وَعَوراءَ أَهداها امرُؤٌ مِن عَشيرَتي

وَعَوراءَ أَهداها امرُؤٌ مِن عَشيرَتي

إِلَيَّ وَما بي أَن أَكونَ لَها أَهلا

إِلَيَّ وَما بي أَن أَكونَ لَها أَهلا

And an ugly insult, bestowed by a man of my own clan—

And a man of my clan offered a foul remark

upon me, though nothing in me made me deserving of it.

to me, though I was not deserving of it.

فَأَعرَضتُ عَنهُ أَو جَعَلتُ جَوابَهُ

فَأَعرَضتُ عَنهُ أَو جَعَلتُ جَوابَهُ

إِذا ما التَقَينا أَن أَقولَ لَهُ مَهلا

إِذا ما التَقَينا أَن أَقولَ لَهُ مَهلا

I turned away from him, or else made my reply to him,

So I turned away from him, or answered him,

whenever we met, simply to say: “Easy now.”

when we met, by saying, “Easy now.”

وَأَجزيهِ بِالحُسنى وَأَغفِرُ ذَنبَهُ

وَأَجزيهِ بِالحُسنى وَأَغفِرُ ذَنبَهُ

إِليَّ وَلا أَجزي بسَيِّئَةٍ مِثلا

إِليَّ وَلا أَجزي بسَيِّئَةٍ مِثلا

I repay him with kindness and efface his offense

And I repay him with kindness and forgive his offense

against me; I do not requite evil in kind.

against me, and do not repay an evil deed in kind.