أَماويُّ إِنْ كانَ الشبابُ الَّذي اِنقَضَت

أَماويُّ إِنْ كانَ الشبابُ الَّذي اِنقَضَت

لَياليهِ عَنّي شابَ مِنكَ صَفاءا

لَياليهِ عَنّي شابَ مِنكَ صَفاءا

O Māwiyya, if the youth whose

O Ammawi, if the youth whose nights passed from me

nights have passed away from me has clouded your affection,

Made one of you youthful in purity,

فَما الذّنبُ لي في فاحمٍ حالَ لَونهُ

فَما الذّنبُ لي في فاحمٍ حالَ لَونهُ

بَياضاً وَقَد حالَ الظلامُ ضِياءا

بَياضاً وَقَد حالَ الظلامُ ضِياءا

then what fault is mine if coal-black hair has changed its color

Then it is no sin of mine in a cheek whose color

to white, when darkness has turned to light?

Turned white when darkness turned to radiance.

وَما إِنْ عَهِدنا زائلاً حانَ فقدُهُ

وَما إِنْ عَهِدنا زائلاً حانَ فقدُهُ

وَإِنْ كانَ مَوقوفاً أَزال إِخاءا

وَإِنْ كانَ مَوقوفاً أَزال إِخاءا

Nor have we known a passing thing, when its loss came due,

And if what we knew would pass did pass,

even if held in reserve, to put an end to friendship.

Though permanent it erased compassion.

وَلَو كانَ فيما يُحدثُ الدَّهرُ حيلةٌ

وَلَو كانَ فيما يُحدثُ الدَّهرُ حيلةٌ

أَبَيْتُ عَلى هَذا المَشيبِ إِباءا

أَبَيْتُ عَلى هَذا المَشيبِ إِباءا

And if there were a way around what time brings about,

And if the changes of fate had a trick,

I would have utterly refused this graying.

I refused this gray hair with refusal.

فَلا تُنكري لَوناً تَبَدّلتُ غَيرَه

فَلا تُنكري لَوناً تَبَدّلتُ غَيرَه

كَمُستَبدِلٍ بَعدَ الرّداءِ رِداءا

كَمُستَبدِلٍ بَعدَ الرّداءِ رِداءا

So do not reject a color I have exchanged for another,

So do not deny me a color I exchanged

like one exchanging a cloak for another cloak.

Like one exchanging a cloak for another cloak.

فَإِنّي على العهدِ الّذي تَعهَدينهُ

فَإِنّي على العهدِ الّذي تَعهَدينهُ

حفاظاً لما اِستَحفَظتِنِي وَوفاءا

حفاظاً لما اِستَحفَظتِنِي وَوفاءا

For I remain true to the pledge you know,

For I keep the pact to which you pledged me

guarding what you charged me to keep, and keeping faith.

Protecting what you entrusted me in faithfulness.

مَشيبٌ كَفَتقِ اللّيلِ في مُدلهمّةٍ

مَشيبٌ كَفَتقِ اللّيلِ في مُدلهمّةٍ

أَتاك يَقيناً أو أَزال مِراءا

أَتاك يَقيناً أو أَزال مِراءا

Gray hair, like the rending of night amid pitch darkness,

Gray hair like the darkness of night in gloom

has come to you as a certainty, or put an end to dispute.

Came to you with certainty or erased dispute.

كَأنَّ اللَيالي عنهُ لمّا رَمَينني

كَأنَّ اللَيالي عنهُ لمّا رَمَينني

جَلَوْنَ صَداءً أو كشَفن غِطاءا

جَلَوْنَ صَداءً أو كشَفن غِطاءا

As though the nights, when they struck me,

As if the nights when they shot me with arrows

had polished rust off it or lifted a veil.

Cast an echo or uncovered a covering.

فَلا تَجعلي ما كانَ منكِ مِنَ الأَذى

فَلا تَجعلي ما كانَ منكِ مِنَ الأَذى

عِقاباً لِما لَمْ آتِهِ وَجَزاءا

عِقاباً لِما لَمْ آتِهِ وَجَزاءا

So do not make the harm that came from you

So do not make what hurt me from you

a punishment and retribution for what I never did.

A punishment for what I did not give as reward.

وَعُدّي بَياضَ الرّأسِ بعدَ سوادهِ

وَعُدّي بَياضَ الرّأسِ بعدَ سوادهِ

صَباحاً أَتى لَمْ أَجْنِهِ وَمَساءا

صَباحاً أَتى لَمْ أَجْنِهِ وَمَساءا

And reckon my head's whiteness after its blackness

And count the whiteness of hair after its blackness

as a morning that came through no fault of mine, and an evening.

As a morning that came though I did not bring it, or evening.

وَلا تَطلُبي شَيئاً يَكونُ طِلابهُ

وَلا تَطلُبي شَيئاً يَكونُ طِلابهُ

وَقَد ضَلَّ عنهُ رائِدوهُ عناءا

وَقَد ضَلَّ عنهُ رائِدوهُ عناءا

And do not seek a thing whose pursuit would be—

And do not seek what seeking it

its scouts having lost the way to it—mere toil.

Its seekers went astray from it in pain.

فَإِنّكِ إِنْ نادَيتِ غِبَّ تلهّفٍ

فَإِنّكِ إِنْ نادَيتِ غِبَّ تلهّفٍ

شَباباً وَقَد وَلّى أَضَعْتِ نِداءا

شَباباً وَقَد وَلّى أَضَعْتِ نِداءا

For if, after regretful longing, you call

For if you call, longing ardently,

to youth when it has gone, you waste your call.

For lost youth, you wasted a call.