أَأحبابَنا خطبُ التّفرقِ شاغلٌ

أَأحبابَنا خطبُ التّفرقِ شاغلٌ

عَن العَتب لكنْ جَاشَ بالكَمَدِ الصّدرُ

عَن العَتب لكنْ جَاشَ بالكَمَدِ الصّدرُ

O our beloved ones, the calamity of parting distracts us

Our beloveds, the talk of parting occupies them

from reproach, yet my breast has surged with grief.

From reproach, but the chest boiled with suppressed agony

لأَسرَعَ ما حُلُتم عن العَهدِ بَعدَما

لأَسرَعَ ما حُلُتم عن العَهدِ بَعدَما

تَصرّمَ في حِفزي وِدادِكُمُ العُمرُ

تَصرّمَ في حِفزي وِدادِكُمُ العُمرُ

How swiftly you turned from the pledge, after

For you quickly departed the covenant after

my lifetime had ebbed away in fostering your affection.

My life in spurring your love grew old

ولا عجَبٌ أنتُم بنُو الدّهرِ مثلُهُ

ولا عجَبٌ أنتُم بنُو الدّهرِ مثلُهُ

عُهودُكُم غّدْرٌ ووُدّكمُ خَتْرُ

عُهودُكُم غّدْرٌ ووُدّكمُ خَتْرُ

And no wonder: you are children of time, just like it;

It's no wonder, you are the sons of time like it

your pledges are treachery, and your love deceit.

Your covenants are treachery and your love infidelity

كأنّكُمُ الدنيا تمدُّ رجاءَنَا

كأنّكُمُ الدنيا تمدُّ رجاءَنَا

بزُخْرُفها والموتُ فيها لَنا قَصرُ

بزُخْرُفها والموتُ فيها لَنا قَصرُ

You are like the world, which stretches out our hopes

It's as if you are the world that raises our hopes

with its glitter, while death within it cuts us short.

With its superficiality, and in it death for us is destiny

مَلِلتُم فَمِلُتم نحوَ داعِيةِ القِلَى

مَلِلتُم فَمِلُتم نحوَ داعِيةِ القِلَى

وخُنتُم فَدنتُم بالّذي شَرَعَ الغَدرُ

وخُنتُم فَدنتُم بالّذي شَرَعَ الغَدرُ

You grew weary, then turned toward hatred's summons;

You grew bored so you became bored of the caller to meet

and you betrayed, following what treachery ordained.

And you betrayed so you drew near to the one who devised betrayal

وأنساكُمُ حفظَ العهودِ مَلالُكُمْ

وأنساكُمُ حفظَ العهودِ مَلالُكُمْ

كما قد تُنَسّي لبّ شَاربِها الخمرُ

كما قد تُنَسّي لبّ شَاربِها الخمرُ

And your weariness made you forget to keep your pledges,

And forgetfulness of keeping covenants made you forget

just as wine may rob its drinker of reason.

As intoxication makes one forget the wine bearer

وإنّى لَتَثْينيني إليكم حَفِيظَتي

وإنّى لَتَثْينيني إليكم حَفِيظَتي

إذا ما ثَناكُم عن مُحافَظتِي الغُمْرُ

إذا ما ثَناكُم عن مُحافَظتِي الغُمْرُ

Yet my sense of honor surely turns me back toward you,

And my vigilance inclines me toward you

whenever resentment turns you from keeping faith with me.

When old age inclines you away from keeping to me

وأُكذِبُ رأيَ العَينِ فيكُم وإنّكُمْ

وأُكذِبُ رأيَ العَينِ فيكُم وإنّكُمْ

لَتقضُون في هَجرِي بما خَيّل الفِكْرُ

لَتقضُون في هَجرِي بما خَيّل الفِكْرُ

And I give the lie to what my eyes see of you, yet you

And I deny what my eyes see of you

surely decide to shun me on what thought has conjured.

That you fulfil my abandonment with what imagination assumed

أُسَاهِلُ فيما رَابَ منكم ودُونَ ما

أُسَاهِلُ فيما رَابَ منكم ودُونَ ما

أُؤَمّل من إنصافِكُم مسلكٌ وَعرُ

أُؤَمّل من إنصافِكُم مسلكٌ وَعرُ

I am lenient about what troubles me in you, yet between me and what

I am gentle about what I dislike in you and avoid what

I hope for—fairness from you—lies a rugged path.

I hope of your fairness, a way and honor

لهِجتُم بهجرِي والدّيارُ قريبةٌ

لهِجتُم بهجرِي والدّيارُ قريبةٌ

وما قربُ دارٍ حالَ من دونِها الهَجرُ

وما قربُ دارٍ حالَ من دونِها الهَجرُ

You took to shunning me, though our dwellings were near;

You blamed me with abandonment and the dwellings are near

and what nearness has a home when estrangement bars the way to it?

And no dwelling prevents its proximity like abandonment

وأَغْضَى تَجنّيكُم جُفونِي على القَذَى

وأَغْضَى تَجنّيكُم جُفونِي على القَذَى

إلى أن تقضّى ذلك الزّمنُ النّضْرُ

إلى أن تقضّى ذلك الزّمنُ النّضْرُ

And your unjust accusations closed my eyelids over grit,

And I overlook your aggression, my eyelids against grit

until that verdant time had passed away.

Until that youthful time passes

فلمَّا تَفرّقْنَا أتتني قَوارضٌ

فلمَّا تَفرّقْنَا أتتني قَوارضٌ

بها ينفُضُ الأحْلاَسَ في السّفَرِ السَّفْرُ

بها ينفُضُ الأحْلاَسَ في السّفَرِ السَّفْرُ

Then, when we parted, biting words reached me,

So when we parted, losses came upon me

with which travelers shake their saddlecloths on the road.

With which covenants are broken in traveling the journey

أَسَرّكُمُ أَن خِلتُمُ الدّهْرَ ساءَنا

أَسَرّكُمُ أَن خِلتُمُ الدّهْرَ ساءَنا

وقَرّتْ بِنا لا قَرَّتِ الأعينُ الخُزرُ

وقَرّتْ بِنا لا قَرَّتِ الأعينُ الخُزرُ

Did it delight you to suppose that time had harmed us,

It saddens me that you are life's enemies of us

and that sidelong eyes rejoiced over us? May they never rejoice!

And the disdainful eyes have settled in us, not gentleness

وجاهَر بالشّحناءِ قومٌ عهدتُهُم

وجاهَر بالشّحناءِ قومٌ عهدتُهُم

يَسوءُهم لَو لَم أغِبْ عنهُمُ الجَهرُ

يَسوءُهم لَو لَم أغِبْ عنهُمُ الجَهرُ

And some people openly voiced hatred—people I had known

And a people I thought well of have been boldly hostile

would be distressed by speaking out, had I not been absent from them.

It would shame them, had not my absence from them been public

وأَصغيتُمُ إذْ لم تقولُوا وطَالَما

وأَصغيتُمُ إذْ لم تقولُوا وطَالَما

تعرّضَ في الأسماعِ من ذكريَ الوَقْرُ

تعرّضَ في الأسماعِ من ذكريَ الوَقْرُ

And you listened while saying nothing; how often

And you were silent, though frequently

deafness had settled in ears at the mention of me!

My mention graciously turned in hearing