أَخِلّائي أَذُمُّكُمُ إِلَيكُم

وَكُنتُ بِمَدحِكُم قَمِناً خَليقا

My friends, I complain of you to yourselves,

My friends, I speak my blame of you to you,

And I was decent in praising you.

Though I was worthy to have sung your praise.

فَلا وَأَبيكُمُ ما الفَضلُ دَأبي

إِذا ما لَم أَجِد مِنكُم صَديقا

No, by your lives, excellence is not my habit,

No, by your fathers, kindness is not my habit,

If I do not find a friend among you.

If I can find no true friend in your midst.

إِذا اِستَبطَأتُكُم عَنَّفتُموني

وَقُلتُم إِنَّ فيهِ لِذاكَ ضيقا

When I am slow to see you, you rebuke me

When I found you slow to help, you chastised me,

And say, “There is confinement in that, indeed.”

And said, "For this, his spirit is too narrow."

فَأُقسِمُ لَو تَكونونَ الأُسارى

وَكُنتُ أَنا المُخَلّى وَالطَليقا

So I swear, if you were to become captives,

Yet I swear, if you were the ones in chains,

And I was the one freed and unconfined,

And I the one set loose and roaming free,

إِذَن لَجَهِدتُ فَوقَ الجَهدِ حَتّى

أُطيقَ خَلاصَكُم أَو لا أُطيقا

Then I would strive, beyond all effort,

I would have struggled beyond all struggle until

To manage your release, whether able or not.

I forced your rescue or could strive no more.

فَلا وَاللَهِ أَذخَرُكُم هِجاءً

وَشَتماً ما بَقيتُ وَلا عُقوقا

No, by Allah, I will not hoard reproach

So no, by God, I shall not spare you satire,

Or insult, so long as I live, nor disobedience.

Nor insults while I live, nor sharp disdain.