أخذت عن التجارب كل فعل

أخذت عن التجارب كل فعل

جميل يكسب الإنسان زينا

جميل يكسب الإنسان زينا

From experience I learned every deed

I have learned from experience every

that is beautiful and lends a person grace.

Beautiful act that adorns mankind

إذا أنكرت ودّا من صديق

إذا أنكرت ودّا من صديق

وكنت أعدّهُ سكنا وعونا

وكنت أعدّهُ سكنا وعونا

When I found a friend's affection wanting,

If a friend denied affection

and I had counted him a comfort and a help,

Though I counted him rest and support

تركت عتابه ولممت نفسي

تركت عتابه ولممت نفسي

ولم ألزمه معتبة وشينا

ولم ألزمه معتبة وشينا

I gave up reproaching him and gathered myself together,

I left off reproach and blamed myself

and imposed on him neither reproach nor disgrace.

Not forcing him to be mean or disgraceful

ولكنّي رفقت به رويداً

ولكنّي رفقت به رويداً

إذا ما نحن رحنا واغتدينا

إذا ما نحن رحنا واغتدينا

But I treated him gently, unhurriedly,

But I was gentle with him little by little

whenever we went out in the evening and the morning.

When we two together strayed and wandered astray

وكنّا في محاربة كأنّا

وكنّا في محاربة كأنّا

كأنّا في البرية ما التقينا

كأنّا في البرية ما التقينا

And we were at war, as though we—

And though we were at war it was as if

as though we had never met in the world.

We had never met in the wilderness

يورحت إذا مع المعلين ذنبا

يورحت إذا مع المعلين ذنبا

صروف الدهر بعد هوى إلينا

صروف الدهر بعد هوى إلينا

[Wording unclear] when, with those who elevate, a fault—

I was lenient when with the exalted I sinned

the vicissitudes of time, after affection toward us.

After circumstance turned affection toward us

وكان الفضل فيه له لأنا

وكان الفضل فيه له لأنا

رأينا في التلوّن ما رأينا

رأينا في التلوّن ما رأينا

And the credit for it was his, for we

And the merit in it was his because

had seen in fickleness what we had seen.

We saw in his changeableness what we saw