قُل لِلَّذي ظَلَّ ذا لَونَينِ يأكُلُني

لَقَد خَلَوتَ بِلَحمٍ عادمِ البَشَمِ

Tell the one with two-faced colors who eats me away,

You have kept company with tasteless flesh.

إِيّاكَ لا أُلزَمَن لحيَيكَ مِن لَجَمي

نَكلاً يَنكِّلُ قَرّاصاً مِن اللُجَمِ

I will not muzzle your cheeks with my bridle,

A spurning that spurns the biter from the bridles.

يَدُقُّ لحيَيكَ أَو تَنقادُ مُتَّبِعاً

مَشيَ المُقيَّدِ ذي القِردانِ وَالحلَمِِ

That beats your cheeks or you follow submissively,

The walk of the fettered monkey and the dreamer.

إِنّي إِذا ما امرُؤٌ خَفَّت نَعامَتُهُ

إِلَيِّ وَاِستُحصَدت مِنه قوى الوَذَمِ

When a man's ostrich diminishes,

His powers of blaming me are harvested.

عَقَدتُ في مُلتَقى أَوداجِ لُبَّتِهِ

طَوقَ الحَمامَةِ لا يَبلى عَلى القِدَمِ

I tied in the meeting place of his joints,

The necklace of a turtledove that does not wear out over time.

إِنّي امروءٌ لا أَصوغُ الحليَ تَعمَلُهُ

كَفّايَ لَكِن لِساني صائِغَ الكَلِمِ

I am a man who does not forge jewelry that is made,

My palms suffice, but my tongue forges words.

إِنَّ الأَديمَ الَّذي أَمسيتَ تَقرِضَهُ

جَهلاً لَذو نغَلٍ بادٍ وَذو حلَمِ

The hide that you have become accustomed to tearing,

Ignorantly, is of a fading cream color and is forebearing.

وَلا يَئِطُّ بأَيدي الخالِقينَ وَلا

أَيدي الخَوالقِ إِلّا جَيِّدُ الأَدَمِ

The hands of creators cannot rend it, nor

Can the hands of tailors, except excellent hide.