مِنّي إِلى المُتَكَبِّر

وَالشامِخِ المُتَجَبِّر

From me to the arrogant

From me to the arrogant one,

And the tyrannical oppressor

To the lofty, haughty tyrant,

وَشاتِمي حينَ يَخلو

وَلاعِني حينَ يَعثُر

And those who insult me when alone

Who reviles me when he is alone,

And curse me when they stumble

And curses me whenever he stumbles,

رِلى المُعَرِّضِ بِالبُغ

ضِ لي وَإِن لَم يُفَسِّر

To those who turn away from me with hatred

To the one hinting at hatred toward me,

Even if they do not explain

Even if he does not explain it clearly.

فَإِن شَكَوتُ إِلَيهِ

ما قَد جَرى مِنهُ أَنكَر

If I complain to them

For if I complain to him

About what happened from them they deny

About the harshness he has committed, he denies it.

أَصابَ وِدَّكَ عَينٌ

يا سَيِّدي فَتَغَيَّر

Your love has changed, my lord

The Evil Eye has struck your affection,

So you have changed

O my master, and so it has changed.

فَصِرتَ قائِدَ خُلفٍ

تَسوقُ في الهَجرِ عَسكَر

You have become a leader of dissent

You have become a commander of discord,

Marching estrangement's army

Driving an army of abandonment.

فَإِن أَقُل قِف يَسِر أَو

أَقُل تَقَدَّم تَأَخَّر

If I say stop or proceed

If I say "Halt," he marches on, or

Or say go forward or go back

If I say "Advance," he falls back.

كَطالِبٍ مَثَلاً قي

لَ خالِفِ القَومَ تُذكَر

Like a student who is told

Like one seeking the proverb that was told:

Oppose the people and you will be mentioned

"Oppose the people, and you will be renowned."

إِن كَبَّرَ الناسُ غَنّى

وَإِن تَغَنَّوا يَكبَر

If people boast of wealth

If people chant "God is Great," he sings,

And if they are wealthy they become arrogant

And if they sing, he chants "God is Great."

خِلافُ أَكشَفَ ذي دا

رَتَينِ في الناسِ أَعسَر

Difference has uncovered two

The contrariness of a balding man with two cowlicks

Very difficult sides of people

Is, among people, the most difficult of all.

فَلَستُ أَنسى خِداعي

لَهُ وَإِن كانَ يُنكِر

I will not forget how he deceived me

I shall not forget my deception

Even if he denies it

Of him, even if he denies it,

إِذ قُلتُ مِن أَينَ لِلعَي

نِ يا فَدَيتُكَ أَصغَر

When I said where are these eyes from, my dear

When I asked, "How is it that the eye

And I said no eyes doubt you my bigger

—May I be your ransom—is smaller?"

وَقُلتُ ما شَكَّ في ذا

سِواكَ عَينِيَ أَكبَر

And I said I have said nothing

And I said, "No one doubts this

Bring it here so we can judge

Except you; yet my eye is larger."

وَقُلتُ ما قُلتُ شَيئاً

فَهاتِ حَتّى نُقَدِّر

Until when the eyes shut above my cheek to look

And I said, "I have not spoken falsely,

I stole a kiss from a gazelle

So come, let us measure it."

حَتّى إِذا أَطبَقَ العَي

نَ فَوقَ خَدّي لِيَنظُر

Going along chewing sugar

Until, when he pressed his eye

From that he turned yellow and his face turned red

Against my cheek to look closely,

خَلَستُ قُبلَةَ ظَبيٍ

قَد راحَ ماضِغُ سُكَّر

I stole the kiss of a gazelle

Who had just been chewing sugar.

فَاِصفَرَّ مِن ذاكَ وَاِحمَر

رَ لَونُهُ وَتَمَعَّر

He turned pale from that, then red;

His color flushed, and he fumed with rage.