أضاءَ لَيلٌ في أضاليلي

أضاءَ لَيلٌ في أضاليلي

وحانَ تَعطيلُ أباطيلي

وحانَ تَعطيلُ أباطيلي

A night shone amid my delusions,

A night grew bright amid my delusions,

and the time came to put an end to my falsehoods.

and the time came to end my falsehoods.

نادانيَ الشِّيْبُ ولكِنَّني

نادانيَ الشِّيْبُ ولكِنَّني

أصَمُّ عن قيلِ المُنادي لي

أصَمُّ عن قيلِ المُنادي لي

Gray hair called out to me, but I

Gray hair called to me, yet I

remain deaf to the caller’s words to me.

am deaf to the words of the one calling me.

وابيَضَّ مِنديلي من بعدِما

وابيَضَّ مِنديلي من بعدِما

قد كنْتُ مُسوَدَّ المناديلِ

قد كنْتُ مُسوَدَّ المناديلِ

My kerchief turned white, after

And my kerchief turned white after

I had once worn dark kerchiefs.

my kerchiefs had once been black.

كمْ مِنْ أخٍ قد هدَّمَتْ أخلاقُهُ

كمْ مِنْ أخٍ قد هدَّمَتْ أخلاقُهُ

مِن آخرِ ما قَد بنى في الأوَّلِ

مِن آخرِ ما قَد بنى في الأوَّلِ

How many a brother has had his character demolish,

How many a brother's conduct has torn down

in the end, what it had built at the beginning.

in the end what he had built at first!

نسِيَ الوفاءَ ولسْتُ أنسى عهدَ ما

نسِيَ الوفاءَ ولسْتُ أنسى عهدَ ما

شاهدْتُ مِنهُ في الزَّمانِ الأطْوَلِ

شاهدْتُ مِنهُ في الزَّمانِ الأطْوَلِ

He forgot fidelity; yet I forget neither the covenant nor what

He forgot loyalty, yet I do not forget the memory of what

I witnessed from him through that long span of time.

I saw of him over the longer span of time.

يَرمي سِهاماً إنْ أسَرَّ المَقْتَ لي

يَرمي سِهاماً إنْ أسَرَّ المَقْتَ لي

بالكَيدِ لا يُقْصِدْنَ غيرَ المَقْتَلِ

بالكَيدِ لا يُقْصِدْنَ غيرَ المَقْتَلِ

He shoots arrows—if he secretly harbors loathing for me—

He shoots arrows, if he conceals his hatred for me,

that, through guile, aim nowhere but at the mortal spot.

with guile; they strike only the fatal spot.