توافقَ الناسُ في النسيان واختلفوا

توافقَ الناسُ في النسيان واختلفوا

فكلُّ ناسٍ له جنسٌ وأشباهُ

فكلُّ ناسٍ له جنسٌ وأشباهُ

People agree in forgetfulness, yet differ;

People agreed to forget, yet they differed,

for every forgetful person has his kind and his peers—

Each people has its own kind and likenesses,

إلا أبا عامرٍ لم يَحْوِ خاطرُه

إلا أبا عامرٍ لم يَحْوِ خاطرُه

مذْ كان لفظا ولا معنى فينساه

مذْ كان لفظا ولا معنى فينساه

except Abu ʿAmir: his mind has never held,

Except Abul ‘Amer, nothing lingers in his mind,

since he came to be, a word or meaning to forget.

Since it was an utterance without meaning to be forgotten,

إذا تَصعَّد لفظٌ من ضَمائرِه

إذا تَصعَّد لفظٌ من ضَمائرِه

ينساه من قبلِ أنْ يُجْرِي به فاه

ينساه من قبلِ أنْ يُجْرِي به فاه

Whenever a word rises from his innermost thoughts,

When an utterance rises from his conscience,

he forgets it before he can make his mouth utter it.

He forgets it before his mouth can voice it,

يَصدُّ كلَّ حديثٍ في مَسامعِه

يَصدُّ كلَّ حديثٍ في مَسامعِه

عن قلبه فكأنّ اللفظَ يَشْناه

عن قلبه فكأنّ اللفظَ يَشْناه

He bars every utterance that enters his ears

He blocks every discourse from his hearing,

from his heart, as though speech itself loathed him.

As if the words repulse him,

ما مَرَّ قطُّ به خيرٌ فأَضْحَكه

ما مَرَّ قطُّ به خيرٌ فأَضْحَكه

ولا أَلمَّ به شرٌّ فأبكاه

ولا أَلمَّ به شرٌّ فأبكاه

No good has ever come his way and made him laugh,

No good has ever passed him, making him laugh,

nor has any evil befallen him and made him weep.

No harm has ever touched him, making him cry,

لا فرطُ حلمٍ بل سهوٌ يُزِيلُهما

لا فرطُ حلمٍ بل سهوٌ يُزِيلُهما

من قبلِ يَبْسِم أو تَنهلُّ عيناه

من قبلِ يَبْسِم أو تَنهلُّ عيناه

Not excessive forbearance, but forgetfulness erases both

Neither excessive forbearance, just forgetfulness removes both,

before he smiles or his eyes stream with tears.

Before a smile or a tear moistens his eyes,

كأنه جاحد مُذْ قَطِّ وهْو على

كأنه جاحد مُذْ قَطِّ وهْو على

حقٍّ ولكنْ بسرٍّ لاح معناه

حقٍّ ولكنْ بسرٍّ لاح معناه

He seems always to have been a denier, though he holds to

It’s as if he denies since the beginning of time,

the truth; yet through a secret his meaning has come to light.

While he is on the truth, but its meaning shone secretly,

إذا تَشَّهد أَبْدَى لا إله ولا

إذا تَشَّهد أَبْدَى لا إله ولا

يتمُّها ثم ينسى بعدُ إلا هُو

يتمُّها ثم ينسى بعدُ إلا هُو

When he recites the testimony of faith, he utters 'There is no god,' and does not

When he says the declaration of faith, he only completes “no God”

complete it; then afterward forgets 'but He.'

And forgets the rest, except “He”