ما لحيتاننا جفتنا وأنَّى

أخلفَ الزائرونَ مُنتظريهِمْ

Our whales have left us, when will

The visitors return to those awaiting them?

قد أزحنا اعتلالهم وجَعَلنا

سَبْتهم جمعةً فما يُشكيهِمْ

We have relieved their discomfort and made

Their absence into a weekend, so why complain?

جاء في السبت زَوْرُهم فأتينا

من حفاظٍ عليه ما يكفيهِمْ

They came on Saturday, so we

Protected them as best we could.

وجَعَلناه يومَ عيدٍ عظيم

فكأنا اليهودُ أو نحكيهِمْ

And we made it a great feast day,

As if we were Jews or told their tales.

واحتملنا مقالة الناسِ فينا

ولَهم كلُّ ما احتملنا وفيهِمْ

We endured people's talk about us

And bore all that we endured and their absence.

وأراهمُ مُصَممّينَ على الهج

رِ فلِمْ يُسخطونَ من يُرضيهِمْ

And I see them determined on estrangement -

Why are they angered by one who pleases them?

قُل لهم يُعتبونَنا أيها الحُرْ

رُ ويُولوننا كما نُوليهِمْ

Tell them, O free man, they blame us

And reject us as we reject them.

أو يقولونَ لا نجيئُك مَجَّا

ناً فنرتادُ كافياً يشتريهِمْ

Or they say, we will not come visiting you,

So we frequent a merchant who will buy them.

ليس شيء سوى الوفاءِ أو التص

ريح بالعذر فاعلمَنْ ينجيهِمْ

Nothing but loyalty or an apology

In excuse will save them, let them know.

قد سَبتْنا وإنما كان قومٌ

يومَ لا يَسبتون لا يأتيهِمْ

We have left them, yet there were people

One day who did not leave and did not come to them.