أبا العباس ما هذا التَّواني

وقد أُوسِعْتَ مَنْ كَرمٍ وفَهْمِ

O Abu Al-Abbas, what is this delay?

You who have been endowed with generosity and wisdom,

أتقْلِبُ ذا مُحافظةٍ عَدُوّاً

لعمرُو أبيك ما هذا بحزْمِ

Do you hesitate to confront an enemy,

By the life of your father Amr, this is not wise.

عزمْتَ ندىً فما أمضْيَت عزماً

وكنتَ مُشهَّراً بمضاءِ عزمِ

You intended righteousness, but did not follow through,

Though you were known for your resolute will.

قصدْتُكَ راجياً واليأْسُ رَجْمٌ

فلم تَتْركْ رجاءً غيرَ رَجْم

I came to you hopeful, though hope is futile,

You left me no hope, only despair.

وواتَرْتُ السؤالَ فلم تُجِبْني

كأنِّي سائلٌ آياتِ رسم

I asked persistently, but you did not answer me,

As if I were asking for miracles.

أما والله ما هذا بحقِّي

عليكَ إذا شجيتَ بِظُلْم خَصْم

By God, this is not my right from you,

When you have wronged me by injustice.

زأرْتُ على عَدُوِّكَ غيرَ وانٍ

وأتبعتُ الزئيرَ له بكَلْم

I roared against your enemy without wavering,

And followed it with eloquent speech.

فما أخْلَيْتُهُ من نَهْشِ لحم

ولا أخليتُه من حَطْمِ عظْم

I did not spare him from tearing his flesh,

Or from breaking his bones.

وخِفْتُ عليكَ عاديةَ اللَّيالي

فبتُّ الليلَ أرقبُ كُلَّ نجم

I feared the nights would betray you,

So I stayed awake watching every star,

حراسة ليث صدقٍ لا يُبالي

بسيفٍ في الحفاظِ ولا بسهم

Guarding a sincere lion who cares not,

For sword or arrows to protect him.

فما كافأْتني إلا بجوع

كأني كنتُ عندك كلبَ طَسْم

Yet you rewarded me only with hunger,

As if I were a worthless dog to you.

إليكَ إليكَ من وسَم القوافي

إليك فإنهُ من شرِّ وَسْم

To you, to you, the rhymes point out,

That this is gross ingratitude.

ولم أخش الهجاء عليكَ لكنْ

خشيتُ المدحَ من نَثْرٍ ونظم

I did not insult you, but feared,

Praising you in prose or verse.

ومن تَحْرِمْهُ رِفدكَ بعد مَدْح

فحسبُكَ مدْحُه من كلّ شتم

One whose gift you reject after praising him,

His praise of you is the worst insult.

أليسَ يقالُ قيلَ له فأكْدَى

فتُصبِحُ والذي تُهجَى برَقْم

Is it not said, it was said to him and he recoiled,

So you wake up insulted and marked.

أتَرْضَى أن تروحَ وفضلُ مِثْلي

عليكَ وليسَ فضلُكَ غيرَ وهْم

Are you content to go away, while my merit,

Toward you remains, and yours is fantasy?

لئن خيَّبْتني ورفَدْتَ غيري

لقد صدَّقْتَ عندي قولَ جَهْم

If you disappoint me and gratify another,

You confirm to me Jahm's saying.

ألا لا فِعْلُ حيٍّ باختيار

متى خيَّبْتني لكنْ بحتم

Indeed, no living person acts by choice,

When you disappoint me, but by destiny.

أتَلْقى وجْهَ مسْبوقٍ بمَسْح

وتلقى وجهَ سبَّاقٍ بلَطْمِ

You meet a preceded face with welcome,

And meet a preceding face with a slap.

لقد أضحتْ عقولُ النَّاسِ باختْ

بما فيهنَّ من عَيْبٍ ووَصْم

Minds have been corrupted by the,

Faults and defects in them.

وكم مِنْ قائلٍ لي في مُسِيءٍ

لقد فخَّمْتَ منهُ غيرَ فَخْمِ

How many said to me about a misdoer,

You have gained nothing from him but loss.

فقلت بنَيْتُ مأْثُرةً بِشعْرِي

فلا تعرِض لمأثُرَتي بهدم

I said I built a monument with my poetry,

So do not destroy my monument.

ودعْ ذمَّ المُسيء فما مُسِيءٌ

رأى غبَّ الإساءةِ غيرَ وخْم

Leave off blaming the misdoer, for no misdoer,

Has seen the ugliness of misdoing but briefly.

عفوتُ فلا أقابِلُهُ بِلَوْم

وإنْ أوسِعْتُ من لوم وعذْم

I pardoned so I do not blame him,

Though I could have blamed and punished him.

وما عَفْوي لشيْء غيرَ أنِّي

أرى لحمَ اللئيمِ أغثَّ لحم

My pardoning is not because,

I see the miscreant's flesh as better than flesh.