تَشَكّى الفَضلُ من سَقمٍ عراهُ

فَأَنَّ الفَضلُ أَجمَعُ من أَنينِه

The excellency complained of an illness that made him bare

Yet all of his moans were more excellent than excellence

وَعادَ بِعَقوتي يَشكو جواهُ

كَما يَحنو القَرينُ عَلى قَرينِهِ

And he returned to blame my harshness, complaining of his state

As a companion would yearn for his fellow companion

فَقُلتُ لَهُ وَقاكَ اللَهُ فيهِ

فَاِنَّ السَعدَ يَطلعُ من جَبينِه

So I said to him, may God protect you from it

For luck shines on his forehead

هو العَينُ الَّتي أَبصَرتُ فيها

وَصارَ سوادُ عيني في جُفونِه

It is the eye in which I saw

And the blackness of my eye was in its eyelids

سَتَفديهِ يَميني لا شِمالي

فَعَينُ المَرءِ خَيرٌ من يَمينِه

My right hand will ransom him, not my left

For the eye of a man is better than his right hand