وَإِنّي أَتَتني عَن يَسارٍ مَقالَةٌ

وَجَهلٌ وَكانَ المَرءُ لَيسَ بِجاهِلِ

And truly a story came to me from the left,

And ignorance, though a man should not be ignorant,

فَإِنَّكَ قَد حاوَلتَ جَهلاً وَفِتنَةً

وَإِنَّكَ تَسعى إِن سَعيتَ بِخامِلِ

For you have attempted ignorance and strife,

And you strive in vain if you strive with the ineffective,

وَكَيفَ أُعادي مَعشَراً يَأدِبونَكُم

عَلى الحَقِّ أَن لا يَأشِبُوهُ بِباطِلِ

And how could I oppose a group who discipline you

For truth, lest they adulterate it with falsehood,

أَبَت كَبِدي لا أَكذِبَنكَ قِتالَهُم

وَكفّي وَتأباهُ عَلَيَّ أَنامِلي

My liver refused, I will not lie to you about their fighting,

And my palms and fingers refused me, upon myself my fingers.