سَجنتُ نفسِي بيَدِي

مِن غيرِ ما حُكمٍ عَلَي

I imprisoned myself with my own hands

Without being sentenced

بَقيتُ خلفَ البابِ في

ظُلمةِ ليلٍ حَندَسِي

I remained behind the door in

The darkness of my gloomy night

مُنتظِراً زَورةَ مَن

كُلُّ المُنَى هُو لَدَي

Waiting for the visit of one

Who is my only wish

كَم مِن خُطى حَسَبتُها

خُطَى شَقَينَ مُهجَتِي

How many footsteps did I think were

The footsteps of my tormentor

فَيقفزُ القَلبُ وأر

هُفُ لِسمعِ أُذنِي

So my heart would jump and I would

Prick up my ears

قد يتَلاشَى صوتُها

فَيرجِعُ اليأسُ إلَي

Her voice may fade away

And despair returns to me

ثُم أعُود ثَانيا

أجلُس فوقَ مَقعَدِي

Then I go back again

And sit on my seat

مُنتَصِباً في وقفَتِي

في البابِ واضِعا يَدِي

Standing erect in my stance

With my hand on the door

وهكَذا قَضَيتُ تِل

كَ السَّاعتَين يا أخِي

And so I spent those

Two hours, O brother

وكُلَّمَا قلتُ لِقل

بي اليأسُ إحدَى رَاحَتي

And whenever I told my heart

To despair, one of my two comforts

يَقولُ صَبرا رُبمَا

ضَميرُه يكونُ حَي

Would say, "Have patience, perhaps

His conscience is still alive

إنَّ الوفاءَ بالوُعو

دِ شيمَةُ الحُرِّ السَّرِي

For loyalty to one's promise is the trait

Of a free and noble man"

يقولُ صَبراً رُبمَا

يُنجزُ وعدَه الوفِي

It would say, "Have patience, maybe

He will fulfill his faithful promise"

وعِندمَا أبصرَ ما

أبصَرَ ما قد حَلَّ بي

And when it saw what

It saw, what had happened to me

خاطَبنِي بقَولِه

ضَميرُ ذَا ليسَ بِحَى

It addressed me saying

"This conscience is not alive

فاترُكهُ واترُك ذكرَه

فَلسَت عِندَه بِشَي

So leave him and leave mentioning him

For you are nothing to him"