يَفديه من نُوَبِ الزمانِ مَعاشِرٌ

أحرارُهم لا يلحقون بعبده

He has been rescued from the vicissitudes of time by companions

Whose freedom cannot be equated to that of a slave

أبدَت مقابحَهم محاسنُ فعلهِ

والضِدُّ يُعرَفُ فضلُه في ضدِّه

The ugliness of their deeds has revealed the beauty of his actions

And the merit of a thing is known by contrasting it with its opposite

ما كنتُ أعرفُ قدرَ ما خُوِّلتُه

من قُربه حتّى رُمِيتُ ببعده

I did not know the value of what I was granted

In his proximity until I was cast far from him