فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدري إِذا جاءَ سائِلٌ

فَوَاللَهِ ما أَدري إِذا جاءَ سائِلٌ

يُسائِلُ عَن جَدواك كَيفَ أَقولُ

يُسائِلُ عَن جَدواك كَيفَ أَقولُ

By God, I do not know, when a petitioner comes,

So, by God, I do not know, when an inquirer comes,

questioning me about your bounty, what I am to say.

asking about your bounty, how I should answer.

وَوَاللَهِ ما أَدري وَإِنّي لَناظِرٌ

وَوَاللَهِ ما أَدري وَإِنّي لَناظِرٌ

أَلِلجودِ أَم لِلبُخلِ أَنتَ مُخيلُ

أَلِلجودِ أَم لِلبُخلِ أَنتَ مُخيلُ

And by God, I do not know—though I am indeed watching—

And by God, I do not know, though I am indeed watching,

whether you show promise of generosity or of miserliness.

whether you show signs of generosity or stinginess.

وَأَنتَ اِمرِؤٌ لَم تَستَبِن لي طَريقُهُ

وَأَنتَ اِمرِؤٌ لَم تَستَبِن لي طَريقُهُ

وَلِلَّيلِ حَتّى يَستَقِرَّ مَسيلُ

وَلِلَّيلِ حَتّى يَستَقِرَّ مَسيلُ

You are a man whose way has not become clear to me,

And you are a man whose path has not become clear to me,

and night has a course of its own until it settles.

yet night has a course along which to flow until it comes to rest.