Sol 6.1

  1. Parting is more restful than a union fraught with fear,

    And death is sweeter than a life in peril.

  2. How can I find solace, when I have no outlet for grief

    But tears and the whisperings of thought?

  3. Whenever I see a lover who has attained his desire,

    And whose nights have kept him safe from fortune's reversals,

  4. The embers of longing flare within my liver,

    And I nearly perish from my anguish and regret.

  5. Alas for my soul—its misery has lasted so long!

    Were it in my hand, I would shorten my life.

  6. For God's sake, my eye, pour freely; and if you run short

    Of tears, then melt yourself and stream down.

  7. I have tested my close friends: they were not known

    For loyalty, nor did they prove good upon trial.

  8. Holding back from the heights whoever seeks them,

    Content merely to watch the days' changing fortunes.

  9. If they do wrong, my reproach goes unheard;

    And if I slip, my fault is unforgiven.

  10. I found their most treacherous was the one most trusted,

    And their best, their worst in a perilous crisis.

  11. If I greet him warmly, he says, 'A schemer—

    His hands are straitened, so he has come hoping for my rain.'

  12. And if I draw away from him, he says, 'An arrogant man—

    He has grown rich, and insolent pride has overtaken him.'

  13. And if he becomes a leader, he keeps me at a distance,

    And withholds from me both greeting and glance.

  14. And I become as heavy as Mount Uhud to him; he regards

    My face as the Rafidites regard Umar.

  15. So do not trust a brother whose company pleases you,

    And be on guard against your closest companion.

  16. The friend whose company you cherish is none other

    Than one who shares in hardship and ease,

  17. And who shields you when calamity befalls you,

    As a man shields his eye from blindness.

  18. When you are pleased, he is a slave in his manners;

    And when you are angry, he is like the hard-steeled Samsama sword.

Sol 6.1