1. نَفَى نَومِي وَأَسهَرَني غَليلُ

    وَهَمٌّ هاجَهُ حُزنٌ طَويلُ

    Burning anguish banished my sleep and kept me awake,

    and worry stirred by lasting sorrow.

  2. وَقالوا قَد نَحَلتَ وَكُنتَ جَلداً

    وَأَيسَرُ ما مُنيتُ بِهِ النُّحولُ

    They said, 'You have grown thin, though once you were strong.'

    Yet wasting away is the lightest affliction I have suffered.

  3. فَإِن يَكُنِ العَويلُ يَرُدُّ شَيئاً

    فَقَد أَعوَلتُ إِن نَفَعَ العَويلُ

    So if wailing can bring anything back,

    then I have wailed—if wailing does any good.

  4. وَكانَت لا يُلائِمُها مَبيتٌ

    عَلَيها إِن عَتَبتُ وَلا مَقيلُ

    And she could not bear my spending the night

    resentful of her, if I took offense, nor my resting at noon.

  5. وَكُنّا في الصَفاءِ كَماءِ مُزنٍ

    تُشابُ بِهِ مُعَتَّقَةٌ شَمولُ

    In our harmony we were like water from rainclouds,

    with which aged wine is blended.

  6. وَأُعجِلُ عَن سُؤالِ الرَكبِ صَحبي

    وَأَكرَهُ أَن يُقالَ لَهُم أقيلوا

    I would hurry my companions away from questioning the caravan,

    and disliked their being told, 'Rest at midday.'

  7. فَقَد أَصبَحتُ بَعدَكِ لا أُبالي

    أَسارَ الرَكبُ أَم طالَ النُزولُ

    For now, with you gone, I no longer care

    whether the caravan travels on or the halt grows long.

  8. فَمَن يَكُ بِالقُفولِ قَريرَ عَينٍ

    فَما أَمسَيتُ يُعجِبُني القُفولُ

    Whoever may delight in homecoming—

    homecoming no longer delights me.

  9. كَأَنَّكَ لَم تُلاقِ الدَهرَ يَوماً

    خَليلاً حَينَ يُفرِدُكَ الخَليلُ

    It is as though you had never, in all your life, met

    a friend, when your friend leaves you alone.

  10. فَصَبراً لِلحَوادِثِ كُلُّ حَيٍّ

    سَبيلُ الهالِكينَ لَهُ سَبيلُ

    So be patient with misfortunes: every living being

    has the path of the dead as its own path.