وَذي رَحِمٍ يُطالِعُني أَذاهُ

وَذي رَحِمٍ يُطالِعُني أَذاهُ

أَقولُ لَهُ صراحاً غَير خَتلِ

أَقولُ لَهُ صراحاً غَير خَتلِ

And a kinsman whose harm confronts me—

And one with kinship looks at me with harm

I say to him plainly, without deceit:

I say to him frankly, without deceit

ألا تَقنى الحياءَ أبا يَسارٍ

ألا تَقنى الحياءَ أبا يَسارٍ

فَتُقصِرُ عن مُلاحاتي وعَذلي

فَتُقصِرُ عن مُلاحاتي وعَذلي

Will you not acquire some shame, Abu Yasar,

Does not modesty forbid you, O Abu Yasar

and cease quarreling with me and reproaching me?

That you fall short of my remarks and reproach?

فَصَدري سالِمٌ لا غِشَّ فيهِ

فَصَدري سالِمٌ لا غِشَّ فيهِ

وَصَدرُك واغِرٌ بِالغِش يَغلي

وَصَدرُك واغِرٌ بِالغِش يَغلي

For my breast is untainted, with no deceit within,

My chest is sound, there is no deceit in it

while your breast, full of rancor, boils with deceit.

While your chest boils with trickery

أُحاوِلُ أَن تَلينَ وَأَنتَ فَظٌّ

أُحاوِلُ أَن تَلينَ وَأَنتَ فَظٌّ

أُلهف لَهفَتي وَلُهوفَ عَقلي

أُلهف لَهفَتي وَلُهوفَ عَقلي

I try to make you gentle, yet you are harsh;

I try that you be gentle while you are harsh

I lament my anguish and my mind's anguish

I yearn, my yearning and the fervor of my mind

بِقُربي فيكَ لَو يُدنيكَ قُربي

بِقُربي فيكَ لَو يُدنيكَ قُربي

حُنُوّاً قَد حَنَنتَ بِقَطعِ حَبلي

حُنُوّاً قَد حَنَنتَ بِقَطعِ حَبلي

over my kinship with you—if only my kinship drew you near

If my nearness drew you near in kindness

in tenderness; you have shown tenderness by cutting my cord.

You would have softened by cutting my rope

فَلَولا أَنَّ أَصلَكَ حينَ ثَنمى

فَلَولا أَنَّ أَصلَكَ حينَ ثَنمى

وَفَرعَكَ مُنتَهى فَرعي وَأَصلي

وَفَرعَكَ مُنتَهى فَرعي وَأَصلي

So, were it not that your root, when traced [uncertain text],

If it were not that your origin when it branched

and your branch are where my branch and root converge,

And your branch is the end of my branch and origin

وَأَنّي إِن رَمَيتُك هِضتُ عَظمي

وَأَنّي إِن رَمَيتُك هِضتُ عَظمي

وَنالَتني إِذا نالَتكَ نَبلي

وَنالَتني إِذا نالَتكَ نَبلي

and that, if I shot at you, I would fracture my own bone,

And that if I cast you my bone would rise

and my arrows would strike me whenever they struck you,

And my arrows would affect me if they affected you

لَقَد أَنكَرتَني إِنكارَ خَوفٍ

لَقَد أَنكَرتَني إِنكارَ خَوفٍ

يُقيمُ حَشاكَ عَن شُربي وَأَكلي

يُقيمُ حَشاكَ عَن شُربي وَأَكلي

you would have found me fearsomely changed,

You have denied me the denial of fear

enough to keep your belly from my drink and food.

That keeps your millstone from my drinking and eating

وَكَم مِن سَورَةٍ أَبطَأتُ عَنها

وَكَم مِن سَورَةٍ أَبطَأتُ عَنها

وَأدرَكَ مَجدها طلبي وَحَفلي

وَأدرَكَ مَجدها طلبي وَحَفلي

And many a lofty station I was slow to reach,

And how many a surah I was late to

yet my striving and earnest care attained its glory.

Yet my request and diligence reached its glory

كَقَولِ المَرءِ عَمرٍو في القَوافي

كَقَولِ المَرءِ عَمرٍو في القَوافي

لِقَيسٍ حينَ خالَفَ كُلَّ عَدلِ

لِقَيسٍ حينَ خالَفَ كُلَّ عَدلِ

As the man Amr said in verse

Like the words of Amr ibn Qays in prosody

to Qays, when he defied all justice:

To Qays when he went against all justice

عذيري مِن خَليلي مِن مُرادٍ

عذيري مِن خَليلي مِن مُرادٍ

أُريدُ حَياتَهُ وَيُريدُ قَتلي

أُريدُ حَياتَهُ وَيُريدُ قَتلي

“Who will vindicate me against my friend from Murad?

My excuse from my friend, from Murad

I wish him life, while he wishes to kill me.”

I want his life and he wants my murder

تَعَلَّم حينَ يُدلي القَومُ يَوماً

تَعَلَّم حينَ يُدلي القَومُ يَوماً

دِلاءَ المَجدِ ماذا كُنت تُدلي

دِلاءَ المَجدِ ماذا كُنت تُدلي

Know, when the people one day lower

You learned when the people let down one day

glory's buckets, what you yourself would lower.

The banners of glory, what did you let down?

وَتُغمَرُ عِندَ جَهدِكَ في المَعالي

وَتُغمَرُ عِندَ جَهدِكَ في المَعالي

إِذا ما لَم تُواضِحهُم بِسَجلِ

إِذا ما لَم تُواضِحهُم بِسَجلِ

And you will be swamped in your utmost striving for high honors,

And you are obscured when you struggle for glory

unless you vie with them with a brimming bucket.

If you do not make it clear to them with proof