سأمgrew weary of القلبthe heart زماناًan age
سأم القلب زماناً
منهfrom it افناهconsumed it الضناwasting affliction
منه افناه الضنا
The heart grew weary of an age
The heart grew weary for a time
whose wasting affliction consumed it.
Worn down by sorrows
اوهنweakened الصدestrangement وطيشاand foolishly
اوهن الصد وطيشا
للادانيto the lowly احسناwe showed kindness
للاداني احسنا
Estrangement weakened it, and foolishly
It weakened resolve and became fickle
we showed kindness to the lowly.
Being kind to the undeserving
همهits sorrow المزعجdisturbing ماnot زاceased (continued next line)
همه المزعج ما زا
لcompletes 'ceased' مريعاalarming صفوناour serenity
ل مريعا صفونا
Its troubling sorrow never ceased
Its disturbing worries did not cease
to disturb our serenity.
Tarnishing our purity
وعجبتand I marveled قدalready الفناwe grew accustomed to
وعجبت قد الفنا
هit (object suffix) بعزمwith resolve ماnot انثنىbent
ه بعزم ما انثنى
And I marveled: we had grown accustomed
And I was amazed that death
to it, with resolve that never bent.
Did not bend its determination
وصبرناand we endured صبرthe patience of احراfree men (continued next line)
وصبرنا صبر احرا
رcompletes 'free men' ولمand did not يصبرshow patience لناfor us
ر ولم يصبر لنا
And we endured with the patience of free men,
We endured with noble patience
yet it had no patience with us.
But none had patience for us
سرهits secret عزماwith resolve كتمناwe concealed
سره عزما كتمنا
فافشىthen it revealed سرناour secret
فافشى سرنا
With resolve we kept its secret,
Its resolve we kept secret
then it revealed our secret.
But our secret was divulged
قدindeed رضيناwe were content نحنwe ourselves بالهwith sorrow (continued next line)
قد رضينا نحن باله
مcompletes 'sorrow' ولمand did not يرضbe content بناwith us
م ولم يرض بنا
We ourselves were indeed content with sorrow,
We were content with anxiety
yet it was not content with us.
But it was not content with us