أَلا أَبلِغ أَبا قَيسٍ رَسولاً

فَإِنّي لَم أَخُنكَ وَلَم تَخُنِّي

Shall I not send a messenger to Abu Qais

For I have not betrayed you, nor have you betrayed me

وَلَكِنِّي طَويتُ الكَشحَ لَمّا

رَأَيتُكَ قَد طَوَيتَ الكَشحَ عَنّي

But I folded up the mantle when

I saw you had folded up the mantle from me

وَكُنتُ إِذا الخَليلُ أَرادَ صَرمي

قَلَبتُ لِصَرمِهِ ظَهرَ المِجَنِّ

And whenever a friend wanted to stab me

I turned my back on him for his stabbing

كَذاكَ قَضيتُ لِلخُلانِ أَنِّي

أدينُ عليهمُ وَأدينُ مِنّي

Thus have I decided that for friends

I owe them and I owe from me

فَلَستُ بِآمِنٍ أَبَداً خَليلا

عَلى شيءٍ إِذا لَم يأتَمِنّي

So I am never safe, O friend

In anything, if he does not trust me