قلْ للألى أطمعوني في وصالِهُمُ

قلْ للألى أطمعوني في وصالِهُمُ

حتّى طمعتُ فألقوني على الياسِ

حتّى طمعتُ فألقوني على الياسِ

Say to those who made me hope for union with them,

Tell those I yearn for that I long for their company,

Until I grew hopeful—then they cast me into despair.

Until I felt hope, and they cast me into despair.

وقد غُرِرْتُ بهمْ دهراً بلا سببٍ

وقد غُرِرْتُ بهمْ دهراً بلا سببٍ

وأغبنُ النّاسِ مَن يغترّ بالنّاسِ

وأغبنُ النّاسِ مَن يغترّ بالنّاسِ

And I was long deceived by them without reason;

For long have I been deceived by them without cause,

And the most cheated of people is one who is taken in by people.

And the most foolish of people is one deceived by people.

همْ عوّضونِيَ هجراً من مواصلةٍ

همْ عوّضونِيَ هجراً من مواصلةٍ

وأبدلونِيَ إيحاشاً بإيناسِ

وأبدلونِيَ إيحاشاً بإيناسِ

They gave me abandonment in place of companionship,

They compensated my companionship with estrangement,

And gave me alienation in place of comfort.

And replaced my intimacy with rejection.

ولو علمتُ بما لي في صدورهُمُ

ولو علمتُ بما لي في صدورهُمُ

قطعتُ منهمْ قُبيلَ اليوم أمراسي

قطعتُ منهمْ قُبيلَ اليوم أمراسي

And had I known what they held for me in their hearts,

Had I known what was in their hearts,

I would have cut my ropes free of them shortly before today.

I would have severed my ties with them long before today.

فما قرعتُ لهمْ باباً لأدخلَهُ

فما قرعتُ لهمْ باباً لأدخلَهُ

ولا رفعتُ إليهمْ مرّةً راسي

ولا رفعتُ إليهمْ مرّةً راسي

Then I would not have knocked at a door of theirs to enter it,

So I neither knocked on their door to enter,

Nor would I have raised my head toward them even once.

Nor lifted my head to them even once.

لكنْ جنيتُ على نفسي بذاك وكم

لكنْ جنيتُ على نفسي بذاك وكم

تجني اليدان على العينين والرّاسِ

تجني اليدان على العينين والرّاسِ

But I harmed myself by that—and how often

Yet I have sinned against myself through them - how much

the hands do harm to the eyes and the head!

The hands sin against the eyes and the head!