دَعَتْنِي إلى فَضلِ معروفِكُمْ

دَعَتْنِي إلى فَضلِ معروفِكُمْ

وجوهٌ مناظرُها مُعْجِبَهْ

وجوهٌ مناظرُها مُعْجِبَهْ

I was drawn to the bounty of your kindness

Your radiant faces invited me to your kindness

by faces whose appearance was pleasing.

So I imagined it to be wondrous

فأخلفتُمُ ما تَوسّمْتُهُ

فأخلفتُمُ ما تَوسّمْتُهُ

وقلَّ حميدٌ على تَجْرِبَهْ

وقلَّ حميدٌ على تَجْرِبَهْ

But you belied what I had discerned,

Yet you failed what I had fancied

and few prove praiseworthy when put to the test.

And few were the praises for trying

وكم لُمْعةٍ خلتُها روضةً

وكم لُمْعةٍ خلتُها روضةً

فأَلْفيتُها دِمنةً مُعْشبَهْ

فأَلْفيتُها دِمنةً مُعْشبَهْ

And how many a grassy patch I took for a meadow,

How often have I turned a barren land into a garden

only to find it a grass-covered dungheap!

Only to find it overgrown and weedy

ظَلَمتكُمُ لا تطيبُ الفرو

ظَلَمتكُمُ لا تطيبُ الفرو

عُ إلا وأعْراقُها طيِّبَهْ

عُ إلا وأعْراقُها طيِّبَهْ

I wronged you: branches cannot be sound

Your injustice does not make the swords pleasant

unless their roots are sound.

Except when their blades are sharpened

وكنتُ حَسِبتُ فلما حسَب

وكنتُ حَسِبتُ فلما حسَب

تُ عَفَّى الحسابُ على المَحْسِبَهْ

تُ عَفَّى الحسابُ على المَحْسِبَهْ

And I had formed an opinion; but when I reckoned,

I had calculated but when the calculation was done

the reckoning erased that opinion.

The count was cleared on the count board

فهل تُعذَرون كَعُذْرِيكُمُ

فهل تُعذَرون كَعُذْرِيكُمُ

بأَنَّ أصولكُمُ المُذْنِبَهْ

بأَنَّ أصولكُمُ المُذْنِبَهْ

Then are you to be excused, as I excuse you,

Can you be excused like I excuse you

because your origins are the ones at fault?

Since the roots of your sins run deep

خرجتُ مُوازِنَكُم بالسوا

خرجتُ مُوازِنَكُم بالسوا

ءِ عُذراً بعذرٍ فلا مَعْتِبَهْ

ءِ عُذراً بعذرٍ فلا مَعْتِبَهْ

I emerged on equal terms with you:

I have weighed you against fairness

excuse for excuse, so there is no reproach.

Excuse against excuse, no blame remains