صدِيقٌ ليس يمكِنُ من خطابِهْ

صدِيقٌ ليس يمكِنُ من خطابِهْ

ولا يرعى ذمام ذوي طلابِهْ

ولا يرعى ذمام ذوي طلابِهْ

A friend who will not let anyone address him,

A friend whose conversation I cannot bear,

Nor honors the claims of those who seek him.

Nor cares for the dignity of his companions,

لقيتُ البَرْحَ يوماً من لقاءٍ

لقيتُ البَرْحَ يوماً من لقاءٍ

له قاسٍ ويوماً من حِجابِهْ

له قاسٍ ويوماً من حِجابِهْ

One day I suffered anguish from a meeting

I found rejection one day in a meeting with him,

With him—a harsh one—and another day from his shutting me out.

Harshness another day because of his veil.

يُعذِّبني وأصبرُ كلَّ يومٍ

يُعذِّبني وأصبرُ كلَّ يومٍ

فينقِمُ أن صبرتُ على عَذابِهْ

فينقِمُ أن صبرتُ على عَذابِهْ

He torments me, and I endure it every day;

He torments me and I am patient every day,

Then he resents that I have endured his torment.

So he takes revenge because I bore his torment.

ويزعُمُ أنني رجلٌ مُلِحٌّ

ويزعُمُ أنني رجلٌ مُلِحٌّ

وما ألححتُ إلا باكتسابِهْ

وما ألححتُ إلا باكتسابِهْ

And he claims that I am an importunate man,

And claims that I am a jester,

Yet I have insisted only because he brought it on himself.

Though I jested not except to gain his favor.

إذا ما كان لا يأساً مُبيناً

إذا ما كان لا يأساً مُبيناً

ولا نجحاً فإني باجتنابِهْ

ولا نجحاً فإني باجتنابِهْ

If there is neither clear hopelessness

If there is no manifest despair,

Nor success, then I shall keep away from him.

Nor success, then I avoid him.

ستأتيه بما اكتسبتْ يداهُ

ستأتيه بما اكتسبتْ يداهُ

قَوافٍ لم تُدوَّن في حسابِهْ

قَوافٍ لم تُدوَّن في حسابِهْ

For what his hands have earned, there will come to him

What his hands have earned will come to him,

Rhymes not entered in his reckoning.

Retributions not recorded in his account.