وَصاحِبٍ كانَ ما حاوَلتُ لي غَرَضا

وَصاحِبٍ كانَ ما حاوَلتُ لي غَرَضا

إِلّا وَحالَ وَأَضحى دونَهُ عَرَضا

إِلّا وَحالَ وَأَضحى دونَهُ عَرَضا

A companion—whatever goal I sought for myself,

And I had a companion: never did I seek a goal for myself

he always came between and stood before it as an obstacle.

without his intervening and becoming an obstacle in its way.

وَكُلَّما لُمتُهُ في ذاكَ لَجَّ بِهِ

وَكُلَّما لُمتُهُ في ذاكَ لَجَّ بِهِ

فَكِدتُ أَهلِكُ مِنهُ أَو أَرى حَرَضا

فَكِدتُ أَهلِكُ مِنهُ أَو أَرى حَرَضا

Whenever I reproached him for that, he persisted in it,

And whenever I reproached him for that, he stubbornly persisted in it,

until I nearly perished because of him, or found myself wasting away.

so I nearly perished because of him, or saw myself wasting away.

أَهمَلتُهُ حينَ لَم أَملِك مَقادَتَهُ

أَهمَلتُهُ حينَ لَم أَملِك مَقادَتَهُ

ثُمَّ اِنقَبَضتُ بِوِدّي عَنهُ وَاِنقَبَضا

ثُمَّ اِنقَبَضتُ بِوِدّي عَنهُ وَاِنقَبَضا

I let him go when I could no longer hold his reins;

I left him alone when I could not secure his obedience.

then I withdrew my affection from him, and he withdrew.

Then I withdrew my affection from him, and he withdrew.

وَقُلتُ لِلنَفسِ عُدَيهِ فَتىً نَزَحَت

وَقُلتُ لِلنَفسِ عُدَيهِ فَتىً نَزَحَت

بِهِ النَوى أَو مِنَ القَرنِ الَّذي اِنقَرَضا

بِهِ النَوى أَو مِنَ القَرنِ الَّذي اِنقَرَضا

I said to my soul: Count him as a youth whom

And I said to my soul: 'Count him a young man carried far away

distance has carried far away—or as one of a generation now vanished.

by separation, or one of the generation that has died out.'

فَما بَكَيتُ عَلَيهِ حينَ فارَقَني

فَما بَكَيتُ عَلَيهِ حينَ فارَقَني

وَلا وَجَدتُ لَهُ بَينَ الحَشا مَضَضا

وَلا وَجَدتُ لَهُ بَينَ الحَشا مَضَضا

So I did not weep for him when he parted from me,

So I did not weep for him when he left me,

nor did I feel for him, deep within my breast, a pang.

nor did I feel a pang for him deep within my heart.