1. ولي في عكبَرا إخوان صدق

    توافوا لي بأخلاق الظراف

    And in ʿUkbarā I have true friends,

    Who have come to me with the manners of refined men:

  2. كلام طيب وسلام سلم

    رضوا لي في الهديّة بالكفاف

    Kind words and a greeting of peace.

    As for gifts, they were content with the bare minimum for me.

  3. ضياعهم الكروم وهم كرام

    على التأكيد في لفظ الخلاف

    Their estates are vineyards, and they are generous—

    Most certainly—in the word’s opposite sense.

  4. فأيّامُ الكساح يقاربوني

    ويمتنعون أيّام القطاف

    So in the days of pruning they draw near to me,

    And keep away in the days of harvest.