كففتُ يدي عن الشرِّ

كففتُ يدي عن الشرِّ

وأصغيتُ لهُ أذني

وأصغيتُ لهُ أذني

I restrained my hand from evil,

I stayed my hand from doing harm

And inclined my ear to it,

And lent my ear, that I might learn

لأعلمَ إنْ نبذتُ فتىً

لأعلمَ إنْ نبذتُ فتىً

سفيهاً كيفَ ينبذني

سفيهاً كيفَ ينبذني

To learn, if I spurned a young man,

How my rash judgement of another

A foolish one, how he would spurn me.

Might in his judgement of me return.

فلا بالمكرِ آخذهُ

فلا بالمكرِ آخذهُ

ولا بالمكرِ يأخذني

ولا بالمكرِ يأخذني

So I do not catch him by guile,

For neither by deceit nor force

Nor does he catch me by guile.

Shall I his folly seek to spurn.