أيُّها الحاسدِي على صُحْبتي العُس

ر وذَمِّي الزمانَ والإخوانا

O you who envies my companionship in hardship

And blames time and brethren

حسداً هاجَهُ على ثلب شعري

ولقائي معبِّساً غضبانا

With envy that provokes him against my poetry

And meeting me frowning and angry

وانتقاصي مع العدو وقد كا

ن يرى لي نقائِصي رُجْحانا

And belittling me with the enemy, though he

Could see my own flaws clearly

ليت شعري ماذا حسدتَ عليه

أيُّها الظالِمي إخائي عيانا

I wonder what you envied me for

O you who wrongs me, my brother in plain sight

أَعلى أنَّني ظَمِئْتُ وأضحَى

كُلُّ من كان صادياً ريَّانا

Is it that I became thirsty while

All who were once kind became cruel?

أمْ على أنَّني أمشي حسيراً

وأرى النَّاسَ كلَّهُمْ رُكْبانا

Or that I walk humbly

While seeing all people mounted?

أمْ على أنني ثكلتُ شقيقي

وعدِمْتُ الثَّراءَ والأوطانا

Or that I lost my brother

And missed wealth and homelands?

عُدْ كريماً إلى كريم كما كن

تَ وإلا لقيتَ مِنِّي هوانا

Return magnanimous to the magnanimous as you were

Else you will meet disgrace from me

لا عقاباً بما تقولُ ولكنْ

بجفاء أردفْتَه هِجرانا

Not as punishment for your words, but

For the estrangement you accompanied them with

وتيقَّنْ أني مُقيمٌ على العه

دِ حَياتي وخُذْ بذاكَ ضمانا

And know that I stand by the pact of

My life, so take that as guarantee

لا أعُدُّ الذنوبَ منك ذُنوباً

بل هدايا مقبولةً وحنانا

I do not count your sins as sins

But gifts accepted and affection

وكذا ذَنْبُ كُلِّ دَهرٍ يليه

آلُ وَهْب أعُدُّهُ إحسانا

So too the sin of each era succeeded

By an Aal-Wahb I count as favor

وأرى يومَهمْ ضَمِيناً وفيّاً

بِغَدٍ يجعل العِدا خُلّانا

And I see their day as supportive and loyal

With a tomorrow that makes enemies intimate

قسماً لَوْ جَهدْتَ جُهدك ما اعتد

دَتْكَ نفسي إلا أخاً خُلْصَانا

I swear, if you tried your utmost,

My soul would still count you a loyal brother

فارقبِ الإلَّ أن تكونَ على خل

لِكَ قِدْمَاً مَعَ الزَّمانِ زمانا

So watch that you be not, in your misstep

A foot along with time, in time