1. With sweet yet poisoned words that pierce the heart,
And with arrows that find their way to the soul,

2. I battled his ignorance with my forbearance,
A battle that persisted until my patience and his ignorance died,

3. You rode the sand dunes fearing no calamity,
While others could barely walk there with shoes on,

4. Rugged is the path you tread,
So stop safely where the plain ends,

5. To heal the sickness of disaffection between us,
That relapsed after it had been cured,

6. Harm was but sprinkles, now a flood,
The least of great numbers still has its asset,

7. I warned you against a path so hard to take,
With brambles that trouble people when they cling,

8. A house like a yawning lion’s den,
That the tall and glorious cannot endure,

9. So do not go near the forest protected by its beasts,
And leave aside barrenness for those who can endure it,

10. As if paths on the hillside signal to the lost,
A wandering road for those who would follow it,

11. He strutted in the folds of a brightly colored gown,
Dyed with the colors of blood that drench it,

12. A heavy-bladed short sword that rests not but on blood,
Which its owner and offspring lick and then sharpen,

13. The brother of hunters whose game fills his palm,
If he ever goes hungry with arms for ropes,

14. Who splits affection from hearts with an unsheathed sword,
As smooth as it made its blade bare of its scabbard,

15. You saw him as a ripped leather bag,
That reveals what it holds then hides it away again,

16. With little provision of food he knows,
That if he spots an eatery, he will rob it empty,

17. Your shouts in the aftermath of defeat that dishonors,
As the horses neigh and the spears clash,

18. For him is the stance of dismay, then defeat,
Protected are those who gathered against panic,

19. With fires fueled by the flames of shame they provoked,
Whose fuel will never diminish till judgment comes,

20. Misguided folk who in ignorance fell by them,
When a man’s reason parts from them, his mind remains,

21. Around your necks I tied a necklace of disgrace,
Knowing well the knot of shame cannot be undone,

22. I chewed you with blame then spat you out,
Not all meat appeals to a person’s taste,

23. I busied my words with you while more remains,
That can saddle a back once burdened,

24. Resent not the absence of a bad friend some days,
If he disappears one day, all of him went away,

25. If you want to test a man see his nature,
Then leave him and watch his origin before that,