إمَّا تَرَيْني قالباً مجنّي

إمَّا تَرَيْني قالباً مجنّي

مُرَدِّداً سيفي على مِسَنِّي

مُرَدِّداً سيفي على مِسَنِّي

If you see me turning my shield,

Either you see me as a bent palm tree

drawing my sword back and forth across my whetstone,

Repeating my sword upon my gums

لصاحب السوء بُعيدَ ضنِّي

لصاحب السوء بُعيدَ ضنِّي

به ومَنِّي صافياً مِنْ مَنِّي

به ومَنِّي صافياً مِنْ مَنِّي

against an evil companion, shortly after I cherished

To the owner of evil, far from my conjecturing

him and gave generously, without reminders of favors—

With it and from me, pure from my wishing

كم مدْخلٍ كذَّبت عنه ظني

كم مدْخلٍ كذَّبت عنه ظني

وقلتُ إنِّي ظالِمٌ وإنِّي

وقلتُ إنِّي ظالِمٌ وإنِّي

many a time I dismissed my suspicion of him,

How many entrances my thinking has denied about it

and said, “I am unjust, and I

And I said that I am unjust and I

آخذُ لوْمِيه عن التجني

آخذُ لوْمِيه عن التجني

بلوتُهُ فصدَّقَ التَّظَنِّي

بلوتُهُ فصدَّقَ التَّظَنِّي

base my blame of him on groundless accusation.”

Take my blame from being spoiled

I tested him: he confirmed my suspicions

I tested him so he believed the guessing

في أمره وكذَّب التَّمنِّي

في أمره وكذَّب التَّمنِّي

فما قرعْتُ من ندامٍ سني

فما قرعْتُ من ندامٍ سني

concerning him, and proved my hopes false.

In his matter and denied the wishing

So I did not gnash my teeth in regret,

So I have not hit any regretful years

ولا وجدتُ الظلمَ كان مني

ولا وجدتُ الظلمَ كان مني

ولن يغيب غائبٌ عن جني

ولن يغيب غائبٌ عن جني

nor find that the injustice had been mine.

Nor did I find the injustice was from me

And nothing hidden will escape my jinn.

And no absent one will disappear from my harvest