وَاللَهِ ما نَظرت عَينايَ مِن أَحَدٍ

وَاللَهِ ما نَظرت عَينايَ مِن أَحَدٍ

يَرعى وِداديَ في سرّ وَفي عَلَن

يَرعى وِداديَ في سرّ وَفي عَلَن

By God, my eyes have never seen anyone

By God, my eyes have never seen anyone

who honors my friendship in secret and in public.

Who tended my love, in secret or openly.

لَم أَدر هَل مُختص بِحَظي أَم

لَم أَدر هَل مُختص بِحَظي أَم

سَجية هَذِهِ في الخَلق وَالزَمَن

سَجية هَذِهِ في الخَلق وَالزَمَن

I do not know whether this is peculiar to my lot, or

I know not if this be my destined lot,

a trait of humankind and time.

Or if it is just how people are nowadays.

يا لَيتَني ما عَرَفت الدَهر صَحبتهم

يا لَيتَني ما عَرَفت الدَهر صَحبتهم

وَلا رَماني زَماني الوَغد بِالمِحَن

وَلا رَماني زَماني الوَغد بِالمِحَن

Oh, would that I had never in my life known their company,

Would that I’d never known this world and its people,

nor had my vile age pelted me with afflictions.

Or lived in days that tried me with such tribulations.