وصاحبٍ قستُه بنفسي

وصاحبٍ قستُه بنفسي

وربّما أخطأَ القياسُ

وربّما أخطأَ القياسُ

And a friend I measured against myself—

A friend whose nature I know by heart

and sometimes comparison errs.

Yet perhaps analogy is prone to err

سرّيَ في راحتيهِ خَمرٌ

سرّيَ في راحتيهِ خَمرٌ

وسرُّهُ في يديَّ كاسُ

وسرُّهُ في يديَّ كاسُ

My secret in his palms is wine,

His secret for comfort is wine

and his secret in my hands is a cup.

While my secret is a goblet in hand

فشأن ذا كلِّه اتّضاحٌ

فشأن ذا كلِّه اتّضاحٌ

وشأنُ ذا كلِّهِ التباسُ

وشأنُ ذا كلِّهِ التباسُ

So the one’s whole nature is clarity,

So the nature of one is crystal clear

and the other’s whole nature is obscurity.

Yet the other’s is utter confusion