1. My dear friend, I did not abandon my people out of boredom
Nor because my restless mind grew weary of them

2. I do not blame the people of Yemen over much
What father is not like his son?

3. But the utterances of a despised fool
And far be it from you to accept the words of a fool

4. And the false comparisons some people made about me
People often find their match among others

5. Poems not composed by Al-Shanfari
Nor calligraphy by Ibn Muhyi below it

6. Declaimed by Al-Zal'ali their composition
What student can match any master?

7. Plots forgotten next to the schemes of Joseph's brothers
And the pledge of Benjamin's brother sold into slavery

8. When I saw the matter was thorny to tread
And the prudent were asleep to insight

9. I turned my she-camel from the people of Yemen
And said to her, "Camel, do not lead me back to them."

10. I was loyal to those I once cherished
And I defended those I wrap my arms around

11. How can one oblige what turns up its nose?
How can one betray one's own family?

12. Oh eye, if a quarter disappoints, then show patience
Oh soul, if an intimate abandons, then leave him

13. When an inferior assumes the station of one noble
And the lord of prestige becomes undesirable

14. Then life loses its savor for him
And the taste of death becomes not so bitter