طَلَبتُ من الكَتَّان فَصا فجاد لي ال

طَلَبتُ من الكَتَّان فَصا فجاد لي ال

وجيهُ بوعدٍ عَوَّضَ المَنَّ بالمَينِ

وجيهُ بوعدٍ عَوَّضَ المَنَّ بالمَينِ

I asked al-Kattān for a ring-stone, and generously the—

I asked al-Kattān for a ringstone, and was generously favored by the—

—eminent man gave me a promise: with him, falsehood took the place of favors.

eminent man with a promise: he replaced bounty with lies.

متى جِئتُهُ يدعو عليه لسانُهُ

متى جِئتُهُ يدعو عليه لسانُهُ

إذا قلتُ أين الفَصُّ قال على عَيني

إذا قلتُ أين الفَصُّ قال على عَيني

Whenever I came to him, his tongue would call down a curse upon him:

Whenever I come to him, his tongue calls down a curse upon him.

if I asked, “Where is the ring-stone?” he said, “Upon my eye.”

When I say, “Where is the ringstone?” he says, “On my eye.”