وَصاحِبٍ حَنَّ إِلى عِشرَتي

وَصاحِبٍ حَنَّ إِلى عِشرَتي

لِحُسنِ ما يَسمَعُ مِن ذِكرى

لِحُسنِ ما يَسمَعُ مِن ذِكرى

And a companion yearned for my company,

A friend yearned for my company

because of the good things he heard of me.

For the beauty of what he hears of my mention

ثُمَّ رَآني غَيرَ مُستَأنِسٍ

ثُمَّ رَآني غَيرَ مُستَأنِسٍ

أَنفُرُ مِن زَيدٍ وَمِن عَمرِو

أَنفُرُ مِن زَيدٍ وَمِن عَمرِو

Then he saw that I was not sociable,

Then he saw me unsociable

shying away from Zayd and from Amr.

Averse to Zayd and Amr

حَتّى إِذا أَغرَقَ في فِكرِهِ

حَتّى إِذا أَغرَقَ في فِكرِهِ

وَأَعمَلَ التَدبيرَ في أَمري

وَأَعمَلَ التَدبيرَ في أَمري

Until, when he plunged deep into thought

Until when immersed in his thoughts

and brought his planning to bear on my case,

And schemed in my matter

أَجلَت لَهُ الحيلَةُ عَن مَسلَكي

أَجلَت لَهُ الحيلَةُ عَن مَسلَكي

فَصادَني في شَبَكِ البِشرِ

فَصادَني في شَبَكِ البِشرِ

his ingenuity revealed to him the way to reach me,

The tactics failed him from my path

he caught me in the net of smiles.

So he antagonized me in the net of humanity