وَأغيَد كُنت أَعشقهُ قَديماً

وَأغيَد كُنت أَعشقهُ قَديماً

وَلَم أَكُ في تَقلّبه عَليما

وَلَم أَكُ في تَقلّبه عَليما

And I once loved a graceful youth,

Once I loved him, long ago

and did not know how he would change.

Yet knew not of his fickleness.

عَهدت بِوجهِهِ صُبحاً بَسيماً

عَهدت بِوجهِهِ صُبحاً بَسيماً

غَدا لَمّا اِلتَحى لَيلاً بَهيما

غَدا لَمّا اِلتَحى لَيلاً بَهيما

I knew his face as a smiling dawn;

I saw his face, one morn so fair—

when he grew a beard, he became a pitch-black night.

The next, when night had come, a beast.

وَكان كَأَنَّهُ قَمَر مُنيرُ

وَكان كَأَنَّهُ قَمَر مُنيرُ

فَلمّا لَم يَكُن أَسف عَلَيهِ

فَلمّا لَم يَكُن أَسف عَلَيهِ

And he had been like a radiant moon.

He shone at first, bright like the moon

Then, when there was no sorrow for him

But when he cared not for his love

بِعاشقه وَلا ميل إِلَيهِ

بِعاشقه وَلا ميل إِلَيهِ

مَحا الباري مَحاسن وَجنَتيه

مَحا الباري مَحاسن وَجنَتيه

in his lover, nor any inclination toward him,

Nor turned his heart to faithfulness,

the Creator erased the charms of his cheeks,

God smote his fair face and his pride.

وَقَد كَتب السَواد بِعارضيهِ

وَقَد كَتب السَواد بِعارضيهِ

لِمَن يَقرا وَجاءَكُم النَذيرُ

لِمَن يَقرا وَجاءَكُم النَذيرُ

and blackness had written on the sides of his face,

And so the blackness marked his brow—

for whoever reads: “And the warner has come to you.”

A sign for those who read the warnings.