وَلي صَاحِبٌ نَحْسٌ على كُلِّ صَاحِبِ

وَلي صَاحِبٌ نَحْسٌ على كُلِّ صَاحِبِ

هو الدّاءُ أَعْيا أَنْ يُصيبَ دَواءَ

هو الدّاءُ أَعْيا أَنْ يُصيبَ دَواءَ

I have a companion—a bane to every companion:

And I have a companion who brings ill luck to every companion.

the very disease for which no cure can be found,

He is a malady for which no remedy can be found.

أَخَفُّ الوَرى عَقْلاً وأَثْقَلُ طَلْعَةً

أَخَفُّ الوَرى عَقْلاً وأَثْقَلُ طَلْعَةً

وأَفْحَمُ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَقولَ خَطاءَ

وأَفْحَمُ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَقولَ خَطاءَ

the lightest of all mankind in wit, the heaviest to behold,

The lightest of humankind in intellect, and the heaviest in presence,

and the most tongue-tied—except when uttering what is wrong.

And the most tongue-tied, except when he says something wrong.