصيبوا

وَبَقائي عنهم شنار وعارُ

وَبَقائي عنهم شنار وعارُ

So I turned away from them, and they were struck down.

So I turned away from them and they were vanquished

And my surviving them is disgrace and shame.

While my holding back from them was dishonor and shame

لهف نَفسي على شباب قريش

لهف نَفسي على شباب قريش

حين يأَتي برأسه المختارُ

حين يأَتي برأسه المختارُ

Ah, my soul's grief for the youth of Quraysh,

My soul yearns for the youth of Quraysh

when al-Mukhtar comes bearing his head.

When the Chosen One comes to them with his message