قالوا تَزاوَرَ عِطفُهُ

وَأَرابَنا إيماضُه

They said, “His affection has veered away,”

and his flash has aroused our suspicion.

وَأَبى إِباءَ الصَعبِ لا

يَسطيعُهُ رُوّاضُهُ

He refused with an unbroken mount’s refusal—

his trainers cannot master him.

غَضبانُ سُلَّ خِطامُهُ

عَنهُ وَحُلَّ إيِاضُهُ

Angry—his halter drawn

off him, and his tether loosed.

عَطَلَت رُباهُ مِنَ الصَفا

ءِ وَعُرِّيَت أَنقاضُهُ

His heights stand empty of puri—

—ty, and his ruins are stripped bare.

إِن يَستَعِض مِنّي فَلا

مَغبوطَةٌ أَعواضُهُ

If he seeks someone in my stead, none

of his substitutes will be envied.

قَد عَزَّ مَن يَعتاضُ مِن

هُ وَذَلَّ مَن يَعتاضُهُ

How precious the one for whom another is taken;

how lowly the one taken as his substitute.

هَيهاتَ لا أَحبابُهُ

مِنّي وَلا أَبغاضُهُ

Far from it—neither those he loves

nor those he hates are any concern of mine.

ما سَرَّني إِقبالُهُ

فَيَسوءُني إِعراضُهُ

His approach never gave me joy,

that his turning away should grieve me.