تَخلَّفي صاغِرةً إنَّني

تَخلَّفي صاغِرةً إنَّني

أراكِ أبطأتِ فخُلّفتِ

أراكِ أبطأتِ فخُلّفتِ

Stay behind, abased, for I

You fell behind, still young, for I

see that you were slow, and so were left behind.

See you were late, so left behind

كَلِفتِ بالشرِّ وعفتِ الّذي

كَلِفتِ بالشرِّ وعفتِ الّذي

مِن صالحِ الأعمال كُلِّفتِ

مِن صالحِ الأعمال كُلِّفتِ

You were enamored of evil and spurned what

Charged with evil, neglecting that

you were charged to do among righteous deeds.

Goodness you were charged to find

ليتكِ إذ لم تألفي خطّةً

ليتكِ إذ لم تألفي خطّةً

مُنجيةً لم تكُ أُلِّفتِ

مُنجيةً لم تكُ أُلِّفتِ

Would that, since you embraced no course

If only you, no special plan conceived,

that could save you, you had never been fashioned.

To save yourself, had not contrived

رُدِّي على الدَّهرِ عَوارِيَّهُ

رُدِّي على الدَّهرِ عَوارِيَّهُ

قدِ اقتَضى ما كُنتِ أسلَفتِ

قدِ اقتَضى ما كُنتِ أسلَفتِ

Return to Time its loans;

Return the days' iniquities

it has already exacted what you had advanced.

Fulfilling what you owed in kind

أخلَفكِ الخيرُ وأخلفتِه

أخلَفكِ الخيرُ وأخلفتِه

فلا تَلُومي حيثُ أُخلِفتِ

فلا تَلُومي حيثُ أُخلِفتِ

Goodness failed you, and you failed it;

Goodness left you, you left it too

so do not blame when you have been let down.

So blame yourself, you were maligned