مَنَعَتْني مِن الوَدَاعِ أُمورُ

أَنا في بَعْضِ بَعْضِها مَعْذورُ

Circumstances have prevented my farewells,

In some of them I'm excused.

وَكَفاكُمْ مِنها إذا قِيلَ لِمْ لا

جَاءَ قَالَ المُحتجُّ شَيخٌ كَبِيرُ

It's enough when asked "why not?"

An old, respected man said as his excuse:

وَمُضَافٌ لِذاكَ ضَعْفٌ وَعَجْزٌ

وَحِمارٌ مَا كادَ تَحْتي يَسِيرُ

"To that is added weakness and frailty,

And a donkey that can barely walk under me.

كُلَّما رُضْتهُ بِشِعْرِي نَادَى

أَنا مَالي والشِّعْرُ إبنُ الشّعِيرُ

Whenever I pleased him with my poetry he cried out

'I care not for poetry, I'm the son of barley!'

وَحَمَتْهُ مِنّي دَمامِلُ أَلقَتْ

ني فَمَا لي عنِ الفِراشِ مَسِيرُ

And blankets have covered him from me, he threw

Me off so I cannot leave my bed.

كُلُّ قَاسٍ عَليَّ كالدَّهْرِ مَا لا

نَ وَهَيْهاتَ أَنْ تَلِينَ الصُّخُورُ

Everyone judging me is like fate - it does not

Bend, and rocks will never soften.

وَعلَى بَابِه المَراهِمُ لَمْ يُؤْ

ذَنْ لَها والحِجابُ ثَمَّ عَسِيرُ

And at his door the solicitors have not been

Permitted, and the veil remains difficult.

مُغْلَقُ البَابِ مَا تَلا سُوْرَةَ الفَتْ

حِ وَقَافٍ ضِ دُونهِ والطُّورُ

The door is locked, he has not recited Surat Al-Fatiha,

And an obstinate one stands in my way and the mount.

وَتَراني في اللَّيْل يَرْتَقِبُ الفَجْ

رَ وَقَد حَالَ دُونَهُ الدَّ يَجورُ

And you see me at night waiting for dawn,

While between us stands a monster.

وَأَشَدُّ الآلامِ لَيْلٌ طَوِيلٌ

مَا لَهُ آخِرٌ وَجَفْنٌ قَصِيرُ

And the greatest pain is a long night

That has no end, and an eyelid too short."