1. تَوافَقَتِ اليَهودُ مَعَ النَصارى

    عَلى قَتلِ المَسيحِ بِلا اِختِلافِ

    The Jews agreed with the Christians

    to kill the Messiah, without disagreement.

  2. وَما اِصطَلَحوا عَلى تَركِ الدَنايا

    بَلِ اِصطَلحوا عَلى شُربِ السُلافِ

    And they did not agree to abandon base deeds;

    rather, they agreed to drink pure wine.

  3. تَلافَيناهُمُ بِالقَولِ فيهِ

    فَجاءَهُمُ التَلافي بِالتَلافِ

    We sought to save them with words about it;

    so the remedy brought them ruin.

  4. تُخُيِّرَ خَلقُنا وَالشَرُّ طَبعٌ

    فَما نَحتاجُ فيهِ إِلى اِختِلافِ

    Our creation was chosen, and evil is innate;

    so we need no disagreement over it.

  5. تَرَفَّق إِنَّ ديني لَيسَ نَبعاً

    وَلَكِن بِالخِلافِ مِنَ الخِلافِ

    Be gentle: my faith is not hard nabʿ-wood,

    but, by contrast, it is willow-wood.

  6. وَقَد دُمنا عَلى سوءِ السَجايا

    كَما دامَت قُرَيشُ عَلى الإِلافِ

    And we have persisted in evil dispositions,

    as Quraysh persisted in the trading covenant.

  7. فَقَد لاحَت مَخايِلُ صادِقاتٌ

    تَروقُ العَينَ بِاللَمعِ الوِلافِ

    For clouds have appeared, true to their promise,

    delighting the eye with unbroken flashes.

  8. فَمَن لَكَ بِالغُرَيريّاتِ سارَت

    بِأَشباهٍ نُسِبنَ إِلى عِلافِ

    So who can bring you the Ghurayr-bred camels that set out,

    bearing their like—saddles ascribed to ʿIlāf?