أأحبابَنَا هلاّ سبقتُم بوصلِنَا

أأحبابَنَا هلاّ سبقتُم بوصلِنَا

صُروفَ اللّيالِي قبلَ أن نَتَفَرّقَا

صُروفَ اللّيالِي قبلَ أن نَتَفَرّقَا

O our beloved ones, why did you not forestall, by joining us,

O beloveds, why did you precede us with connection

the vicissitudes of the nights, before we parted?

Before the turns of nights when we were separated

تشاغلتُمُ بالهجرِ والوصلُ مُمكنٌ

تشاغلتُمُ بالهجرِ والوصلُ مُمكنٌ

وليس إلينا في الحوادِث مُرتقَى

وليس إلينا في الحوادِث مُرتقَى

You busied yourselves with estrangement while union was possible,

You busied yourselves with estrangement and union is possible

and amid calamities no path leads up to us.

And we have no control over events

كأنّا أخذْنا من صُروف زَمانِنَا

كأنّا أخذْنا من صُروف زَمانِنَا

أماناً ومِن جَورِ الحوادِث مَوثِقَا

أماناً ومِن جَورِ الحوادِث مَوثِقَا

As though we had obtained from the vicissitudes of our time

As if we took from the turns of our time

a guarantee of safety, and from the tyranny of calamities a binding pledge.

Safety, and from the tyranny of events, a pact