ضُفتُ عَمراً فَجاءَني بِرَغيفٍ

ضُفتُ عَمراً فَجاءَني بِرَغيفٍ

زادَني أَكلُهُ عَلى الجوعِ جوعا

زادَني أَكلُهُ عَلى الجوعِ جوعا

I stayed as ʿAmr’s guest; he came to me with a loaf—

I was Amr’s guest, and he brought me a loaf.

Eating it only added hunger to my hunger.

Eating it added hunger to my hunger.

ثُمَّ وَلّى يَقولُ وَهوَ كَئيبٌ

ثُمَّ وَلّى يَقولُ وَهوَ كَئيبٌ

لَهفَ نَفسي عَلى الرَغيفِ أُضيعا

لَهفَ نَفسي عَلى الرَغيفِ أُضيعا

Then he turned away, saying in dejection:

Then he turned away, dejected, saying:

“Alas for me—that I should lose the loaf!”

“My soul grieves for the loaf that was wasted!

كانَ خَدّاعَةَ الضُيوفِ وَلَكِن

كانَ خَدّاعَةَ الضُيوفِ وَلَكِن

رُبَّما أَصبَحَ الخَدوعُ خَديعا

رُبَّما أَصبَحَ الخَدوعُ خَديعا

He was a master at deceiving guests; yet

It was a great deceiver of guests, and yet

Sometimes the deceiver ends up deceived.

Sometimes the deceiver becomes the deceived.

كُنتُ أَنزَلتُهُ مَحَلّاً رَفيعا

كُنتُ أَنزَلتُهُ مَحَلّاً رَفيعا

فَغَدا ذَلِكَ الرَفيعُ وَضيعا

فَغَدا ذَلِكَ الرَفيعُ وَضيعا

I had accorded him an exalted station,

I had set it in a lofty place,

But that exalted man became base.

So that lofty one became lowly.

عَجَباً مِنهُ إِذ أُبيحَ حِماهُ

عَجَباً مِنهُ إِذ أُبيحَ حِماهُ

كَيفَ لَم يَمتَنِع وَكانَ مَنيعا

كَيفَ لَم يَمتَنِع وَكانَ مَنيعا

How strange of him: when his guarded preserve was laid open,

I marvel at it: when its sanctuary was laid open,

How did he fail to hold out, though he was impregnable?

How could it fail to resist, though it was impregnable?”