أخلاي والآداب تجمع بيننا

أخلاي والآداب تجمع بيننا

وبعض طباع لست أقضي على كل

وبعض طباع لست أقضي على كل

My friends, literature brings us together,

My morals and manners bring us together

And some traits of character—I do not claim them all.

Yet some natures I cannot overcome in all

ذوي أملي عند أهتزازي غصونه

ذوي أملي عند أهتزازي غصونه

وأرخصني الدهر الذي كان لي يغلي

وأرخصني الدهر الذي كان لي يغلي

My hope withered as I shook its branches,

Those I hoped for tremble their branches at me

And time cheapened me, though it once made me dear.

And time which boiled for me has made me cheap

مني النفس في حمص وحمص لذي الجحى

مني النفس في حمص وحمص لذي الجحى

فروك لأمر ما تصد عن البعل

فروك لأمر ما تصد عن البعل

The soul's desires lie in Hims, yet Hims, to a discerning man,

My soul in Homs, and Homs belongs to the noble one

Is an unloving wife, turning from her husband for some reason.

So you turned from me for some matter you opposed

نبت بي كما ينبو الجبان بنصله

نبت بي كما ينبو الجبان بنصله

ويحمل ما يأتيه ذنبا على النصل

ويحمل ما يأتيه ذنبا على النصل

She failed me, as a coward falters with his blade,

There grew in me what grows cowardly in his sword

And puts the blame for what he does upon the blade.

And carries what comes to him as guilt on the sword

وأياسني من كلّ خير رجوته

وأياسني من كلّ خير رجوته

كثير وما شاحيت في الكثر والقل

كثير وما شاحيت في الكثر والقل

And I was made to despair of every good I hoped for

And despair of all good I hoped for deprived me

By many—though I never disputed over much or little.

Abundant, though I did not incline in abundance or paucity

أناس كما شاء الزمان ولا كما

أناس كما شاء الزمان ولا كما

تشاء المعالي عقدهم بيد الحل

تشاء المعالي عقدهم بيد الحل

People as time willed, and not as

People as time willed, not as dignities willed

Nobility wishes; their knot lies in the hand of undoing.

Whose knot it tied by the hand of resolution

أزورهم لا للوداد وقد دروا

أزورهم لا للوداد وقد دروا

فيلقوني بين التودد والغل

فيلقوني بين التودد والغل

I visit them, not out of affection—and they know it,

I visit them, not for affection, and they knew

So they greet me between friendliness and rancor.

So they meet me between affection and estrangement

وأمدحهم يا حسبي اللَه كاذبا

وأمدحهم يا حسبي اللَه كاذبا

فيجزونني بالمنع شكلا إلى شكل

فيجزونني بالمنع شكلا إلى شكل

And I praise them falsely—oh, God is enough for me!

And I praise them - oh my sufficiency is Allah - lying

So they repay me by withholding—like for like.

So they reward me by prevention, form to form

وما نقموا مني سوى بعد همتي

وما نقموا مني سوى بعد همتي

وأني أخيراً جئت أخلف من قبلي

وأني أخيراً جئت أخلف من قبلي

And they resented nothing in me but my far-reaching ambition,

They resented none but my aspiration

And that I came last, succeeding those before me.

And that finally I came inferior to those before me