أَمّاas for الَّذيwhat يُخفيconceals الفُؤادُthe heart فَأَكبَرُthen it is greater
أَمّا الَّذي يُخفي الفُؤادُ فَأَكبَرُ
مَمّاthan what أَقولُI say لَهُto him وَمِمّاand than what يَظهَرُappears
مَمّا أَقولُ لَهُ وَمِمّا يَظهَرُ
As for what the heart conceals, it is greater
The one whose heart conceals is far greater
than what I say to him, and than what appears.
Than what I say to him or what appears
لاno حيلةٌremedy فيfor ذُلِّthe abasement of دَمعيَmy tears فيكُمُover you
لا حيلةٌ في ذُلِّ دَمعيَ فيكُمُ
عَهديmy recollection بِهِof it مِنfrom قبلكمbefore you يَتكَبَّرُit acts proudly
عَهدي بِهِ مِن قبلكم يَتكَبَّرُ
There is no remedy for the abasement of my tears over you;
No use in my tear's disgrace upon you
before you, I knew them to be proud.
My pact with you before still perseveres
واللَّهby God لاnot بَرِحَتcease سُيوفُthe swords of جُفونِكُمyour eyelids
واللَّه لا بَرِحَت سُيوفُ جُفونِكُم
حتّىuntil يَفيضَoverflows مِنَfrom الجُفونِthe eyelids الأَحمَرُthe red blood
حتّى يَفيضَ مِنَ الجُفونِ الأَحمَرُ
By God, may the swords of your eyelids not relent
By God, your eyelids' swords won't cease
until red blood overflows from the eyelids.
Until the red oozes from the eyes' frontiers
لاnot يَحسَبُthink العذَّالُthe reproachers أَنِّيَthat I مُفرداًalone
لا يَحسَبُ العذَّالُ أَنِّيَ مُفرداً
أَلقاهُمُI face them فالحسنُfor beauty فيهِwithin it عَسكَرُan army
أَلقاهُمُ فالحسنُ فيهِ عَسكَرُ
Let not the reproachers think that I, alone,
The blamer thinks I'm alone, abandoned
face them—for beauty has an army within it.
Yet in beauty lies my mighty spear
ولَقَدand indeed نَجوتُI escaped وللأَخامِصِand for the foot-arches مِنهُمُof theirs
ولَقَد نَجوتُ وللأَخامِصِ مِنهُمُ
خلفِيbehind me العثارُstumbling وللوُجُوهِand for the faces العِثيَرُdust
خلفِي العثارُ وللوُجُوهِ العِثيَرُ
And indeed I escaped, while the arches of their feet
I survived, though the brave's feet stumbled
stumbled behind me, and their faces met the dust.
Behind me, and the faces muddied in smear