وقَدْ أطلتُ ما ترى

وقَدْ أطلتُ ما ترى

مِن هَذيَانٍ وهَذرْ

مِن هَذيَانٍ وهَذرْ

And I have drawn out what you see

I have prolonged, as you see,

Of rambling and idle talk;

Ranting and raving,

وقد ذكرتُ قصَصاً

وقد ذكرتُ قصَصاً

تحارُ فيهنّ الفِكَرْ

تحارُ فيهنّ الفِكَرْ

And I have recounted tales

And I have recounted tales

In which thoughts are bewildered.

That confound thought.

فاصبِرْ لَه ولا تَقُلْ

فاصبِرْ لَه ولا تَقُلْ

يا ليتَهُ كانَ اختصَرْ

يا ليتَهُ كانَ اختصَرْ

So bear with it, and do not say,

So be patient with it, and say not

“Oh, if only he had kept it short!”

"Would that it were shorter!"

وإن تجدْ عيباً بهِ

وإن تجدْ عيباً بهِ

فأنتَ أولَى مَنْ سَتَرْ

فأنتَ أولَى مَنْ سَتَرْ

And if you find a flaw in it,

And if you find fault therein,

Then you are best suited to conceal it.

You are the one to veil it.

واعذرْ أخي فإِنّني

واعذرْ أخي فإِنّني

كتبتُهُ عَلى القَمَرْ

كتبتُهُ عَلى القَمَرْ

And excuse me, my brother, for I

Forgive me, my brother, for

Wrote it by moonlight.

I wrote it on the moon.