لَولا القَديمُ وَحُرمَةٌ مَرعِيَّةٌ

لَولا القَديمُ وَحُرمَةٌ مَرعِيَّةٌ

لَقَطَعتُ ما بَيني وَبَينَ هِشامِ

لَقَطَعتُ ما بَيني وَبَينَ هِشامِ

Were it not for old ties and a bond held sacred,

Had it not been for olden ways and sacred ties

I would have severed what binds me to Hisham.

I would have severed all between Hisham and I

لا حُرمَةَ الأَدَبِ القَديمِ يَحوطُها

لا حُرمَةَ الأَدَبِ القَديمِ يَحوطُها

وَأَراهُ يَجهَلُ حُرمَةَ الإِسلامِ

وَأَراهُ يَجهَلُ حُرمَةَ الإِسلامِ

He does not safeguard the sanctity of time-honored courtesy,

No reverence for time-honoured literature moves him

and I see him disregard the sanctity of Islam.

Though I see he has no reverence for Islam's sanctity

فَكَأَنَّما كانَت مَوَدَّتُنا لَهُ

فَكَأَنَّما كانَت مَوَدَّتُنا لَهُ

وَإِخاؤُنا حُلماً مِنَ الأَحلامِ

وَإِخاؤُنا حُلماً مِنَ الأَحلامِ

So it is as though our affection for him

So it seems our friendship and brotherhood

and our brotherhood were a dream among dreams.

Were but a dream of dreams

وَتَصَرُّفُ الإِخوانِ إِن كَشَّفتَهُم

وَتَصَرُّفُ الإِخوانِ إِن كَشَّفتَهُم

يُنسيكَ طولَ تَصَرُّفِ الأَيّامِ

يُنسيكَ طولَ تَصَرُّفِ الأَيّامِ

And friends’ fickleness, if you lay them bare,

And when you see how brothers really act

makes you forget the days’ long vicissitudes.

You forget how long the days have schemed