1. O best preserver of a lover's affection,
And most forgiving pardoner of a repentant sinner's misdeeds,

2. I send you a cordial greeting,
With no ill intent from any foe.

3. I have been purely devoted, repeating my dedication
Against the onslaught of ruinous devastation.

4. It is no fleeting foam, soon dissipating,
Enduring beyond the passing of all that is tainted.

5. And behind it, a lament reminding of Joseph,
And how his brothers treated him before Jacob.

6. Do not think me heedless, having strayed
Into neglect that led me to oppose you.

7. The noble one overlooks the stumbling of his like,
Especially if he is free of doubt.

8. He lets down the curtains of excuse over sins
And protects him from shameful rebuke.

9. And when he sees the pain of punishment as his cure
From an illness, no gentler physician remains.

10. I swear by Him who knows your supporters in presence and absence
For your noble self.

11. Had I kept it secret, I would not have divulged it
To them, but I was not wise.

12. Could I have deemed it secret, then trusted them, while
Among them were those hostile to every confidant?

13. I preferred to advise them, despite my knowledge of them,
Yet their stings were those of venomous snakes.

14. But they provoked a solid barrier
And stirred a sea by wading into sins.

15. So their derision became subjected to the hands of critics
And the specter of their misdeeds to the eyes of the wise.

16. And I have sworn to God Almighty
A vow that is no fabrication.

17. However much I hear talk from some speaker
And am asked about it, I shall not respond.

18. So allow my excuse to adopt, through your acceptance,
A course leading to your desired approval,

19. Deterring those whose modesty
Did not prevent them from insulting your like.

20. And disobeying chivalry and religion, whoever strives
With gossip deserving discipline.

21. While I remain righteous, appeasing every
Loving friend with righteousness.