بَخِلتَ برَشحٍ مِن كِتابٍ مُمَزَّقٍ

وَقَد كُنتَ تَسخو بِالهَوامِي الهَوامِعِ

You were stingy with a scrap from a tattered book

Though once you were lavish with brilliant flashes

وَدافَعتَني بِالرَدِّ إِذ كُنتُ سائِلاً

وَما كُنتُ لَما سَلتَني بِالمدافِعِ

You warded me off with refusal when I asked

Though I didn't defend myself when you asked of me

أَعَرتُكَ تَسهيلَ الفَوائِدِ بُرهَةً

وَأَصبَحت في التَرشيحِ ظُلماً مُنازِعي

I made profits easy for you for a while

Yet you became unjust in apportioning them

فَلي سَبقُ فَضلٍ قَد جُزيتُ بِضِدِّهِ

وَوصلَةِ وُدٍّ صِرتَ فيها مُقاطِعي

So I have prior merit that was rewarded by its opposite

And a bond of love in which you became estranged

وَما كُنتَ تَدري ما الكِتابُ وَإِنِّما

وَشَى نَحوَك الواشي بِهِ وَهوَ خادِعي

You didn't know what the book was, but rather

The slanderer insinuated it to you, and he is a deceiver

تُنازِعني النَفسُ اللجوجُ طِلابه

فَقُلت لَها إِذ أَيأسَتني مَطامِعي

My obstinate soul contends with me over seeking it

So I said to it when my hopes despaired of me

إِذا شافِعي فيهِ غَدا لي مانِعي

فَأَنى بِإدراكي لما عِند شافِعِ

If tomorrow my preventer becomes my intercessor for it

How can I attain what is with the intercessor?