رأينا من عهودِكُمُ

رأينا من عهودِكُمُ

عهوداً ما عهدناها

عهوداً ما عهدناها

We have seen among your pledges

We have seen in your covenants

pledges such as we had never known.

Covenants we have never witnessed

أحاديثٌ ملفَّقةٌ

أحاديثٌ ملفَّقةٌ

لدينا لاح معناها

لدينا لاح معناها

Fabricated tales—

Fragments of conversations

their meaning became clear to us.

Whose meanings have become clear to us

بجاه اللَه أن تَطووا

بجاه اللَه أن تَطووا

شكوكاً قد طويناها

شكوكاً قد طويناها

By God's honor, put away

I implore you by God, fold away

suspicions we have already put away.

Suspicions we have folded away

فلا قلتم ولا قلنا

فلا قلتم ولا قلنا

كفى الفتنةَ ذكراها

كفى الفتنةَ ذكراها

So neither you nor we spoke;

Neither you spoke nor we spoke

discord's mere mention is enough.

Suffice it to mention discord

ونحن نُقيلُكم رِجْلاً

ونحن نُقيلُكم رِجْلاً

إليكم كان مسعاها

إليكم كان مسعاها

And we relieve you of a foot

And we give you rest, leg

whose course once led toward you.

Toward you was its effort

ونُغضي دونكم عيناً

ونُغضي دونكم عيناً

يسوء النفسَ مرآها

يسوء النفسَ مرآها

And we close before you an eye;

And we avert our eyes below you

what it sees pains the soul.

A mirror the self dislikes its sight

وأُذْنٌ كان يطربها

وأُذْنٌ كان يطربها

حديثكمُ كففناها

حديثكمُ كففناها

And an ear once delighted

And an ear that was thrilled

by your talk—we have restrained it.

By your words we have stifled it

وأخبارٌ سمعناها

وأخبارٌ سمعناها

لأجلكمُ تركناها

لأجلكمُ تركناها

And reports we heard,

And news we have heard

we set aside for your sake.

For your sake we have abandoned it

وأفعالاً رأيناها

وأفعالاً رأيناها

كأنا ما رأيناها

كأنا ما رأيناها

And deeds we saw—

And deeds we have seen

as though we had never seen them.

As if we never saw them

فلا تحكوا ولا تشكوا

فلا تحكوا ولا تشكوا

فيكفي النفسَ شكواها

فيكفي النفسَ شكواها

So do not recount, and do not complain;

So speak not and complain not

for the soul's own complaint is enough for it.

For the self suffices its complaints

رأَت والبعدُ واديها

رأَت والبعدُ واديها

وأقصاها فأقصاها

وأقصاها فأقصاها

It saw, with distance as its valley

It has seen and distance its valley

and its farthest reach—so distance drove it away,

And its farthest, so its farthest

لأجل محبةٍ ثُلِمت

لأجل محبةٍ ثُلِمت

لنحفظها ونرعاها

لنحفظها ونرعاها

for the sake of a love that was wounded,

For the sake of a love that was flawed

that we might preserve and tend it.

To preserve it and tend to it