أَحمَدُ اللَهَ الَّذي أَس

أَحمَدُ اللَهَ الَّذي أَس

كَنَني دارَ الهَوانِ

كَنَني دارَ الهَوانِ

I praise God, who has

I praise Allah who settled me in the abode of disgrace

I praise Allah, the One who made

made me dwell in the abode of humiliation.

And estranged me from all those I loved even my own tongue

The House of Scorn my dwelling place.

وَجَفاني كُلُّ مَن أَم

وَجَفاني كُلُّ مَن أَم

مَلتُهُ حَتّى لِساني

مَلتُهُ حَتّى لِساني

And all forsook me whom I had

Let none who see me after me testify to affection

And all I hoped in shunned me now,

placed my hopes in—even my tongue.

He who thinks well of people, what thought of me undid him

Even my own tongue turns away.

لا يُدِلَّنَّ عَلى الإِخ

لا يُدِلَّنَّ عَلى الإِخ

وانِ بَعدي مَن رَآني

وانِ بَعدي مَن رَآني

Let no one presume upon

I had a bosom friend on whom I pinned great expectations

Let no one trust in brotherhood,

friends after me—no one who has seen me.

His spirit my spirit but our bodies not the same

Who sees what has befallen me.

مَن أَجادَ الظَنَّ بِالنا

مَن أَجادَ الظَنَّ بِالنا

سِ دَهاهُ ما دَهاني

سِ دَهاهُ ما دَهاني

Whoever thinks well of

His concerns my concerns and mine his in everything

For he who thinks the best of men,

people will be struck by what struck me.

He neither disobeyed me nor I him, enough has tried me

Is struck by what has stricken me.

كانَ لي إِلفٌ أُرَجّي

كانَ لي إِلفٌ أُرَجّي

هِ لِرَيبِ الحَدَثانِ

هِ لِرَيبِ الحَدَثانِ

I had a dear companion; I placed my hopes in

Then when the vicissitudes of time made sport of me

I had a friend on whom I leaned,

him against the vicissitudes of time.

He shunned professing friendship, so I masked my meanings

Against the shifting tides of fate.

روحُهُ روحي وَلَكِن

روحُهُ روحي وَلَكِن

يَحتَوينا جَسَدانِ

يَحتَوينا جَسَدانِ

His soul was my soul, yet

Verily in subtle hints to the wise are found explanations

His spirit was my spirit, though

two bodies contained us.

We were contained in bodies two.

هَمُّهُ هَمّي وَهَمّي

هَمُّهُ هَمّي وَهَمّي

هَمُّهُ في كُلِّ شانِ

هَمُّهُ في كُلِّ شانِ

His concern was mine, and mine

His cares were mine, and mine were his,

was his in every matter.

In every matter, come what may.

لَيسَ يَعصيني وَلا أَع

لَيسَ يَعصيني وَلا أَع

صيهِ ما قالَ كَفاني

صيهِ ما قالَ كَفاني

He would not disobey me, nor would I

He crossed me not, nor did I cross

disobey him; what he said sufficed me.

His wish; his word sufficed for me.

فَجَفاني حينَ باهَي

فَجَفاني حينَ باهَي

تُ بِهِ رَيبَ الزَمانِ

تُ بِهِ رَيبَ الزَمانِ

Then he forsook me when I boasted

But he turned cold when I displayed

of him in defiance of time's vicissitudes.

Him proudly to the doubts of time.

تَرَكَ التَصريحَ بِالهَج

تَرَكَ التَصريحَ بِالهَج

رِ فَقَرطَستُ المَعاني

رِ فَقَرطَستُ المَعاني

He refrained from speaking plainly of

He did not speak of leaving plain,

estrangement, so I hit the mark in grasping his meaning.

And yet I grasped the hidden truth.

إِنَّ في التَعريضِ لِلعا

إِنَّ في التَعريضِ لِلعا

قِلِ تَفسيرَ البَيانِ

قِلِ تَفسيرَ البَيانِ

Indeed, a hint gives the

For in a hint, to the wise mind,

wise the meaning of plain speech.

Lies the clear meaning of the speech.