أتيتُ أبا جنادةَ مستنيلاً

أتيتُ أبا جنادةَ مستنيلاً

ويُخْلِفُ بعضَ ما تعدُ الظنونُ

ويُخْلِفُ بعضَ ما تعدُ الظنونُ

I came to Abu Junadah seeking a gift,

I came to Abu Janadah seeking refuge,

And some of what expectations promise goes unfulfilled.

Yet some of what hopes expect will fail.

فسامَ النفسَ تَنْويلي فسافتْ

فسامَ النفسَ تَنْويلي فسافتْ

بذلكَ مشرباً فيه أُجون

بذلكَ مشرباً فيه أُجون

So he urged his soul to give me a gift, and it sniffed out

So I entertained my soul with yearning, which then slaked

In that a watering place whose water had grown foul.

Its thirst with that cup containing the purest wine.

فألقى عِذرةً كذباً ومَيْناً

فألقى عِذرةً كذباً ومَيْناً

من العِذَرات يأْباها الحقين

من العِذَرات يأْباها الحقين

So he offered an excuse—a lie and a falsehood—

Then he offered the weakest excuses, lies and denial -

One of those excuses the stored milk belies.

The very excuses which the truthful spurn.