قد تحملتُ طولَ هذا التَّجَافي

قد تحملتُ طولَ هذا التَّجَافي

ووصلتُ الصدودَ غيرَ مكافي

ووصلتُ الصدودَ غيرَ مكافي

Long have I borne the length of this estrangement,

I have borne this long estrangement,

and kept reaching out through your rebuff, never repaying you in kind.

And met rejection with affection, not repaying in kind.

هاتِ قل لى ماذا تقول اذا ما

هاتِ قل لى ماذا تقول اذا ما

انت حاكمتني الى الانصافِ

انت حاكمتني الى الانصافِ

Come, tell me what you will say when

Come, tell me what you would say if

you bring your case against me before Justice.

You let fairness judge between us.

أَلشغلٍ قطعتُ منكَ حِبالى

أَلشغلٍ قطعتُ منكَ حِبالى

أَم مَلالٍ فلا يُمَلُّ التَّصافي

أَم مَلالٍ فلا يُمَلُّ التَّصافي

Was it for some preoccupation that I severed my bonds with you,

Was it preoccupation that made me sever my ties with you,

or out of weariness? Yet true affection never becomes wearisome.

Or weariness? One never tires of mutual affection.

لو يكون الملالُ من خُلقِ الحُرْ

لو يكون الملالُ من خُلقِ الحُرْ

رِ اذا مل عهدَه كلُّ وافٍ

رِ اذا مل عهدَه كلُّ وافٍ

If weariness were in the nature of the freeborn—

Were weariness part of the noble man's nature,

—then every loyal man would weary of his pledge.

Then every faithful man would tire of his pledge.

لا عَدِمناكَ اين بشرٌ عهدنا

لا عَدِمناكَ اين بشرٌ عهدنا

ه وجودٌ يُغنى عن الالحافِ

ه وجودٌ يُغنى عن الالحافِ

May we never lose you! Where is the cheerful grace we once knew—

May we never lose you! Where is the cheerfulness we knew,

—in you, and the generosity that makes importunate pleading needless?

And the generosity that spared us persistent pleading?

أَين تلكَ الاخلاقُ كالماءِ في الرقْ

أَين تلكَ الاخلاقُ كالماءِ في الرقْ

قَةِ أَو كالنسيمِ أَو مالسُّلافِ

قَةِ أَو كالنسيمِ أَو مالسُّلافِ

Where are those qualities—gentle as water,

Where are those manners, as gentle as water,

or like the breeze? What is choicest wine beside them?

Or like the breeze, or like pure wine?

لا تُطع بي معادياً فيكَ عاد

لا تُطع بي معادياً فيكَ عاد

فقديماً خالفتَ أهلَ الخِلافِ

فقديماً خالفتَ أهلَ الخِلافِ

Do not heed, against me, an enemy who has wronged you;

Do not heed an enemy against me, one who wrongs you;

long have I opposed the partisans of discord.

For you have long opposed the people of discord.

ليس ذَنبى واللهُ يعلمُ والاق

ليس ذَنبى واللهُ يعلمُ والاق

وامُ في حبكم سِوى اسرافي

وامُ في حبكم سِوى اسرافي

My only fault—God knows it, and all mankind—

My only fault—God knows, and so do

in loving you is nothing but my excess.

The people—is my excess in loving you.

ها أَنا المبتلى المريضُ فهل سرْ

ها أَنا المبتلى المريضُ فهل سرْ

رَك أَنْ أُبتلى وعيرُكَ شافٍ

رَك أَنْ أُبتلى وعيرُكَ شافٍ

Here I am, afflicted and sick: would it please—

Here I am, afflicted and sick—does it please

—you that I suffer while another is my healer?

You that I suffer while someone else heals?

لو تيقنت أَنَّ رأيكَ معتلْ

لو تيقنت أَنَّ رأيكَ معتلْ

لٌ تلافيته بحسن التلافي

لٌ تلافيته بحسن التلافي

Had I known for certain that your judgment was unsound—

If I knew for certain that your judgment was ailing,

—I would have set it right with the finest redress.

I would mend it with a fitting remedy.

لا تكلنى الى سِواك فانى

لا تكلنى الى سِواك فانى

منصل عضوٍ مضرتى في انصرافي

منصل عضوٍ مضرتى في انصرافي

Do not leave me to anyone but yourself, for I am

Do not entrust me to another, for I am

the blade of your arm; my harm lies in being cast aside.

A limb of yours [uncertain reading]; my departure harms me.

عجزَ النثرُ عن تناولِ حاجا

عجزَ النثرُ عن تناولِ حاجا

تى فضمنتُها صدورَ القَوافى

تى فضمنتُها صدورَ القَوافى

Prose failed to encompass my needs,

Prose could not express my needs,

so I lodged them in the breasts of rhymed verse.

So I lodged them in the bosoms of rhymes.