لقيتُ حِمامي إذ فقدتُ حميمي

لقيتُ حِمامي إذ فقدتُ حميمي

وعوضتُ من همّاتِهِ بهمومِ

وعوضتُ من همّاتِهِ بهمومِ

I met my death when I lost my bosom friend,

I found my dove when I lost my bosom friend

And received sorrows in place of his noble endeavors.

And I substituted its worries for my worries

وعاشرتُ من لا ترتضيه خلائقي

وعاشرتُ من لا ترتضيه خلائقي

ولا يقتضيهِ مَنصبي وصَميمي

ولا يقتضيهِ مَنصبي وصَميمي

And I kept company with one whom my nature rejects,

And I associated with those my nature does not approve

And who befits neither my station nor my pure lineage.

And my position and temperament do not require

وقلتُ هو الدهرُ اللئيمُ ولم يكن

وقلتُ هو الدهرُ اللئيمُ ولم يكن

لتظفَرَ كفّي عندَهُ بكريمِ

لتظفَرَ كفّي عندَهُ بكريمِ

And I said, “It is ignoble Time”; never could

And I said it is the miserable fate and it was not

My hand win from it a generous man.

That my palm would find generosity in it

ولو أنّني والحزمُ ما زال شيمتي

ولو أنّني والحزمُ ما زال شيمتي

أخذتُ به جانبتُ كلَّ نَديمِ

أخذتُ به جانبتُ كلَّ نَديمِ

And had I—prudence has always been my nature—

And if I and prudence, my manners would still be

Acted upon it, I would have shunned every boon companion.

I would take hold of it, avoiding every companion

فما عندهُم إلا خداعٌ مسالمٌ

فما عندهُم إلا خداعٌ مسالمٌ

يبيتُ له قلبي بليلِ سليمِ

يبيتُ له قلبي بليلِ سليمِ

For they have nothing but peaceable deceit,

For they have nothing but a peaceful deception

Because of it, my heart passes a snake-bitten man's night.

For which my heart spends the night safely

فكنْ جانباً عن معشرٍ ذاك شأنُهُمْ

فكنْ جانباً عن معشرٍ ذاك شأنُهُمْ

حديثُهُمُ فيه كمثلِ قَديمِ

حديثُهُمُ فيه كمثلِ قَديمِ

So keep aloof from people whose way is such:

So keep away from a group whose way is this

Their newcomer in this is just like an old hand.

Their talk is like that of old

ومنْ كان ذا جهلٍ بأهلِ زمانِه

ومنْ كان ذا جهلٍ بأهلِ زمانِه

فإنّي بهِمْ مذْ كنتُ جدُّ عليمِ

فإنّي بهِمْ مذْ كنتُ جدُّ عليمِ

And if anyone is ignorant of the people of his time,

And whoever is ignorant of the people of his time

I, for my part, have known them very well for as long as I have lived.

Then I have been, since I was very knowing, with them