سَأُعرِضُ عَمَّن راحَ عَنِّيَّ مُعرِضاً

وَأُعلِنُ سُلواني لَهُ وَأَشيعُهُ

I will turn away from those who have turned away from me,

And declare my estrangement to them and see them off.

وَأَحجُزُ طَرفي عَنهُ وَهوَ رَسولُهُ

وَأَحجُبُ قَلبي عَنهُ وَهوَ شَفيعُهُ

I will restrain my eyes from them though they are their envoy,

And veil my heart from them though they intercede for them.

وَكَيفَ تَرى عَيني لِمَن لا يَرى لَها

وَيَحفَظُ قَلبي في الهَوى مَن يُضيعُهُ

How can my eyes see those who do not see them?

Who will guard my heart in love, those who waste it?

وَأَقسَمتُ لا تَجري دُموعي عَلى اِمرِئٍ

إِذا كانَ لا تَجري عَلَيَّ دُموعُهُ

I have sworn my tears will not flow for a man

If his tears do not flow for me.

فَلَو خانَ طَرفي ما حَوَتهُ جُفونُهُ

وَلَو خانَ قَلبي ما حَوَتهُ ضُلوعُهُ

If my eyes betray what they contain, may their lids not encompass them,

If my heart betrays what it contains, may my ribs not encompass it.

تَكَلَّفتُ فيهِ شيمَةً غَيرَ شيمَتي

فَساءَ صَنيعي حينَ ساءَ صَنيعُهُ

I affected a disposition other than my disposition for him.

How bad was my behavior when his behavior was bad!

وَأَصبَحتُ لا صَبّاً كَثيراً وُلوعُهُ

وَأَمسَيتُ لا مُضنىً قَليلاً هُجوعُهُ

I have become, with the one whose passion is excessive, not little afflicted,

And I have become, with the one whose anguish is little, not abundantly anguished.

بِمَن يَثِقُ الإِنسانُ فيما يَنوبُهُ

لَعَمرُكَ مَطلوبٌ يَعِزُّ وُقوعُهُ

Who can man trust in what befalls him?

By your life, the realized is seldom realized!

أَأَعظَمُ مِن قَلبي عَلَيَّ مَعَزَّةً

وَإِنِّيَ في هَذا الهَوى لَصَريعُهُ

Are my supporters more supportive of me than my heart?

Yet in this love I am its captive.

وَأَكرَمُ مِن عَيني عَلَيَّ وَإِنَّها

لَتُظهِرُ سِرّي لِلعِدى وَتُذيعُهُ

And are my eyes more generous to me?

Yet they reveal my secret to my enemies and broadcast it.