أَيا مَن تَجَنُّبُهُ مُعضِلُ
وَمَن كُلُّ أَفعالِهِ مُشكِلُ
O you whom it is hard to avoid,
And whose every deed is perplexing:
سَأَمنَحُكَ الهَجرَ لا عَن قِلىً
وَلا أَنَّني لَكَ مُستَثقِلُ
I shall grant you estrangement, not out of hatred,
Nor because I find you burdensome.
وَلا قائِلٌ فيكَ إِلّا الجَمي
لَ وَإِن كانَ ما جِئتَ لا يَجمُلُ
Nor will I say of you anything but what is beauti-
-ful, though what you have done is not becoming.
وَلَكِنَّ عُذرَكَ بَعدَ الوَفاءِ
وَالعُذرُ أَقبَحُ ما يُفعَلُ
But your excuse after loyalty—
And an excuse is the ugliest thing one can offer.
وَكَم جاءَني عَنكَ مِن مَنطِقٍ
يَكادُ الحَليمُ لَهُ يَجهَلُ
And how much speech from you has reached me
That nearly makes a forbearing man act rashly!
تَصامَمتُ عَنهُ كَأَن قُلتَهُ
لِغَيري وَسَمعي بِهِ مُثقَلُ
I feigned deafness to it, as though you had said it
To someone other than me, while my hearing was burdened by it.
وَقُلتُ قَبيحٌ مَضى مُدبِراً
سَيَتبَعُهُ الحَسَنُ المُجمِلُ
And I said: an ugly deed has passed, retreating;
A gracious good deed will follow it.
وَعاقِبَةُ الصَبرِ مَحمودَةٌ
وَلَكِن أَخو الخُرقِ مُستَعجِلُ
And the outcome of patience is praiseworthy,
Yet the brother of folly is impatient.
Sol 6.1