أَلا أَبلِغ فلانَ الدين عَتبي

أَلا أَبلِغ فلانَ الدين عَتبي

عَلَيهِ فقَد تَمادى في الجَفاءِ

عَلَيهِ فقَد تَمادى في الجَفاءِ

Tell So-and-so al-Dīn how I reproach him:

Come, convey to Fulan al-Din my reproach

he has persisted far too long in cold estrangement.

against him, for he has persisted in coldness.

صَفَوت لَهُ ضَميراً وَاعتِقاداً

صَفَوت لَهُ ضَميراً وَاعتِقاداً

فَجازاني بِمَذقٍ لا صَفاءِ

فَجازاني بِمَذقٍ لا صَفاءِ

Toward him I was pure in conscience and conviction,

I was sincere toward him in heart and conviction,

yet he repaid me with adulterated friendship, devoid of purity.

but he repaid me with dilution, not purity.

وَرامَت مُهجَتي مِنهُ وَفاءً

وَرامَت مُهجَتي مِنهُ وَفاءً

وَهَل خِلّ يَدوم أَخا وَفاءِ

وَهَل خِلّ يَدوم أَخا وَفاءِ

My heart sought fidelity from him—

And my heart sought fidelity from him,

but what friend endures as a brother true?

but does any friend remain faithful?

وَكانَ شِفاءَ نَفسي أَن تَراه

وَكانَ شِفاءَ نَفسي أَن تَراه

يَزور فَعزَّ وُجدانُ الشفاءِ

يَزور فَعزَّ وُجدانُ الشفاءِ

My soul’s healing would have been to see him

And my soul's cure was to see him

pay a visit; yet that cure proved beyond my reach.

visit; yet finding that cure became difficult.

وَلَو أَنَّ الفلانَ عَراه خَطب

وَلَو أَنَّ الفلانَ عَراه خَطب

لَكنت لما عَراه ذا اكتِفاءِ

لَكنت لما عَراه ذا اكتِفاءِ

Had some grave calamity befallen So-and-so,

Had a calamity befallen that so-and-so,

I would have sufficed him against whatever befell.

I would have been equal to whatever befell him.

أَرُدُّ عراه مَفلول شباة

أَرُدُّ عراه مَفلول شباة

فَتُصبح نارهم ذاتَ اِنطِفاءِ

فَتُصبح نارهم ذاتَ اِنطِفاءِ

I would have beaten back what assailed him, its blade blunted,

I would repel what assailed him, its edge blunted,

until their fire was extinguished.

so their fire would be extinguished.

وأذكرُه وَأَنصُرهُ بِخَير

وأذكرُه وَأَنصُرهُ بِخَير

وَأحفَظُه بِغَيبٍ وَاختِفاءِ

وَأحفَظُه بِغَيبٍ وَاختِفاءِ

I speak well of him and come to his defense,

And I speak well of him and stand by him,

and guard his honor when he is absent and unseen.

and protect him in his absence and in secret.

وَأعذِل ثُم أَعذِرُ مِنهُ صَبّاً

وَأعذِل ثُم أَعذِرُ مِنهُ صَبّاً

تَشاغَلَ بِالبَنين وَبِالرفاءِ

تَشاغَلَ بِالبَنين وَبِالرفاءِ

I reproach, then excuse, the lover in him,

And I rebuke, then excuse, the lover in him,

distracted by his sons and his riches.

who has busied himself with sons and marital harmony.

وَرُبَّتَما يُقيم لَديَّ عُذراً

وَرُبَّتَما يُقيم لَديَّ عُذراً

أَرقَّ مِن الهَباءَة وَالسَفاءِ

أَرقَّ مِن الهَباءَة وَالسَفاءِ

Time and again he offers me an excuse

And sometimes he offers me an excuse

more tenuous than a floating mote or blown dust.

thinner than a dust mote and a grain awn.

فَغَيري لَو دَعاهُ لِبَعض أَمرٍ

فَغَيري لَو دَعاهُ لِبَعض أَمرٍ

لَبادَرَ ذا اِحتِفالٍ وَاحتِفاءِ

لَبادَرَ ذا اِحتِفالٍ وَاحتِفاءِ

Yet if someone else invited him for some affair,

For had someone other than me called him about some matter,

he would hasten there with ceremony and warm welcome.

he would have hurried forth with care and warm regard.

تَميل النَفسُ حَيثُ يَكون فيه

تَميل النَفسُ حَيثُ يَكون فيه

هَواها ما بِذَلِكَ مِن خَفاءِ

هَواها ما بِذَلِكَ مِن خَفاءِ

The soul inclines toward wherever it finds

The soul inclines toward the place that holds

its own desire—there is no hiding that.

its desire; there is no mystery in that.

وَفي حاجاتِ غَيري ذا اِهتِمام

وَفي حاجاتِ غَيري ذا اِهتِمام

وَفي حاجِي تَراهُ ذا اِنكِفاءِ

وَفي حاجِي تَراهُ ذا اِنكِفاءِ

For the needs of others he shows concern,

And for others' needs he shows concern,

but at my need you see him shrink away.

but for my needs you see him turn away.

نَفَضتُ يَدي مِن الأَصحابِ طُراً

نَفَضتُ يَدي مِن الأَصحابِ طُراً

عَلى آثارهم دِيَمُ العَفاءِ

عَلى آثارهم دِيَمُ العَفاءِ

I have shaken my hands clean of all companions;

I have shaken my hand free of friends, one and all;

may ceaseless rains of oblivion erase their tracks.

may steady rains of obliteration fall upon their traces.

لَئن أَصبَحتُ فيهِم ذا اِنتِقاءٍ

لَئن أَصبَحتُ فيهِم ذا اِنتِقاءٍ

لَقَد أَمسَيت مِنهُم ذا اِنتِفاءِ

لَقَد أَمسَيت مِنهُم ذا اِنتِفاءِ

Though morning found me choosing among them,

If in the morning I was choosing among them,

by evening I had become one who cast them off.

by evening I had surely renounced them.

وَكُنتُ أَظنُّهُم زُبداً فَبانوا

وَكُنتُ أَظنُّهُم زُبداً فَبانوا

لَنا زَبَداً ذَهوباً كَالجَفاءِ

لَنا زَبَداً ذَهوباً كَالجَفاءِ

I thought them cream; they proved instead

And I had thought them butter, but they proved

mere vanishing foam, swept away like scum.

to us to be froth, vanishing like cast-off scum.

أَفي مِثلي يَضيعُ جَميلُ فعلٍ

أَفي مِثلي يَضيعُ جَميلُ فعلٍ

وَعَن مثلي يُعرِّدُ ذو اِصطِفاءِ

وَعَن مثلي يُعرِّدُ ذو اِصطِفاءِ

Can the generous deeds of one like me go to waste,

Can a kind deed be wasted on one like me,

and can a chosen friend turn away from one like me?

and can a chosen friend flee from one like me?

مِن المصريِّ لا تَرجو وَفاءً

مِن المصريِّ لا تَرجو وَفاءً

فَقَد خُلِقوا بِلا واوٍ وَفاءِ

فَقَد خُلِقوا بِلا واوٍ وَفاءِ

Expect no fidelity from an Egyptian:

Do not hope for fidelity from the Egyptian,

they were created without the wāw in wafāʾ—“fidelity.”

for they were created without a wāw or a fāʾ.