1. اللَهُ يَعلَمُ مَيلي عَن جَنابِكُمُ

    وَلَو تَناهَيتَ لي في البِرِّ وَاللَطَفِ

    God knows my aversion to your presence,

    even if you went to the utmost in kindness and gentleness toward me.

  2. فَكَيفَ بي وَعَلى عَينَيكَ تَرجَمَةٌ

    مِنَ الحُقودِ وَعِنوانٌ مِنَ الشَنَفِ

    How then must I feel, when your eyes bear an expression

    of grudges and a sign of loathing?

  3. أُطيفُ مِنكَ بِوَجهٍ غَيرِ مُلتَفِتٍ

    إِلى المُناجي وَعِطفٍ غَيرِ مُنعَطِفِ

    I hover by a face of yours that will not turn

    toward one confiding, and a side that will not bend.

  4. فَما أَغُبُّكَ مِن عُذرٍ وَلا شَغَلٍ

    وَلا أَزورُكَ مِن وَجدٍ وَلا شَغَفِ

    My absences from you are not due to excuse or business,

    nor do I visit you out of yearning or passion.

  5. قَد كانَ قَبلَكَ مَرجُوٌّ فَواضِلُهُ

    راقٍ إِلى المَجدِ طَلّاعٍ إِلى الشَرَفِ

    Before you there was one whose favors were hoped for,

    ascending to glory, ever climbing toward honor.

  6. تَمُرُّ نَفحَةُ نُعماهُ إِذا خَطَرَت

    مِنَ القَبولِ بِجَنبي رَوضَةٍ أُنُفِ

    A breath of his bounty wafts, whenever it stirs

    from the east wind, along both sides of an untouched meadow.

  7. إِن تَستَعِضكَ المَعالي بَعدَ ذاكَ فَقَد

    أَفحَشنَ في بَدَلٍ مِنهُ وَفي خَلَفِ

    If lofty honors take you as a replacement after him, then they

    have made a disgraceful choice of his replacement and successor.

  8. يَهَشُّ لِلمَرءِ تَفريهِ أَظافِرُهُ

    كَما تَهَشُّ سِباعُ الطَيرِ لِلجِيَفِ

    He welcomes a man gladly, his nails rending him,

    as birds of prey rejoice over carrion.

  9. إِذا نَجا مِن يَدَيهِ غَيرَ مُنعَقِرٍ

    أَفنى أَنامِلَهُ عَضّاً مِنَ الأَسَفِ

    If a man escapes his hands unwounded,

    he gnaws his fingertips to nothing in regret.

  10. يَظُنُّ أَنِّيَ وَصّالٌ بِهِ سَبَبي

    إِنّي إِذاً مِن أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ نَفي

    He thinks I would bind my ties to him;

    then I would be disowned by the Commander of the Faithful.

  11. إِذا لَبِستُ جَمالاً أَنتَ مُلبِسُهُ

    فَإِنَّني قَد طَرَحتُ المَجدَ عَن كَتِفي

    If I don a splendor with which you clothe me,

    then I have cast glory off my shoulder.

  12. لا قَدَّسَ اللَهُ نَفساً مِنكَ جامِعَةً

    كَيدَ البِغالِ إِلى ذي الجُلَّةِ الشَرَفِ

    May God never sanctify a soul of yours that combines

    the cunning of mules with that of an aged, dung-bearing camel.

  13. وَلا سَقى الغَيثُ داراً أَنتَ ساكِنُها

    إِلّا بِأَغبَرَ نارِيِّ الذُرى قَصِفِ

    And may rain never water a house where you dwell,

    except with a dust-gray storm, fiery-crested and shattering.