فَدَيتُكَ ما الغَدرُ مِن شيمَتي

فَدَيتُكَ ما الغَدرُ مِن شيمَتي

قَديماً وَلا الهَجرُ مِن مَذهَبي

قَديماً وَلا الهَجرُ مِن مَذهَبي

May I be your ransom; treachery is not in my nature—

I ransom you - neither disloyalty nor abandoning

nor has it ever been—nor is estrangement my way.

Has ever been my way from early days,

وَهَبني كَما تَدَّعي مُذنِباً

وَهَبني كَما تَدَّعي مُذنِباً

أَما يُقبَلُ العُذرُ مِن مُذنِبِ

أَما يُقبَلُ العُذرُ مِن مُذنِبِ

And suppose that, as you claim, I am guilty:

And yet you accuse me of sin, as you claim -

is an excuse not accepted from one who is guilty?

Surely an apology from a sinner may be accepted?

وَأَولى الرِجالِ بِعَتبٍ أَخٌ

وَأَولى الرِجالِ بِعَتبٍ أَخٌ

يَكُرُّ العِتابَ عَلى مُعتِبِ

يَكُرُّ العِتابَ عَلى مُعتِبِ

And of all men, most deserving of reproach is a brother

The most deserving of men to make a reproach is a brother

who repeats reproach against one who has made amends.

Who suppresses reproach against the one reproaching.