1. While he was unjust, his tale remains
spoken of until the Day of Judgment.

2. He foolishly left his eggs and nest
when he saw the beautiful eggs of a crow.

3. He thought he would get something better
than his eggs at that time.

4. But his deed was in vain,
and his eggs too – his mind was blamed.

5. The people gathered against my obstinacy,
and their excuse with me is useless.

6. As for the one I singled out with innocence,
he is vile by origin, no freeman.

7. For I have wronged him in that,
and what I brought him was destruction.

8. As if I tasked him with what he could not bear,
and what was not in his nature when created.

9. I sought gratitude from a vile origin,
and aid from an ignoble, ignorant one.

10. There is no gratitude in the nature of the vile,
nor aid in the lowly origin.

11. Whoever obligates him and tasks him
with opposite of what is in his nature has not been fair to him.

12. When I look into the like of a vine,
if I go to buy, I see chickpeas.

13. For its yellowness and beauty deceived me,
and it did not contain what I assumed.

14. Whoever waters a bramble hoping for roses,
and goes to befriend a wolf the next day,

15. and one who cuddles the viper’s eggs in ignorance
is sufficiently insulted and sinful.

16. I was in my ignorance like a lapwing
cuddling in its wings an addled egg.

17. Whoever tasks souls against their nature
and insists on forcibly changing them

18. harasses them beyond their creation and tires,
yet obtains not from their good what he seeks.

19. Whoever singles out the vile with favours
will find him like one raising a lion.

20. For good towards an ignorant vile one
is like harshness from a noble generous one.

21. In my island there was a sultan
who was in his injustice like a devil.

22. But he does not show aggression
corrupting hearts and supporters.

23. He avoids blame and the evil of what he avoids
and shows asceticism, hypocritically pious.

24. He schemes hidden plots and tricks
to attain his desires for causes.

25. As for my enemies, they feared that if they noticed
their plotting against me, they would be exposed.

26. An enemy’s word is refuted,
and the envious are seldom believed truthful.

27. Though he be unfair in criticism,
he does not approve plots.

28. And my friends disliked being blamed
and rebuked for him in any case,

29. and that it be said they are wicked
and all of them violating their promise to him,

30. and their efforts against the sincere, loyal friend
after intimate company and friendship.

31. You spoke truly in what you told
and said of that what you saw.

32. Why did you not conceal and suppress what happened
no matter what state you want to see?

33. For the duty of friendship is aiding,
and the implication of affection is supporting,

34. especially in times of dire straits
and great lasting afflictions.

35. Had you been nobles and freemen,
the wicked would not have appeared among you.

36. They said, "What can we do till we destroy him?"
It was said, "Set snares of the impossible."

37. So they sat in a mosque and market
and gathering place of piety or sin,

38. and made others hear something he said not,
"Is it true that Sabeeh has come up with those innovations?"

39. Some of them said to others secretly,
through a trick and cunning,

40. "If that is so, he is bold,
and being near him for evil is dangerous."

41. The other said to him, "It is not as he claims.
The first is a plot he devised for the king."

42. And a second, "How many a plot he has
secretly against his kingdom!"

43. Without doubt he is completing his matter,
for his deception has spread among the soldiers.

44. They have all allied with him and contracted
and promised to aid him."

45. He said, "For whom does he seek it for himself,
or another of his people and kind?"

46. So an elder among them, esteemed, said,
"Wealth has made him arrogant, and he seeks more.

47. With the power of wealth and glory of status,
he has without doubt moved against his sultan."

48. "Have you not heard the story of the barber
and King of Ahvaz in the bath?"