أحين اشتفى منّا بما قال كاشح

أحين اشتفى منّا بما قال كاشح

وأقصر لمّا ملّ من قوله عنّا

وأقصر لمّا ملّ من قوله عنّا

Was it when a spiteful foe had sated his spite against us with what he said,

Sometimes he is consoled by what was said by a complainer,

and desisted when he tired of speaking about us,

And sometimes he is bothered by his words turning away from us.

حملت على ظهر الصبابة جفوة

حملت على ظهر الصبابة جفوة

غدا السهل من سبل الغرام بها حزنا

غدا السهل من سبل الغرام بها حزنا

that you laid coldness upon longing’s back,

My patience carried the rudeness on its back,

so that the smooth paths of love became rugged through it,

And the next day the easy path of love became sadness because of it.

فابكيت عيناً لم تكن تعرف البكا

فابكيت عيناً لم تكن تعرف البكا

وأحزنت قلباً لم يكن يعرف الحزنا

وأحزنت قلباً لم يكن يعرف الحزنا

and so made an eye weep that had never known weeping,

So I cried with eyes that did not know crying,

and saddened a heart that had never known sorrow?

And I saddened a heart that did not know sadness.