أَرى الإِخوانَ في هُجرٍ أَقاموا

وَخانَ الخِلُّ وَاِفتُقِدَ الذِمامُ

I see my brethren settled in estrangement

I see the brethren have settled in estrangement,

Loyalty has failed and the bond is lost

The friend has betrayed, and the covenant is lost.

وَوَدَّعَني الصِبا وَعَريتُ مِنهُ

كَما مِن غِمدِهِ خَرَجَ الحُسامُ

Farewell bid youth and I'm stripped of it

Youth has bade me farewell, and I am stripped of it,

As the sword leaves its sheath

Just as the sword is drawn naked from its sheath.

فَصِرتُ مُلازِماً لِذِنابِ عَيشٍ

تَضَمَّنَهُ اِعوِجاجٌ وَاِنهِدامُ

So I'm stuck with a life of misfortune

So I have come to cling to the remnants of a life

Twisted and crumbling as it may be

That holds within it crookedness and ruin.