أَخطَأتِ أَنتِ بَدَأتِ بِاِلصَرمِ

أَخطَأتِ أَنتِ بَدَأتِ بِاِلصَرمِ

وَاِبتَعتِ مِنّا الهَجرَ بِالسِلمِ

وَاِبتَعتِ مِنّا الهَجرَ بِالسِلمِ

You were at fault—you yourself began the severance.

You erred—it was you who began severing ties.

And you stirred estrangement from us while we were at peace.

And you bought estrangement from us at the price of peace.

وَزَعَمتِ أَنّي قَد ظَلَمتُكُمُ

وَزَعَمتِ أَنّي قَد ظَلَمتُكُمُ

كَلّا وَأَنتِ بَدَأتِ بِالظُلمِ

كَلّا وَأَنتِ بَدَأتِ بِالظُلمِ

You claimed that I had wronged you;

And you claimed that I had wronged you.

No indeed—you were the one who began the wrong.

No—it was you who began the wrongdoing.

وَسَمِعتِ بي قَولَ الوُشاةِ بِلا

وَسَمِعتِ بي قَولَ الوُشاةِ بِلا

ذَنبٍ أَتَيتُ بِهِ وَلا جُرمِ

ذَنبٍ أَتَيتُ بِهِ وَلا جُرمِ

You listened to what the slanderers said of me, though

And you heard the slanderers' words about me, without

I had committed no sin in it, nor any offense—

any sin I had committed or any crime,

إِلّا صَبابَةَ عاشِقٍ لَكُمُ

إِلّا صَبابَةَ عاشِقٍ لَكُمُ

أَورَثتِهِ سُقماً عَلى سُقمِ

أَورَثتِهِ سُقماً عَلى سُقمِ

Nothing but a lover’s ardent longing for you;

except a lover's ardent longing for you;

You bequeathed him sickness upon sickness.

you bequeathed him sickness upon sickness.

قَد كُنتُ أَحسَبُني جَليداً عَنكُمُ

قَد كُنتُ أَحسَبُني جَليداً عَنكُمُ

فَإِذا فُؤادي غيرُ ذي عَزمِ

فَإِذا فُؤادي غيرُ ذي عَزمِ

I had thought myself strong enough to endure separation from you,

I had thought myself strong enough to bear separation from you,

But behold, my heart was bereft of resolve.

but behold, my heart had no resolve.

ما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَنَّ حُبّاً قاتِلي

ما كُنتُ أَحسَبُ أَنَّ حُبّاً قاتِلي

حَتّى بُليتُ بِما بَرى جِسمي

حَتّى بُليتُ بِما بَرى جِسمي

I never thought that love would be my killer,

I never thought that love would kill me,

Until I was afflicted by what wasted my body away.

until I was afflicted with what wore my body away.

أَورَثتِني داءً أُخامِرُهُ

أَورَثتِني داءً أُخامِرُهُ

أَسماءُ بَزَّ اللَحمَ عَن عَظمي

أَسماءُ بَزَّ اللَحمَ عَن عَظمي

She bequeathed me a sickness I must live with—

You bequeathed me an illness I live with;

Asmāʾ—and it stripped the flesh from my bones.

Asma, it stripped the flesh from my bones.

لَو كُنتِ أَنتِ قَسَمتِ ذاكَ لَهُ

لَو كُنتِ أَنتِ قَسَمتِ ذاكَ لَهُ

مِنّي عَلَيهِ لَجُرتِ في القَسمِ

مِنّي عَلَيهِ لَجُرتِ في القَسمِ

Had you yourself allotted that suffering to him,

Had you yourself allotted that to him

Taking it from me and laying it on him, you would have been unjust in the apportionment.

from me, you would have wronged him in the allotment.

لَكِنَّ رَبّي كانَ قَدَّرَهُ

لَكِنَّ رَبّي كانَ قَدَّرَهُ

فَقَضاءُ رَبّي أَفضَلُ الحُكمِ

فَقَضاءُ رَبّي أَفضَلُ الحُكمِ

But as for me, my Lord had decreed it,

But my Lord had decreed it,

For my Lord’s decree is the best of judgments.

so my Lord's decree is the best judgment.