أَفنَيتُ فيكِ مَعانِيَ الشَكوى

أَفنَيتُ فيكِ مَعانِيَ الشَكوى

وَصِفاتِ ما أَلقى مِنَ البَلوى

وَصِفاتِ ما أَلقى مِنَ البَلوى

I have exhausted, over you, all forms of complaint,

I have exhausted in you the meanings of complaining,

In you, I have exhausted every meaning of complaint,

and descriptions of the affliction I endure.

And descriptions of what misfortune I have endured.

And all descriptions of the affliction I endure.

جَوَّلتُ آفاقَ الكَلامِ فَما

جَوَّلتُ آفاقَ الكَلامِ فَما

أَبصَرتُني قَصَّرتُ عَن مَعنى

أَبصَرتُني قَصَّرتُ عَن مَعنى

I have roamed the horizons of speech, yet never

I have wandered the horizons of speech, but have not

I roamed the horizons of speech, yet never

found myself falling short of any meaning.

Found myself falling short of meaning.

Did I find myself falling short of any meaning.

وَأَعُدُّ ما لا أَشتَكي غَبَناً

وَأَعُدُّ ما لا أَشتَكي غَبَناً

فَأَعودُ فيهِ مَرَّةً أُخرى

فَأَعودُ فيهِ مَرَّةً أُخرى

And I count what I do not complain of as a loss,

And I count what I do not complain of as a loss,

Whatever I leave unlamented, I count as a loss,

so I return to it once more.

So I return to it again.

And so I return to recite it once again.

فَلَوَ أَنَّ ما أَشكو إِلى بَشَرٍ

فَلَوَ أَنَّ ما أَشكو إِلى بَشَرٍ

لَأَراحَني مِن ذِلَّةِ الشَكوى

لَأَراحَني مِن ذِلَّةِ الشَكوى

For if my complaints were addressed to a human being,

If what I complained of were to a human,

For were my plea directed at a human heart,

he would relieve me of the humiliation of complaining.

It would give me relief from the humiliation of complaining.

He would have spared me the humiliation of complaining.

لَكِنَّما أَشكو إِلى حَجَرٍ

لَكِنَّما أَشكو إِلى حَجَرٍ

تَنبو المَعاوِلُ عَنهُ أَو أَقسى

تَنبو المَعاوِلُ عَنهُ أَو أَقسى

But I complain to a stone,

But I complain to a stone,

But alas, I pour my grievance unto a stone,

from which pickaxes rebound—or something harder still.

The picks recoil from it, or harder.

From which pickaxes recoil—or something harder still.

ظَبيٌ بِمَبكاهُ وَمَضحَكِهِ

ظَبيٌ بِمَبكاهُ وَمَضحَكِهِ

فينا تُنيرُ وَتُظلِمُ الدُنيا

فينا تُنيرُ وَتُظلِمُ الدُنيا

A gazelle—at his weeping and laughter,

A gazelle with its crying and laughter,

A gazelle who, with his weeping and his laughter,

the world grows light and dark for us.

In us you enlighten and darken the world.

Causes the world within us to shine or turn to dark.