لما أبي لي سؤال الناس نائلهم

لما أبي لي سؤال الناس نائلهم

أهل الكفاية والإكثار والحسد

أهل الكفاية والإكثار والحسد

When my asking people for their bounty was opposed

When people refused my request though desirous of their gifts,

By those of means, abundance, and envy,

The self-sufficient and the avaricious and the envious,

وعنّفوني وقالوا قف على كرم

وعنّفوني وقالوا قف على كرم

من الخلائق بين الضرّ والجلد

من الخلائق بين الضرّ والجلد

And they rebuked me and said, “Hold fast to nobility

And they reproached me and said, "Stand upon your generosity

Of character amid hardship and fortitude,”

Among people, between harm and patience,"

تحدّر الدمع من عينيّ منهمِلا

تحدّر الدمع من عينيّ منهمِلا

غيظا عليهم وضربا من شجى الكمد

غيظا عليهم وضربا من شجى الكمد

Tears streamed down from my eyes, pouring freely,

Tears flowed from my eyes, not from grief over them,

In anger at them, and in a kind of anguish born of grief.

But from anger at them and from the pain of suppressed rage.

وقلت مهلا أقلّوا من ملامكم

وقلت مهلا أقلّوا من ملامكم

لما ارتفعتم خفضنا خفضة الوتد

لما ارتفعتم خفضنا خفضة الوتد

And I said, “Gently now; lessen your reproaches.

And I said, "Gently, lessen your blame,

When you rose high, we were driven low like a peg.

When you rose high, we were lowered like pegs."

ولو وجدت إلى كسب الغنى سببا

ولو وجدت إلى كسب الغنى سببا

سهلا وثبت إليه وثبة الأسد

سهلا وثبت إليه وثبة الأسد

And had I found a means to gain wealth,

Had I found an easy way to gain wealth,

An easy one, I would have leapt toward it with a lion’s leap.

I would have clung to it and pounced like a lion.

اضطهدت ولم أختر سؤالهم

اضطهدت ولم أختر سؤالهم

ما صيّر الله مختارا كمضطهد

ما صيّر الله مختارا كمضطهد

I was compelled, and did not choose to beg from them.

But I was oppressed and did not choose to beg from them -

God has not made one who chooses like one who is compelled.”

God did not make the oppressed to be a chooser.