أنتمْ عليَّ وإنْ لم

أنتمْ عليَّ وإنْ لم

تدروا أرقُّ وأحْنى

تدروا أرقُّ وأحْنى

Toward me you are—though you do not

You burden me, though you

know it—gentler and more compassionate.

Do not know I'm frailer, more bent

أردتُ أنْ تحملوا اليو

أردتُ أنْ تحملوا اليو

مَ فوق ظَهْرِيَ مَنّا

مَ فوق ظَهْرِيَ مَنّا

I wanted you today to lay

I wished you’d carry today

upon my back a favor's burden.

Upon your back some of my weight

فعفتُمُ وأَبيتم

فعفتُمُ وأَبيتم

شُحّاً عليَّ وَجُبْنا

شُحّاً عليَّ وَجُبْنا

But you spurned it and refused,

But you refused, and preferred

out of stinginess toward me and cowardice.

Greedily, cowardly, to abstain

فَكنتمُ باِتّفاقٍ

فَكنتمُ باِتّفاقٍ

خيراً لنا الآن منّا

خيراً لنا الآن منّا

Thus, by chance, you proved

So by unanimous accord

better for us now than we ourselves.

You now are better for me, than I

وما غُبِنّا بل اِنتمْ

وما غُبِنّا بل اِنتمْ

بذاك أظهرُ غُبْنا

بذاك أظهرُ غُبْنا

We suffered no loss; rather, you

And I've not been cheated, but you

were more plainly the losers in that.

Have by this shown clearer cheating

وما أسَاتُ ولكنْ

وما أسَاتُ ولكنْ

أحسنتُ بالسّوءِ ظَنّا

أحسنتُ بالسّوءِ ظَنّا

Nor did I do wrong; rather,

I've not done wrong, but rather

I thought well of evil.

I've thought well, though suspecting ill

ظَننتُكُم لِمُلمٍّ

ظَننتُكُم لِمُلمٍّ

عَوْناً وفي الخوفِ أمْنا

عَوْناً وفي الخوفِ أمْنا

I thought you, in calamity,

I thought you for one brought low

a help, and in fear, safety,

A helper, and in fear, safety

حَتّى خبرتُ فكنتمْ

حَتّى خبرتُ فكنتمْ

كاللّفظ ما فيه مَعْنى

كاللّفظ ما فيه مَعْنى

until I tested you; then you proved

Till I found you were like words

like an utterance with no meaning.

Without in them any meaning