يا مَعشَرَ الناسِ خانني

يا مَعشَرَ الناسِ خانني

وَصِرْتُ منهُ كَلاً على

وَصِرْتُ منهُ كَلاً على

O company of people, it has betrayed me.

O people, they have betrayed me

And because of it I have become a burden upon...

And I have become weary of their

لا ذَنْبَ لي غير أنَّ لي ذَنَباً

لا ذَنْبَ لي غير أنَّ لي ذَنَباً

فتورُه عندَ مُنيتي ذَنْبي

فتورُه عندَ مُنيتي ذَنْبي

I have no fault except that I have a tail;

I have no fault but that I have a fault

Its limpness at my moment of desire is my fault.

His aloofness at the time of my death is my fault

كأنّهُ والأكف تَلْمَسُهُ

كأنّهُ والأكف تَلْمَسُهُ

خَريطةٌ فُرِّغَتْ مِنَ الكُتْبِ

خَريطةٌ فُرِّغَتْ مِنَ الكُتْبِ

As hands touch it, it resembles

As if while my palms touch him

A pouch emptied of books.

He is a map emptied of books

يخونني كُلّما كَشَفْتُ بهِ

يخونني كُلّما كَشَفْتُ بهِ

وكانَ أولى بِسَتْرِهِ عُبِّي

وكانَ أولى بِسَتْرِهِ عُبِّي

It betrays me whenever I lay myself bare with it,

He betrays me whenever I disclose him

And my garment's fold should rather have concealed it.

And it was better for him to conceal my flaws

تقولُ أقرَفْتَنا بِلَعْوَصةٍ

تقولُ أقرَفْتَنا بِلَعْوَصةٍ

منك بهذا المشومِ يا رَبِّي

منك بهذا المشومِ يا رَبِّي

You say, "You have sickened us with a mess

You say, "You have burdened us with crookedness

Of yours, with this ill-omened thing—O my Lord!"

With this sinister one, my Lord"

شكوتُ ما بي وما أُكابِدُهُ

شكوتُ ما بي وما أُكابِدُهُ

إلى الحكيمِ الموفّقِ القُطبي

إلى الحكيمِ الموفّقِ القُطبي

I complained of what ails me and what I endure

I complained of what was in me and what I endured

To the physician al-Muwaffaq al-Qutbi.

To the wise triumphant pole

فقالَ بردُ الوضوءِ قَلّصَهُ

فقالَ بردُ الوضوءِ قَلّصَهُ

وليسَ يَخفى هذا على طِبِّيْ

وليسَ يَخفى هذا على طِبِّيْ

So he said, "The chill of ablution has shriveled it,

He said, "The cold ablution will diminish it"

And this is not hidden from my medical knowledge.

And this does not escape my doctor

أرْطِلْهُ حتّى تراهُ مُخْتَلجاً

أرْطِلْهُ حتّى تراهُ مُخْتَلجاً

وادخِلْ به إن رأيتَ في

وادخِلْ به إن رأيتَ في

Give it a measure of wine until you see it twitching,

Restrain him until you see him writhing

And enter with it, if you see in..."

And take him in, if you see in him

فَقُلتُ أَخشى عَلَيْهِ تَقتُلُهُ

فَقُلتُ أَخشى عَلَيْهِ تَقتُلُهُ

فإنّه فاطِسٌ من الكرْبِ

فإنّه فاطِسٌ من الكرْبِ

So I said, "I fear for it—you will kill it,

I said, "I fear you may kill him"

For it is dead from distress."

For he is bloated from distress

مَن لي بأنْ ألتقيه عادته

مَن لي بأنْ ألتقيه عادته

كالرَمُّح يومَ الطعانِ في الحربِ

كالرَمُّح يومَ الطعانِ في الحربِ

Who will let me find it as it used to be,

Who will allow me to meet his habit

Like a spear on the day of thrusting in battle,

Like a lance on the day of battle?

أو مثلِ فوارةٍ موتدةٍ

أو مثلِ فوارةٍ موتدةٍ

تروي عِطاشَ الأحراج في الجدْب

تروي عِطاشَ الأحراج في الجدْب

Or like a firmly planted fountain

Or like an extended steam vent

That waters the thirsty thickets in drought?

Watering the thirst of barren thickets

يا مَنْ رماني بِصَدِّهِ صَلَفاً

يا مَنْ رماني بِصَدِّهِ صَلَفاً

كُنْ آمناً إنْ رَقَدتَ في جنبي

كُنْ آمناً إنْ رَقَدتَ في جنبي

O you who arrogantly assailed me with your rejection,

O he who cast me with his aloofness askance

Be at ease if you sleep beside me.

Be safe if you sleep by my side