أَمُلتَمِساًare you seeking مِنّيfrom me صَديقاًa friend لِنَوبَةٍfor a time of trouble
أَمُلتَمِساً مِنّي صَديقاً لِنَوبَةٍ
وَأَنتَand you are صَديقيmy friend لاnot أَرىI see لَكَfor you ثانِياanother
وَأَنتَ صَديقي لا أَرى لَكَ ثانِيا
Are you seeking from me a friend for a time of trouble,
You seek a friend for an instant
when you are my friend, and I see no other like you?
While you, my friend, have no second
لَحاmay curse اللَهُGod دَهراًan age خانَنيbetrayed me فيهِin it أَهلُهُits people
لَحا اللَهُ دَهراً خانَني فيهِ أَهلُهُ
وَأَحشَمَنيand made me abashed حَتّىuntil اِحتَشَمتُI shrank from الأَدانِياthose closest
وَأَحشَمَني حَتّى اِحتَشَمتُ الأَدانِيا
May God curse an age whose people betrayed me,
An age has passed in which its people betrayed me
and made me so abashed that I shrank even from those closest to me.
And estranged me to the point of shunning the familiars
فَلَستُfor I do not أَرىsee إِلّاexcept عَدُوّاًan enemy مُكاشِفاًopenly hostile
فَلَستُ أَرى إِلّا عَدُوّاً مُكاشِفاً
وَلَستُand I do not أَرىsee إِلّاexcept صَديقاًa friend مُداجِياdissembling
وَلَستُ أَرى إِلّا صَديقاً مُداجِيا
For I see only an openly hostile enemy,
So I see none but a revealed foe
and I see only a dissembling friend.
And I see none but a flattering friend