وخِلٍّ كخِلْم السوء أنكرتُ ودَّهُ

وخِلٍّ كخِلْم السوء أنكرتُ ودَّهُ

وخُلَّته أنْ نال من وجهيَ الكُبْرُ

وخُلَّته أنْ نال من وجهيَ الكُبْرُ

A friend, like a wicked intimate—I no longer recognized his affection,

Like an evil friend who denied his love,

And his friendship, once old age had taken its toll on my face.

His friendship, when arrogance took hold of him.

يظل يُراعيني بعينَيْ شَناءةٍ

يظل يُراعيني بعينَيْ شَناءةٍ

يدل على بَغْضائها النظر الشَّزرُ

يدل على بَغْضائها النظر الشَّزرُ

He keeps watching me with two eyes of loathing;

He keeps watching me with hostile eyes,

A sidelong glance betrays that hatred.

His glances reveal his hatred.

رأى الدهر قد أودى بماء شبيبتي

رأى الدهر قد أودى بماء شبيبتي

فأنكر مني الشيبَ إنكارهُ النُّكرُ

فأنكر مني الشيبَ إنكارهُ النُّكرُ

He saw that Time had drained the freshness of my youth;

Time has seen my youth flow away,

So he condemned my gray hair—his condemnation was monstrous.

So it denied my greyness in denial.

كأنا تعاقدْنا الخلالة بيننا

كأنا تعاقدْنا الخلالة بيننا

على أنني بَسْلٌ على الدهر أو حِجْرُ

على أنني بَسْلٌ على الدهر أو حِجْرُ

As though we had pledged friendship between us

As if we had agreed to estrangement between us,

On condition that I be inviolable to Time, or forbidden to it.

That I am an easy prey or a stone for time.

ضمنتُ له أن لا أخون فظنني

ضمنتُ له أن لا أخون فظنني

ضمنتُ له أن لا يخوننيَ الدهرُ

ضمنتُ له أن لا يخوننيَ الدهرُ

I promised him I would not betray him; so he thought I

I promised not to betray him, so he thought

Had promised him that Time would not betray me.

I promised him that time would not betray me.

تجاهل أحداث الزمان وإنه

تجاهل أحداث الزمان وإنه

ليعلم حقاً أن قصري له قصرُ

ليعلم حقاً أن قصري له قصرُ

He feigned ignorance of Time's vicissitudes, though he

He disregarded the events of time, and he

Knows full well that what limits me limits him too.

Knows for sure that my shortcoming is his own.