أَخفيتَ عني ما طَوَيتَ فما اختفى

أَخفيتَ عني ما طَوَيتَ فما اختفى

إذ يَظهَرُ المكتوم من بعد الخَفا

إذ يَظهَرُ المكتوم من بعد الخَفا

You hid from me what you folded away, yet it did not stay hidden;

You hid from me what you concealed, yet nothing remains hidden

For what is concealed comes to light after being hidden.

When the hidden appears after being concealed

أَمنُ الرعيَّةِ قد غدا خَوفاً لها

أَمنُ الرعيَّةِ قد غدا خَوفاً لها

والشاءُ حارسُها بدا ان يَخطَفا

والشاءُ حارسُها بدا ان يَخطَفا

The flock's security has turned to fear for it,

The shepherd's security has now become fear for his flock

And the sheep's guardian seemed to snatch them away.

And the wolf, once its guardian, now seems bent on its capture

لا لومَ لي إلا على نفسي التي

لا لومَ لي إلا على نفسي التي

رَكَنَت وكان رُكونها لي مُتلِفا

رَكَنَت وكان رُكونها لي مُتلِفا

I have no one to blame but my own soul, which

I blame none but myself,

Trusted, and its trust proved ruinous to me.

Who was complacent, and my complacence has harmed me

يا ليتَ ما قد كان منكم لم يَكُن

يا ليتَ ما قد كان منكم لم يَكُن

بل ليتَ دونَ لِقاكَ ما بَرِحَ الجَفا

بل ليتَ دونَ لِقاكَ ما بَرِحَ الجَفا

Oh, would that what came from you had never happened!

Oh, would that what happened had not happened!

Rather, would that estrangement had endured instead of my meeting you!

Would that, without meeting you, disaffection had endured!

يا واصفاً لُوطاً وحَمنُونَ ارفُقن

يا واصفاً لُوطاً وحَمنُونَ ارفُقن

وَصِفِ الحريَّ من الوَرى ان يُوصَفا

وَصِفِ الحريَّ من الوَرى ان يُوصَفا

O you who describe Lot and Hamnun, be gentle,

Oh you who censure Lot and Hamnun, be gentle;

And describe the one among mortals who deserves description.

Censure the free man of the land, if censure there must be.

هذه ثِمارُ الكِبرِ نَفَّاخِ النُهى

هذه ثِمارُ الكِبرِ نَفَّاخِ النُهى

بُعداً لهُ داءً يَعِزُّ لهُ الشِفا

بُعداً لهُ داءً يَعِزُّ لهُ الشِفا

These are the fruits of pride, which puffs up minds;

These are the fruits of arrogance—puffery of prohibition.

Away with it—a disease whose cure is hard to find!

Away with it! A disease for which there is no cure.

خِلتُ القداسةَ فيك لمحةَ بارق

خِلتُ القداسةَ فيك لمحةَ بارق

ما إِن تأَلَّقَ في الدُجى حتى انطفى

ما إِن تأَلَّقَ في الدُجى حتى انطفى

I thought the holiness in you a flash of lightning:

For an instant in you I glimpsed a flash of sanctity,

No sooner had it shone in the darkness than it went out.

No sooner did it shine in the darkness than it was extinguished.