مُحِبٌّ جَفاني مَرَّةً ثُم زارَني

مُحِبٌّ جَفاني مَرَّةً ثُم زارَني

ومِنْ بَعْدِهِ قَدْ أَبْدَلَ السُّخْطَ بالرِّضا

ومِنْ بَعْدِهِ قَدْ أَبْدَلَ السُّخْطَ بالرِّضا

A lover once shunned me, then visited me.

A lover abandoned me once, then he visited me

And after that he replaced displeasure with contentment.

And after that he replaced his displeasure with acceptance

وقالَ أنِلْني منْ عَطاياكَ منْحَةً

وقالَ أنِلْني منْ عَطاياكَ منْحَةً

وكُلّ الذي تعطي يكُونُ معَوّضا

وكُلّ الذي تعطي يكُونُ معَوّضا

And he said, “Grant me a gift from your bounty,

And said, "Grant me one of your gifts"

and all that you give will be recompensed.”

And whatever you give will be compensated

وهَبْتُ لهُ ثُلْثاً من العُمْرِ كامِلاً

وهَبْتُ لهُ ثُلْثاً من العُمْرِ كامِلاً

ورُبْعاً وسُدْساً ثم ثُمْناً فأعْرَضا

ورُبْعاً وسُدْساً ثم ثُمْناً فأعْرَضا

I gave him a full third of my lifetime,

So I gave him a full third of my life

and a quarter and a sixth, then an eighth; so he turned away.

And a quarter, a sixth, then an eighth, but he turned away

وقال قَليلٌ قُلْتُ عندي زيادةٌ

وقال قَليلٌ قُلْتُ عندي زيادةٌ

أضَفْتُ إليها ثُلْثَ سُبْع الذي مَضَى

أضَفْتُ إليها ثُلْثَ سُبْع الذي مَضَى

And he said, “That is little.” I said, “I have more.”

And said, "Too little," I said, "I have more to add"

I added to that a third of a seventh of what had gone before.

I added to it a third of the past seventh

وأبْقَيْتُ لي عِشْرينَ عاماً أعيِشُها

وأبْقَيْتُ لي عِشْرينَ عاماً أعيِشُها

فهاكَ سُؤالي صارَ نَظْماً مُبَيّضا

فهاكَ سُؤالي صارَ نَظْماً مُبَيّضا

And I kept twenty years for myself to live through.

And I kept twenty years for myself to live

So take my question, now made into neatly written verse:

So here is my request, made into elegant poetry

فكَْ كانَ هذا العُمْرُ إنْ كُنْتَ حاسِباً

فكَْ كانَ هذا العُمْرُ إنْ كُنْتَ حاسِباً

أَديباً لَبيباً عالِماً مُتَيَقّضا

أَديباً لَبيباً عالِماً مُتَيَقّضا

So how long was this lifetime, if you are a reckoner,

Now if you count, was this life enough

cultivated, discerning, learned, and alert?

For a literary, wise, learned and vigilant man?