قُل لِصَديقي أَبي عَلِيٍّ

قُل لِصَديقي أَبي عَلِيٍّ

ما هَكَذا يَفعَلُ الصَديقُ

ما هَكَذا يَفعَلُ الصَديقُ

Say to my friend Abu Ali:

Say to my friend Abu Ali

This is not how a friend acts.

This is not what a friend does

أَتَيتَ ما لَم يَكُن بِمِثلي

أَتَيتَ ما لَم يَكُن بِمِثلي

وَلا بِأَمثالِكُم يَليقُ

وَلا بِأَمثالِكُم يَليقُ

You did what was not fitting for one like me,

You did what was unbecoming of me

Nor was it fitting for the likes of you.

Or anyone like you

نَقَضتَ عَهدي وَكانَ ظَنّي

نَقَضتَ عَهدي وَكانَ ظَنّي

بِأَنَّهُ مُحكَمٌ وَثيقُ

بِأَنَّهُ مُحكَمٌ وَثيقُ

You broke my pact, though I had thought

You broke your vow though I thought

That it was firm and secure.

It was firm and binding

وَكُنتَ تَنسى حَقّي وَكانَت

وَكُنتَ تَنسى حَقّي وَكانَت

مَرعِيَّةً عِندَكَ الحُقوقُ

مَرعِيَّةً عِندَكَ الحُقوقُ

And you were forgetting my due, though

And you forgot my due rights which

Rights had been respected by you.

You tended to neglect

قَد كُنتَ أَوعَدتَني بِوَعدٍ

قَد كُنتَ أَوعَدتَني بِوَعدٍ

أَنتَ بِأَمثالِهِ خَليقُ

أَنتَ بِأَمثالِهِ خَليقُ

You had indeed made me a promise,

You had promised me a promise that

A promise of a kind befitting you:

The likes of you can easily break

أَنَّكَ تَجلو هَمّي بِيَومٍ

أَنَّكَ تَجلو هَمّي بِيَومٍ

يَجمَعُ أَطرافَهُ الفُسوقُ

يَجمَعُ أَطرافَهُ الفُسوقُ

That you would dispel my sorrow with a day

That you would dispel my worries on a day

Whose ends debauchery would join together,

That brings together separated friends

يَبُلُّ فيهِ غَليلَ صَدري

يَبُلُّ فيهِ غَليلَ صَدري

شَرابُكَ المُسكِرُ العَتيقُ

شَرابُكَ المُسكِرُ العَتيقُ

On which the burning thirst in my breast would be quenched

A day in which your intoxicating old wine

By your aged, intoxicating wine.

Would soothe the anguish in my heart

أَخلَفتَني وَاِنفَرَدتَ عَنّي

أَخلَفتَني وَاِنفَرَدتَ عَنّي

أَما اِستَحى وَجهُكَ الصَفيقُ

أَما اِستَحى وَجهُكَ الصَفيقُ

You broke your promise to me and kept apart from me;

But you abandoned me and left me

Was your brazen face not ashamed?

Does not your gentle face feel ashamed?

وَقَد تَحَقَّقتَ فِيَّ أَنّي

وَقَد تَحَقَّقتَ فِيَّ أَنّي

صَبٌّ إِلى شُربِها مَشوقُ

صَبٌّ إِلى شُربِها مَشوقُ

And you knew full well that I am

You knew well that I am thirsty

An ardent lover, longing to drink it,

For a sip and will not cease to crave

وَأَنَّني في هَوى الوُجوهُ ال

وَأَنَّني في هَوى الوُجوهُ ال

حِسانِ ما عِشتُ ما أُفيقُ

حِسانِ ما عِشتُ ما أُفيقُ

And that, in my passion for faces—

That in craving beautiful faces I have

Beautiful ones—I never regain my senses as long as I live.

No life unless I pine

أَضاقَ عَنّي لَكُم فِناءٌ

أَضاقَ عَنّي لَكُم فِناءٌ

عَنِ الأَخِلّاءِ لا يَضيقُ

عَنِ الأَخِلّاءِ لا يَضيقُ

Has your courtyard grown too narrow for me,

You shut your door to me though it

Though it is never too narrow for close friends?

Does not shut out true friends

وَهَل عَلِمتُم بِأَنَّ شُكري

وَهَل عَلِمتُم بِأَنَّ شُكري

عَبدٌ لِإِحسانِكُم رَقيقُ

عَبدٌ لِإِحسانِكُم رَقيقُ

And did you know that my gratitude

And did you not know that my gratitude

Is a slave in bondage to your kindness?

Is a tender slave to your kindness?

أَما وَحَقِّ المُدامِ صِرفاً

أَما وَحَقِّ المُدامِ صِرفاً

يَخجَلُ مِن لَونِها الشَقيقُ

يَخجَلُ مِن لَونِها الشَقيقُ

Now, by the sanctity of undiluted wine,

By the wine we shared which would

Whose color puts the anemone to shame,

Shame the blush of anemones

وَكُلِّ هَيفاءَ ذاتِ دَلٍّ

وَكُلِّ هَيفاءَ ذاتِ دَلٍّ

يَقتُلُني قَدُّها الرَشيقُ

يَقتُلُني قَدُّها الرَشيقُ

And by every slender-waisted woman with coquettish charm,

And every dark-eyed gazelle whose

Whose graceful figure slays me—

Slim waist tortures me

يَشكو إِلى رِدفِها المُعَبّا

يَشكو إِلى رِدفِها المُعَبّا

مِن جَورِهِ خَصرُها الدَقيقُ

مِن جَورِهِ خَصرُها الدَقيقُ

Complaining to her ample buttocks

Whose buttocks complain to her hips

Of their tyranny is her slender waist;

Of the wrongdoing of her delicate waist

لِلصَبِّ مِن وَردِ وَجنَتَيها

لِلصَبِّ مِن وَردِ وَجنَتَيها

وِردٌ وَمِن ثَغرِها رَحيقُ

وِردٌ وَمِن ثَغرِها رَحيقُ

For the lovesick lover, from the roses of her cheeks,

The youth has from her roses and gardens

There is a draught, and from her lips, pure wine—

Fragrance and from her mouth, nectar

إِنَّكَ إِن لَم تُصِخِ لِعَتَبي

إِنَّكَ إِن لَم تُصِخِ لِعَتَبي

جاءَكَ مِنِّيَ ما لا تُطيقُ

جاءَكَ مِنِّيَ ما لا تُطيقُ

Indeed, if you do not heed my reproach,

If you do not lament my reproach

What you cannot bear will come to you from me;

It will bring what you cannot endure

وَإِنَّنا الدَهرَ لا اِلتَقَينا

وَإِنَّنا الدَهرَ لا اِلتَقَينا

إِلّا وَقَد ضَمَّنا الطَريقُ

إِلّا وَقَد ضَمَّنا الطَريقُ

And we shall never meet, as long as time lasts,

For we have never met along the road

Except when the road brings us together.

Without it uniting our paths