ظهورُ الأمور خلافُ البطونِ

ظهورُ الأمور خلافُ البطونِ

وغيبُ الصدور خَفِيُّ الكُمُونِ

وغيبُ الصدور خَفِيُّ الكُمُونِ

The outward faces of things differ from their inward depths,

Appearances belie realities,

and the secrets of breasts lie deeply hidden.

And hearts conceal hidden secrets.

وكم صاحبٍ غرَّني حبله

وكم صاحبٍ غرَّني حبله

فأعصمتُ منه بغيرِ الأَمُون

فأعصمتُ منه بغيرِ الأَمُون

And many a friend's rope has deceived me,

How many a friend has deceived me,

so I clung to a rope of his that was not secure.

Yet I protected myself without trust.

تناسيت عهدِي أبا جعفرٍ

تناسيت عهدِي أبا جعفرٍ

كأَنِّيَ مِنْ سالفاتِ القرون

كأَنِّيَ مِنْ سالفاتِ القرون

You have pretended to forget our bond, Abu Ja‘far,

I forgot my pact with Abu Ja'far,

as though I were from bygone ages.

As if I were from past generations.

لئن كانَ غيبُكَ لِي هكذا

لئن كانَ غيبُكَ لِي هكذا

فلا زلتَ مني بدارٍ شَطون

فلا زلتَ مني بدارٍ شَطون

If indeed your hidden feelings toward me are like this,

If your absence is thus for me,

then may you always dwell in an abode far from me.

You are still in a place I yearn for.

أَظُنُّ القراطيسَ في مِصْرِكُمْ

أَظُنُّ القراطيسَ في مِصْرِكُمْ

تخوَّنها ريبُ دَهْر خئون

تخوَّنها ريبُ دَهْر خئون

I suppose the sheets of paper in your city

I think the scrolls in your abode

have been depleted by the ravages of treacherous time.

Are betrayed by the guile of a deceitful age.

فلو أنَّها صفحات الخُدود

فلو أنَّها صفحات الخُدود

يُكتَّبُ فيها بماءِ العيون

يُكتَّبُ فيها بماءِ العيون

For if they were the surfaces of cheeks,

If only they were pages of cheeks

written upon with the water of eyes,

Written on with the water of eyes,

لما أعوزتْك ولكن جَفَوْتَ

لما أعوزتْك ولكن جَفَوْتَ

فألغيتَ شأني خلالَ الشؤون

فألغيتَ شأني خلالَ الشؤون

you would not have lacked them; but you were cold,

They would not fail you, but you spurned me

so you dismissed my concern among your concerns.

And annulled my affairs through the years.

تراه إذا أنت فكرت في

تراه إذا أنت فكرت في

ه كالعِبْء تحمله بالجفون

ه كالعِبْء تحمله بالجفون

You see it, when you reflect upon

When you think of me, I seem

it, as a burden you bear upon your eyelids.

A burden you carry with frowning brows.

تَهابُ دواتك حتى كأنْ

تَهابُ دواتك حتى كأنْ

نَ حَوْضَ دواتِكَ حوضُ المَنون

نَ حَوْضَ دواتِكَ حوضُ المَنون

You dread your inkwell so much that it seems

You dread your pens, as if

the basin of your inkwell is the basin of death.

The basin of your pens were the basin of death.

وظَلَّ كتابيَ ملقىً لديك

وظَلَّ كتابيَ ملقىً لديك

بدار اطِّراحٍ ومثواةِ هُون

بدار اطِّراحٍ ومثواةِ هُون

And my letter remained cast aside with you,

And my letter lies discarded by you

in an abode of rejection and a resting place of humiliation.

In a house of neglect and abasement.

إذا ما دخلْتَ فلاحظتَهُ

إذا ما دخلْتَ فلاحظتَهُ

نظرتَ إليه بطرفٍ شَفون

نظرتَ إليه بطرفٍ شَفون

Whenever you entered and caught sight of it,

When you enter and glance at it,

you looked at it with a hostile, sidelong gaze.

You look at it with averted eyes.

أبا جعفرٍ عَدِّ عَنيِّ وعنْ

أبا جعفرٍ عَدِّ عَنيِّ وعنْ

كَ وُدّاً تُزَيِّنُهُ بالعُهون

كَ وُدّاً تُزَيِّنُهُ بالعُهون

Abu Ja‘far, banish from me and from

Abu Ja'far, turn from me and from

yourself an affection you adorn with dyed wool.

A love you adorn with false passion.

ولا تَخْدعَنِّي ولا يَخْدَعَنْ

ولا تَخْدعَنِّي ولا يَخْدَعَنْ

ك لفظٌ تُزَيِّنُه بالرقون

ك لفظٌ تُزَيِّنُه بالرقون

And do not deceive me, nor let it deceive

Do not deceive me, nor let

you—a phrase you embellish with dyes.

A word adorned with pretense deceive you.

فإني امرؤٌ قلَّ من لا أرى

فإني امرؤٌ قلَّ من لا أرى

له شجناً فيُرى من شجوني

له شجناً فيُرى من شجوني

For I am a man: few are those in whom I do not see

I am a man who seldom shows

a sorrow that is then counted among my own sorrows.

Sorrow that my sorrows can be seen.

ولستُ أكُدُّ أخي بالعتا

ولستُ أكُدُّ أخي بالعتا

ب عند تماديه كدَّ الحَرون

ب عند تماديه كدَّ الحَرون

Nor do I weary my brother with reproach

I do not persist with my brother in

when he persists, as one would a balking horse.

Reproach when he is stubborn as rocks.

ولا أشْتَرِي وُدَّ شكسٍ به

ولا أشْتَرِي وُدَّ شكسٍ به

ولا يَشْترِي النَّاسُ وُدِّي بدُون

ولا يَشْترِي النَّاسُ وُدِّي بدُون

Nor do I buy a surly man's affection with it,

I do not buy the love of one who breaks pacts,

nor do people buy my affection for a pittance.

Nor do people buy my love with money.

وما كان مثلُك في شأَنهِ

وما كان مثلُك في شأَنهِ

ليُحْجَب عن سِرِّ نفسِي المَصون

ليُحْجَب عن سِرِّ نفسِي المَصون

And someone of your standing could never

One like you was not meant

be shut out from my soul's guarded secret.

To be barred from the secret of my guarded soul.

فلا تغضبنَّ أبا جَعْفرٍ

فلا تغضبنَّ أبا جَعْفرٍ

فإني صَدقْتُك عينَ اليقين

فإني صَدقْتُك عينَ اليقين

So do not be angry, Abu Ja‘far,

So do not be angry, Abu Ja'far,

for I have told you the very truth, beyond all doubt.

For I have spoken the truth, the certain truth.