وَمُستَعبِدٍ إِخوانَهُ بِثَرائِهِ

لَبِستُ لَهُ كِبراً أَبَرَّ عَلى الكِبرِ

To one who enslaves his brothers with his wealth,

I donned a pride that surpassed his own pride.

إِذا ضَمَّني يَوماً وَإِيّاهُ مَحفِلٌ

رَأى جانِبي وَعراً يَزيدُ عَلى الوَعرِ

If a gathering unites me with him one day,

He finds my bearing rugged, exceeding all harshness.

أُخالِفُهُ في شَكلِهِ وَأَجُرُّهُ

عَلى المَنطِقِ المَنزورِ وَالنَظَرِ الشَزرِ

I diverge from his manner and treat him only

With scant speech and a sidelong glare.

لَقَد زادَني تيهاً عَلى الناسِ أَنَّني

أَرانِيَ أَغناهُم وَإِن كُنتُ ذا فَقرِ

It has increased my loftiness above people that I

See myself as the richest of them, even if I am poor.

فَوَاللَهِ لا يُبدي لِساني لَجاجَةً

إِلى أَحَدٍ حَتّى أُغَيَّبَ في القَبرِ

So by God, my tongue shall not show importunity

To anyone, until I am hidden away in the grave.

فَلا تَطمَعَن في ذاكَ مِنِّيَ سوقَةٌ

وَلا مَلِكُ الدُنيا المُحَجَّبُ في القَصرِ

Let no commoner expect such a thing from me,

Nor the king of the world, veiled inside his palace.

فَلَو لَم أَرِث فَخراً لَكانَت صِيانَتي

فَمي عَن سُؤالِ الناسِ حَسبي مِنَ الفَخرِ

For if I had not inherited glory, the guarding of

My mouth from asking of people would be glory enough.