قف بالديار ولا تحفل بذي عذل

قف بالديار ولا تحفل بذي عذل

وقل سلام على أيامنا الأول

وقل سلام على أيامنا الأول

Stop by the dwellings, and pay no heed to a reproacher.

Stand among the abodes and pay no heed to the blamer,

And say: Peace be upon our former days.

And say, "Peace be upon our early days."

لهفي عليها وإن ضاقت بما رحبت

لهفي عليها وإن ضاقت بما رحبت

واسترجعت صفوها منا على عجل

واسترجعت صفوها منا على عجل

Alas for them, though they grew narrow for all their breadth,

I yearn for them, though they narrowed with what they had expanded,

And hastily took back their serenity from us.

And regained their clarity from us in haste.

لهفي عليها وإن طارت بها حنقا

لهفي عليها وإن طارت بها حنقا

عنقاء مغرب فانقضت على الأمل

عنقاء مغرب فانقضت على الأمل

Alas for them, though in wrath they were borne away

I yearn for them, though they flew away in rancor,

By the ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib, which then swooped down upon hope.

A proud darkening sunset that swooped down on hope.

لهفي عليها وإن دارت دوائرها

لهفي عليها وإن دارت دوائرها

في القوم حتى تقاعسنا عن العمل

في القوم حتى تقاعسنا عن العمل

Alas for them, though their cycles of misfortune turned

I yearn for them, though their cycles turned

Among the people, until we held back from work.

Among the people until we were remiss in deed.

لهفي عليها وإن سالت محاجرنا

لهفي عليها وإن سالت محاجرنا

حتى تشوفت للباقي من البلل

حتى تشوفت للباقي من البلل

Alas for them, though our eye sockets streamed,

I yearn for them, though our eyelids flowed

Until they yearned for whatever moisture remained.

Until the remnants of tears were exhausted.

لهفي عليها وإن نادت معالمها

لهفي عليها وإن نادت معالمها

ولا مصيخ لمن نادى من الدول

ولا مصيخ لمن نادى من الدول

Alas for them, though their landmarks called out,

I yearn for them, though their landmarks called out,

And none heeds the dynasties that called out.

While none who called out from the nations had good hearing.

هي الليالي كمثل النحل لاسعة

هي الليالي كمثل النحل لاسعة

واللسع قيمة ما تعطيه من عسل

واللسع قيمة ما تعطيه من عسل

Such are the nights: they sting like bees.

They are nights like busy bees,

And the sting is the price of the honey they give.

Whose sting is the price of the honey they give.

الدهر يومان والأيام منصفة

الدهر يومان والأيام منصفة

وكل شيء فمحدود إلى أجل

وكل شيء فمحدود إلى أجل

Time is two days, and the days are fair;

Fate is two days, and the days are fair,

And everything is bounded by an appointed term.

And everything is limited to an appointed term.

فاصبر ولا تلم الدنيا على عمل

فاصبر ولا تلم الدنيا على عمل

فما تصاريفها إلا من الأزل

فما تصاريفها إلا من الأزل

So be patient, and do not blame the world for what it does;

So be patient and do not blame the world for deed,

For its vicissitudes spring only from eternity.

For its changes are only from fate.

واردد لك الصدر من قولي على عجز

واردد لك الصدر من قولي على عجز

قف بالديار ولا تحفل بذي عذل

قف بالديار ولا تحفل بذي عذل

And repeat for yourself my opening half-verse as the closing one:

And I repeat at the end of my words in weakness,

Stop by the dwellings, and pay no heed to a reproacher.

"Stand among the abodes and pay no heed to the blamer."