عَجِزتَ يا مَهجورُ أَن تَذهَلا

وَمِن ذَوي نُصحِكَ أَن تَقبَلا

You lacked, o abandoned one, the ability to be startled,

You failed, O forsaken one, to let go,

And from your well-wishers, the ability to accept advice,

And refused to heed those who gave you counsel.

سَجِيَّةٌ لَستَ لَها تارِكاً

إِذا تَوَلَّوا عَنكَ أَن تُقبِلا

An innate trait not relinquished by you

It is a nature you will never abandon:

When they turn away from you, the ability to endure.

To advance towards them when they turn away.

وَتَذرُفُ العَينُ إِذا ما نَأَوا

وَإِن أَساؤوا الدَهرَ أَن تُجمِلا

The eye flows tears when they become distant,

And the eye flows with tears when they depart,

And if they acted unjustly for a long time, the ability to beautify.

And to act with grace though they wrong you forever.

إِنّي وَإِن لَم أَكُ مُستَحسِناً

مِنّي لِذا الهَجرِ وَمُستَجمِلا

Even if I haven’t been one that approves

For even if I do not approve,

Of this estrangement from me, I tried to beautify it.

Of this abandonment, nor find beauty in it,

فَالمَوتُ أَن يُزرى عَلى عاشِقٍ

يُقالُ قَد كانَ وَلَكِن سَلا

For death visited a lover,

It is death for a lover to be scorned,

It’s said he had been but forgot.

And told: "He once loved, but has now found solace."

يا وَيلَتي مِن جَسَدي كُلِّهِ

رُضِّضَ مِنّي مَفصِلاً مَفصِلا

Oh what grief and agony in my body,

O woe is me, for the whole of my frame,

Every joint and limb aches.

Is shattered within me, joint by joint.

تَرى المُعافى يَعذِرُ المُبتَلى

وَلا يُعينُ المُبتَلي المُبتَلى

The healthy person excuses the afflicted one,

You see the spared man excuse the stricken,

The afflicted doesn’t aid the afflicted.

Yet the tormentor grants no aid to the tormented.