وَذي حَسَدٍ يَغتابُني حينَ لا يَرى

وَذي حَسَدٍ يَغتابُني حينَ لا يَرى

مَكاني وَيُثني صالِحاً حينَ أَسَمعُ

مَكاني وَيُثني صالِحاً حينَ أَسَمعُ

And an envious man backbites me when he does not see

One envious of me who does revile

Where I am, but speaks well of me when I can hear.

When not before me, fair words when I hear

تَوَرَّعتُ أَن أَغتابَهُ مِن وَرائِهِ

تَوَرَّعتُ أَن أَغتابَهُ مِن وَرائِهِ

وَما هُوَ أَن يَغتابَني مُتَوَرِّعُ

وَما هُوَ أَن يَغتابَني مُتَوَرِّعُ

I have refrained from backbiting him behind his back,

I've restrained from reviling in return

Yet he has no scruples about backbiting me.

Though he reviles with no such care or concern

وَيَضحَكُ في وَجهي إِذا ما لَقيتُهُ

وَيَضحَكُ في وَجهي إِذا ما لَقيتُهُ

وَيَهمِزُني بِالغَيبِ سِرّاً وَيَلسَعُ

وَيَهمِزُني بِالغَيبِ سِرّاً وَيَلسَعُ

And he smiles to my face whenever I meet him,

Laughs in my face when near, speaks ill behind

And secretly disparages me in my absence and stings me.

With stinging lies in secret tries to malign

مَلَأتُ عَلَيهِ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

مَلَأتُ عَلَيهِ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

يَضيقُ عَلَيهِ رُحبُها حينَ أَطلُعُ

يَضيقُ عَلَيهِ رُحبُها حينَ أَطلُعُ

I have filled the earth around him, until it is as though

I've filled his world completely, it seems

Its vastness closes in on him when I appear.

So narrow to him though spacious it seems