وَذي رَحِمٍ يُطالِعُني أَذاهُ

أَقولُ لَهُ صراحاً غَير خَتلِ

And one with kinship looks at me with harm

I say to him frankly, without deceit

ألا تَقنى الحياءَ أبا يَسارٍ

فَتُقصِرُ عن مُلاحاتي وعَذلي

Does not modesty forbid you, O Abu Yasar

That you fall short of my remarks and reproach?

فَصَدري سالِمٌ لا غِشَّ فيهِ

وَصَدرُك واغِرٌ بِالغِش يَغلي

My chest is sound, there is no deceit in it

While your chest boils with trickery

أُحاوِلُ أَن تَلينَ وَأَنتَ فَظٌّ

أُلهف لَهفَتي وَلُهوفَ عَقلي

I try that you be gentle while you are harsh

I yearn, my yearning and the fervor of my mind

بِقُربي فيكَ لَو يُدنيكَ قُربي

حُنُوّاً قَد حَنَنتَ بِقَطعِ حَبلي

If my nearness drew you near in kindness

You would have softened by cutting my rope

فَلَولا أَنَّ أَصلَكَ حينَ ثَنمى

وَفَرعَكَ مُنتَهى فَرعي وَأَصلي

If it were not that your origin when it branched

And your branch is the end of my branch and origin

وَأَنّي إِن رَمَيتُك هِضتُ عَظمي

وَنالَتني إِذا نالَتكَ نَبلي

And that if I cast you my bone would rise

And my arrows would affect me if they affected you

لَقَد أَنكَرتَني إِنكارَ خَوفٍ

يُقيمُ حَشاكَ عَن شُربي وَأَكلي

You have denied me the denial of fear

That keeps your millstone from my drinking and eating

وَكَم مِن سَورَةٍ أَبطَأتُ عَنها

وَأدرَكَ مَجدها طلبي وَحَفلي

And how many a surah I was late to

Yet my request and diligence reached its glory

كَقَولِ المَرءِ عَمرٍو في القَوافي

لِقَيسٍ حينَ خالَفَ كُلَّ عَدلِ

Like the words of Amr ibn Qays in prosody

To Qays when he went against all justice

عذيري مِن خَليلي مِن مُرادٍ

أُريدُ حَياتَهُ وَيُريدُ قَتلي

My excuse from my friend, from Murad

I want his life and he wants my murder

تَعَلَّم حينَ يُدلي القَومُ يَوماً

دِلاءَ المَجدِ ماذا كُنت تُدلي

You learned when the people let down one day

The banners of glory, what did you let down?

وَتُغمَرُ عِندَ جَهدِكَ في المَعالي

إِذا ما لَم تُواضِحهُم بِسَجلِ

And you are obscured when you struggle for glory

If you do not make it clear to them with proof