هجاني حُفَيصٌ ولم أهجه

ولكنه رجلٌ عَرْبدا

He insulted me, and I did not insult him,

Yet he is an ignorant, boorish man.

غدا ظالماً جاحداً نعمتي

وما كان حقِّيَ أن أُجحدا

Tomorrow he will be an unjust ingrate

When he should not deny my right.

ألم تكُ كَفِّيَ مُشْطاً له

وأيري لزوجته مِرْودا

Were not my hands combing his hair?

And feeding his wife fertile dates?

أحُكُّ بفيْشته كَيْنَها

وأكْحُلُ جارَ استها الأرمدا

I scrape his splint to kindle it,

And line his neighbor's infected eyes with kohl.

بحضرته كان ما أدَّعي

وما كنت بالزور مستشهدا

In his presence I boast of what I claim,

Not bearing false witness.

إذا ما يدي سئمت قفده

تبوَّأْتُ من عرسه مقعدا

When my hands grow tired of restraining him,

I take a seat at his wedding feast.

فما لي جُفيت وما لي هُجي

تُ حتى كأنِّيَ أعدى العدا

Why then am I shunned, why insulted,

As if I were the most hostile enemy?

أضاع إخائي ولم يرْعني

وأشمتَ بي معشراً حُسَّدا

He neglected my brotherhood and had no mercy,

And a horde of enviers triumphed over me.

أما يتذكَّر لي أنني

تخيرت صلعته مقْفَدا

Does he not remember that I

Chose his baldness as my fillet?

وأنّيَ كنت أباهي بها

من استلم الحجر الأسودا

That I used to pride myself on it

More than one who obtained the Black Stone?