سُمتَني خُطةً من الكُره نقداً

سُمتَني خُطةً من الكُره نقداً

بجزاءٍ يكونُ أو لا يكونُ

بجزاءٍ يكونُ أو لا يكونُ

You demanded of me a course of hardship, paid up front,

You drew me a plan of hatred spontaneously

for a reward that may or may not come.

With a reward that may or may not come to be

سمتني أن أغيبَ عن كل شيء

سمتني أن أغيبَ عن كل شيء

أنا صبٌّ بقربه مفتون

أنا صبٌّ بقربه مفتون

You required me to stay away from everything

You destined me to disappear from everything

I love passionately, enthralled by its nearness.

While I, enthralled, flow near it

ووعدتَ التي وعدت من البرْ

ووعدتَ التي وعدت من البرْ

ر وعندي بالخلف منك رُهون

ر وعندي بالخلف منك رُهون

And you promised what you promised of goodness,

And you promised the one you had promised goodness

yet I hold pledges from you of broken promises.

While with me you had pledges to violate

فأتيتَ التي يُرى الشرُّ فيها

فأتيتَ التي يُرى الشرُّ فيها

رأي عينٍ وخيرُها مظنونُ

رأي عينٍ وخيرُها مظنونُ

So you offered a course in which harm is seen

So you came to her in whom evil is seen

with one's own eyes, while its good is only conjectured.

An opinion of the eye, though its good is assumed

وتوقَّيتُ أن يقال غبينٌ

وتوقَّيتُ أن يقال غبينٌ

ومن النكر حازمٌ مغبون

ومن النكر حازمٌ مغبون

And I guarded against being called a dupe,

And I expected it would be said: absent!

and it is strange for a prudent man to be duped.

And from denial: a resolute one, duped

لا أحب التي لذيذُ جَناها

لا أحب التي لذيذُ جَناها

مُتمنَّىً وشوكُها مضمون

مُتمنَّىً وشوكُها مضمون

I do not like a course whose delicious fruit

I do not love she whose fruit is sweet

is hoped for, while its thorns are guaranteed.

Hoped for, yet whose thorns are guaranteed