جزى اللَّه عني قبحَ وجهي سعادةً

كما قد جزاهُ والإله قديرُ

May God reward me for the ugliness of my face with happiness

Just as He has rewarded him, and God is All-Powerful

ذَعَرْتُ به قوماً فأدَّوا إتاوةً

كأني عليهم عند ذاك أمير

I frightened people with it, so they paid protection money

As if I was their ruler at that time

فَدى نفسَهُ من قُبْح وجْهِيَ سَيِّدٌ

وزيرٌ أبوه سيدٌ ووزير

A nobleman ransomed himself from the ugliness of my face

A minister whose father was a nobleman and a minister

فلا يَقْطَعنَّ الرزقَ عنِّيَ قاسمٌ

فليس له مني سواه خفير

So let not Qasim cut off my livelihood

For he has no claim on me other than being my guard

عرفت له الإجراء وهو صنيعهُ

وأنكرتُ منه الهجرَ وهو نكير

I knew his nature and that was his habit

And I denied his estrangement which was unwarranted

وما قدْرُ ما يجري وغَيْبةُ وجْهِه

تُطيلُ عليَّ الليلَ وهْو قصير

The duration of what happens and his absence

Prolongs the short night for me

لرؤيتُهُ عندي أجل منَ الذي

يَحُلُّ به من مُلكه ويسيرُ

Seeing him is more important to me than what

Comes into his possession and passes

فلا تجعلنَّ الهجر دَأباً فإنهُ

بإتمام ما أَسْدَى إليَّ جدير

So do not make estrangement your habit, for it

Is worthy of perfecting what was initiated for me

وإلا فمالي حاجةٌ في نواله

وإني إلى ما دونَه لفَقير

Otherwise, why would I need his company

When I am devoid of anything less than it

وهل نِعمة حتى تكونَ مَودَّة

وهل رَوْضة حتى يكونَ غدير

Is there really a blessing for there to be affection?

Is there really a meadow for there to be a brook?

وكلُّ كثيرٍ تافهٌ عند وجهِهِ

وكلّ كبيرٍ غيرَه فصغير

Everything plentiful is paltry before his face

And everything great other than it is petty

أنائلُهُ يغتَرُّني عن لقائه

ومجلِسه إنّي إذاً لغرير

His gifts distract me from seeing him

And his company, I am thus being deceived