فديتُكِ أقوالُ الوشاةِ كثيرةٌ

فديتُكِ أقوالُ الوشاةِ كثيرةٌ

وهنَّ ظهورٌ مالهنَّ بُطونُ

وهنَّ ظهورٌ مالهنَّ بُطونُ

May I be your ransom—the slanderers’ tales are many;

May I be your ransom: the slanderers’ sayings are many,

yet they are backs with no bellies, outward show without substance.

And they are outer surfaces with no insides.

فلا تقبلي ما قيلَ عني لديكمُ

فلا تقبلي ما قيلَ عني لديكمُ

فان تخاليطَ الوُشاةِ فُنونُ

فان تخاليطَ الوُشاةِ فُنونُ

So do not accept what has been said about me in your presence,

So do not accept what was said about me in your presence,

for the slanderers’ fabrications come in many forms.

For the slanderers’ fabrications come in many kinds.

وما كلُّ قولِ قيلَ عنِّيَ صادقٌ

وما كلُّ قولِ قيلَ عنِّيَ صادقٌ

ولا كلُّ ذي نُصْحٍ أتاكِ أمينُ

ولا كلُّ ذي نُصْحٍ أتاكِ أمينُ

Not every word said about me is true,

And not every statement made about me is true,

nor is every bearer of sincere counsel who comes to you trustworthy.

Nor is every bearer of counsel who comes to you trustworthy.

همُ أرجفوا بالوصلِ بيني وبينكمْ

همُ أرجفوا بالوصلِ بيني وبينكمْ

وظُنَّ بنا فيما حكوهُ ظنونُ

وظُنَّ بنا فيما حكوهُ ظنونُ

It was they who spread false rumors of union between me and you,

They spread rumors of union between me and you,

and in what they recounted, they conjectured conjectures about us.

And suspicions arose about us concerning what they recounted.

فليتَ أراجيفَ الوُشاةِ حقيقةٌ

فليتَ أراجيفَ الوُشاةِ حقيقةٌ

وليت ظنونَ الكاشحينَ يقين

وليت ظنونَ الكاشحينَ يقين

Would that the slanderers’ false rumors were truth,

If only the slanderers’ rumors were true,

and would that the spiteful enemies’ suspicions were certainty.

And the suspicions of the spiteful were certainty!