تُرى كَم قَد بَدَت مِنكُم

تُرى كَم قَد بَدَت مِنكُم

أُمورٌ ما عَهِدناها

أُمورٌ ما عَهِدناها

How many have come from you, I wonder—

How many things appeared from you

things we had never known!

That we didn't know before

وَعَرَّضتُم بِأَقوالٍ

وَعَرَّضتُم بِأَقوالٍ

وَما نَجهَلُ مَعناها

وَما نَجهَلُ مَعناها

You made insinuations with words,

And you said things

and we are not ignorant of their meaning.

Whose meanings we don't understand

نَبَشتُم بَينَنا أَشيا

نَبَشتُم بَينَنا أَشيا

ءَ كُنّا قَد دَفَنّاها

ءَ كُنّا قَد دَفَنّاها

You unearthed things between us

You dug up between us things

that we had already buried.

That we had buried

وَطَرَّقتُم إِلى الغَدرِ

وَطَرَّقتُم إِلى الغَدرِ

طَريقاً ما سَلَكناها

طَريقاً ما سَلَكناها

And toward treachery you paved

And you took the path of betrayal

a path we had never taken.

A path we never took

وَقَبَّحتُم بِأَسماءٍ

وَقَبَّحتُم بِأَسماءٍ

وَحَسَّنتُم مُسَمّاها

وَحَسَّنتُم مُسَمّاها

You made things ugly with names,

You gave ugly names

yet made what they name seem fair.

And praised what was named

وَكَم جاءَت لَنا عَنكُم

وَكَم جاءَت لَنا عَنكُم

أَحاديثٌ رَدَدناها

أَحاديثٌ رَدَدناها

And how many reached us about you—

And how many talks came to us about you

reports that we dismissed!

That we denied

وَأَشياءٌ رَأَيناها

وَأَشياءٌ رَأَيناها

وَقُلنا ما رَأَيناها

وَقُلنا ما رَأَيناها

And things we saw,

And things we saw

yet said we had not seen.

And said we didn't see

فَلا وَاللَهِ مايَح

فَلا وَاللَهِ مايَح

سُنُ بَينَ الناسِ ذِكراها

سُنُ بَينَ الناسِ ذِكراها

So no, by God, it is not

No, by Allah, remembering them

fitting to mention them among people.

Does no good among people

قَرَأنا سُؤَةَ السَلوا

قَرَأنا سُؤَةَ السَلوا

نِ عَنكُم بَل حَفِظناها

نِ عَنكُم بَل حَفِظناها

We have read the [chapter] of forgetting

We read the evil omens about you

you—nay, we have learned it by heart.

Rather we memorized them

وَما زِلتُم بِنا حَتّى

وَما زِلتُم بِنا حَتّى

جَسَرنا وَفَعَلناها

جَسَرنا وَفَعَلناها

And you kept at us until

And you didn't stop with us until

we dared, and did it.

We were daring and did it

فَرِجلٌ تَطلِبُ المَسعى

فَرِجلٌ تَطلِبُ المَسعى

إِلَيكُم قَد مَنَعناها

إِلَيكُم قَد مَنَعناها

So a foot that seeks the path

So a foot that seeks access

to you—we have held it back.

To you, we denied it

وَعَينٌ تَتَمَنّى أَن

وَعَينٌ تَتَمَنّى أَن

تَراكُم قَد غَضَضناها

تَراكُم قَد غَضَضناها

And an eye that longs to

And an eye that wishes

see you—we have lowered it.

To see you, we lowered it

وَنَفسٌ كُلَّما اِشتاقَت

وَنَفسٌ كُلَّما اِشتاقَت

لِلُقياكُم زَجَرناها

لِلُقياكُم زَجَرناها

And a soul—whenever it yearned

And a soul whenever it longed

to meet you, we rebuked it.

To meet you, we deterred it

وَكانَت بَينَنا طاقٌ

وَكانَت بَينَنا طاقٌ

فَها نَحنُ سَدَدناها

فَها نَحنُ سَدَدناها

And there was a window between us,

And there was a connection between us

so here we are: we have sealed it.

So here we are, we blocked it

وَلَو أَنَّكُمُ جَنّا

وَلَو أَنَّكُمُ جَنّا

تُ عَدنٍ ما دَخَلناها

تُ عَدنٍ ما دَخَلناها

And even if you were the gardens

And if you were the gardens

of Eden, we would not enter them.

Of Eden, we wouldn't enter them

وَأَمّا الحالَةُ الأُخرى

وَأَمّا الحالَةُ الأُخرى

فَإِنّا قَد سَلَوناها

فَإِنّا قَد سَلَوناها

And as for the other state of affairs,

And as for the other situation

we have already forgotten it.

We asked about it

وَقَد ماتَت وَصَلَّينا

وَقَد ماتَت وَصَلَّينا

عَليها وَدَفَنّاها

عَليها وَدَفَنّاها

And it has died, and we have prayed

And it died, so we prayed

over it and buried it.

Over it and buried it

هَجَرنا ذِكرَها حَتّى

هَجَرنا ذِكرَها حَتّى

كَأَنّا ما عَرَفناها

كَأَنّا ما عَرَفناها

We forsook mention of it, until

We abandoned mentioning it until

it was as though we had never known it.

It was as if we never knew it

وَها نَحنُ وَها أَنتُم

وَها نَحنُ وَها أَنتُم

مَتى قَطُّ ذَكَرناها

مَتى قَطُّ ذَكَرناها

And here we are, and here you are:

And here we are, and here you are

when have we ever mentioned it?

When did we ever mention it?

وَفي النَفسِ بَقايا مِن

وَفي النَفسِ بَقايا مِن

أَحاديثٍ خَبَأناها

أَحاديثٍ خَبَأناها

And in the soul remain remnants of

And in the soul there remain

stories we have kept hidden.

Conversations we concealed

فَلَو أَرضَتكُمُ الأَروا

فَلَو أَرضَتكُمُ الأَروا

حُ مِنّا لَبَذَلناها

حُ مِنّا لَبَذَلناها

So if souls would satisfy you—

If spirits satisfied you from us

our own—we would surely give them.

We would give them