عَلَيْكُمُ جَانَبْتُ أَصْحَابِي

عَلَيْكُمُ جَانَبْتُ أَصْحَابِي

وفيكُمُ عادَيْتُ أَحْبَابِي

وفيكُمُ عادَيْتُ أَحْبَابِي

For your sake I shunned my companions,

For your sake I shunned my companions,

and on your account I made enemies of those I loved.

And for you I made enemies of my loved ones.

ولم أَزَلْ أُطْنِبُ في شُكْرِكُمْ

ولم أَزَلْ أُطْنِبُ في شُكْرِكُمْ

غايَةَ ما يَبْلُغُ إِطْنَابِي

غايَةَ ما يَبْلُغُ إِطْنَابِي

Never did I cease to speak at length in your praise,

I never ceased pouring out thanks to you,

to the farthest reach my eloquence could attain.

As far as my effusive speech could reach.

وانْتَهَتِ الحالُ إِلى أَنَّني

وانْتَهَتِ الحالُ إِلى أَنَّني

جعلتُكُمْ قِبْلَةَ مِحْرابي

جعلتُكُمْ قِبْلَةَ مِحْرابي

Until matters came to this:

And things came to such a pass that I

I made you the qibla of my prayer niche.

Made you the prayer-direction of my sanctuary.

وكانَ لي رَبٌّ صَلاتِي لَهُ

وكانَ لي رَبٌّ صَلاتِي لَهُ

فانْقَسَمَتْ فيكُمْ لأَرْبابِ

فانْقَسَمَتْ فيكُمْ لأَرْبابِ

One Lord was mine, to whom my prayer belonged;

I had one Lord to whom my prayer was offered;

yet among you it was apportioned among many lords.

Then through you it was divided among many lords.

وكانَ ظَنِّي بكُمُ صادِقاً

وكانَ ظَنِّي بكُمُ صادِقاً

فَغَرَّنِي مِنْهُ بِكَذَّاب

فَغَرَّنِي مِنْهُ بِكَذَّاب

My trust in you had been sincere,

My trust in you had been well placed,

but a liar among you deceived me with it.

Yet from it came a lie that deceived me.

الحمدُ لِلَّهِ وإِنْ كُنْتُمُ

الحمدُ لِلَّهِ وإِنْ كُنْتُمُ

رُحْتُمْ عَنِ الشُّهْدِ إِلى الصَّابِ

رُحْتُمْ عَنِ الشُّهْدِ إِلى الصَّابِ

Praise be to God, though you

Praise be to God, even though you

have gone from honey to bitter aloe.

Have gone from honey to bitter sap.

لا أَدَّعِي السُّلوانَ عن حبِّكمْ

لا أَدَّعِي السُّلوانَ عن حبِّكمْ

كلاًّ ولا أَكْتُمُ أَوْصَابي

كلاًّ ولا أَكْتُمُ أَوْصَابي

I do not pretend to have forgotten my love for you;

I do not claim to have forgotten my love for you;

no indeed, nor do I conceal my pains.

Not at all, nor do I conceal my pains.

كُنْتُمْ على كَثْرَةِ وَصْلِي لكمْ

كُنْتُمْ على كَثْرَةِ وَصْلِي لكمْ

تُبْدُونَ لِي أَوْجُهَ طُلاَّبِ

تُبْدُونَ لِي أَوْجُهَ طُلاَّبِ

However often I came to you,

Despite my frequent visits to you, you would

you showed me the faces of eager seekers,

Show me the faces of eager seekers.

فأَنْثَنِي تِيهاً بلقياكُمُ

فأَنْثَنِي تِيهاً بلقياكُمُ

قد ضَاقَ بي أَوْسَعُ أَثوابي

قد ضَاقَ بي أَوْسَعُ أَثوابي

so I would come away exulting in having met you,

So I would return, proud of meeting you,

the roomiest of my robes grown tight around me.

My loosest garment grown tight upon me.

فصِرْتُ إِنْ جئتُ إِلى دارِكُمْ

فصِرْتُ إِنْ جئتُ إِلى دارِكُمْ

أَجيءُ في صورَةِ مُرْتَابِ

أَجيءُ في صورَةِ مُرْتَابِ

Now, whenever I come to your dwelling,

So now, when I come to your house,

I arrive looking like a man beset by doubt.

I arrive in the guise of one full of doubt.

تظْهَرُ لِلْعَيْنِ ملالاتُكُمْ

تظْهَرُ لِلْعَيْنِ ملالاتُكُمْ

وإِن رأَتْكُمْ بعدَ إِغبابِ

وإِن رأَتْكُمْ بعدَ إِغبابِ

Your signs of weariness show plainly to the eye,

Your weariness is plain to the eye,

even though it sees you only after intervals of absence.

Even when it sees you after a gap between visits.

وإِنْ تحدَّثتُ على بابِكمْ

وإِنْ تحدَّثتُ على بابِكمْ

كَأَنَّنِي لستُ على البابِ

كَأَنَّنِي لستُ على البابِ

And if I speak at your door,

And if I speak at your door,

it is as though I were not at the door.

It is as though I were not at the door.

آذيتموني باستحالاتكمْ

آذيتموني باستحالاتكمْ

حتى تَهَزَّأْتُ بآدابي

حتى تَهَزَّأْتُ بآدابي

You have hurt me with your fickle changes,

You hurt me with your changes of heart,

until I mocked my own good manners.

Until I came to mock my own good manners.

غيريَ قد أَصبحَ أَوْلَى بكُمْ

غيريَ قد أَصبحَ أَوْلَى بكُمْ

وغيركم أَصبحَ أَولَى بي

وغيركم أَصبحَ أَولَى بي

Another than I has now become worthier of you,

Another has become more worthy of you,

and others than you have become worthier of me.

And others have become more worthy of me.