وَخِلٍّ كُنتُ عَينَ الرُشدِ مِنهُ

وَخِلٍّ كُنتُ عَينَ الرُشدِ مِنهُ

إِذا نَظَرَت وَمُستَمِعاً سَميعا

إِذا نَظَرَت وَمُستَمِعاً سَميعا

And a friend whose eye for sound judgment I was,

I was the eye of reason from him

Whenever it looked, and a keen-eared listener—

When I looked and listened closely

أَطافَ بِغَيِّهِ فَعَدَلتُ عَنهُ

أَطافَ بِغَيِّهِ فَعَدَلتُ عَنهُ

وَقُلتُ لَهُ أَرى أَمراً فَظيعا

وَقُلتُ لَهُ أَرى أَمراً فَظيعا

He wandered in his folly, so I turned away from him,

He went about with his youthful folly so I turned from him

And told him, “I see a dreadful thing.”

And said to him I see a monstrous thing