لا تَلُمنِي فليس لي

لا تَلُمنِي فليس لي

علمُ ما في المغيَّبِ

علمُ ما في المغيَّبِ

Do not blame me, for I have no

Do not blame me, for I have no

knowledge of the things unseen.

knowledge of what lies hidden.

كيف أدري وما ذهْب

كيف أدري وما ذهْب

تُ من البعدِ مذهبي

تُ من البعدِ مذهبي

How could I know how far I had gone

How can I know, when I have not gone

along my path?

far along my path?

أنا أعشى لَدَى المطا

أنا أعشى لَدَى المطا

لب عن نُجحِ مطلبي

لب عن نُجحِ مطلبي

I grope blindly among the things I seek,

I am dim-sighted amid pursuits,

blind to whether my quest will prosper.

as to the success of my quest.

لو علمتُ الّذي أعو

لو علمتُ الّذي أعو

ذُ بِهِ قبل مَركبي

ذُ بِهِ قبل مَركبي

Had I known what refuge to seek

Had I known what I seek

before embarking,

refuge in before embarking,

لَم أَدعْ من بصيرةٍ

لَم أَدعْ من بصيرةٍ

ضرراً أنْ تمرّ بي

ضرراً أنْ تمرّ بي

I would never knowingly have summoned

I would not, with foresight, have allowed

harm to befall me;

harm to come upon me.

ولَكُنتُ الغنِيَّ عنْ

ولَكُنتُ الغنِيَّ عنْ

نَدَمٍ أو تَعَقُّبِ

نَدَمٍ أو تَعَقُّبِ

I would have been free of

And I would have been free of

regret or second thoughts.

regret or second thoughts.

وَلَما كان ظافراً

وَلَما كان ظافراً

بيّ يوماً مؤنّبي

بيّ يوماً مؤنّبي

Nor would my reproacher ever have

Nor would he have triumphed

prevailed over me—

over me on any day—my reproacher.

لا وَلا كانَ للقذا

لا وَلا كانَ للقذا

ةِ لِمامٌ بِمَشربي

ةِ لِمامٌ بِمَشربي

no, nor would so much as a mote

No, nor would a mote have had

have touched my drink.

even passing contact with my drink.