يا أَبا الفَضلِ لِم تَأَخَّرتَ عَنّا

يا أَبا الفَضلِ لِم تَأَخَّرتَ عَنّا

فَأَسَأنا بِحُسنِ عَهدِكَ ظَنّا

فَأَسَأنا بِحُسنِ عَهدِكَ ظَنّا

O Abu al-Fadl, why have you delayed coming to us?

O Abu al-Fadl, why did you delay coming to us

So we have come to think ill of your good faith.

We doubted your good faith out of habit

كَم تَمَنَّت نَفسي صَديقا صَدوقا

كَم تَمَنَّت نَفسي صَديقا صَدوقا

فَاِذا أَنتَ ذلكَ المُتَمَنّى

فَاِذا أَنتَ ذلكَ المُتَمَنّى

How often my soul has longed for a true-hearted friend!

How my soul wished for a true loyal friend

And behold, you are the one I longed for.

And here you are, that hoped-for one

فَبِغُصن الشَبابِ لما تَثَنّى

فَبِغُصن الشَبابِ لما تَثَنّى

وَبِعَهد الصِبا وَان بِان مِنّا

وَبِعَهد الصِبا وَان بِان مِنّا

So, by youth’s branch when it swayed,

In the springtime of youth, still unbending

And by the days of youth, though they have departed from us,

By the covenant of youth, be true to me

كُن جَوابي اِذا قَرَأتَ كِتابي

كُن جَوابي اِذا قَرَأتَ كِتابي

لا تَقُل لِلرَّسول كانَ وَكُنّا

لا تَقُل لِلرَّسول كانَ وَكُنّا

Be my reply when you read my letter;

Answer me when you read my letter

Do not tell the messenger, “It was, and we were.”

Do not say to the messenger “it was and we were”