قبيحٌ بحقِّك أن تبخلا

عليَّ وجودكَ عمَّ الملا

It is ugly of you to be stingy

In bestowing your existence upon me

ولو أنَّ غيرك في منعه

يبيت لصعبيَ مُستَسهلا

And if another were to withhold it

It would be easy for my difficulties

إذاً لأصبت بسهمِ القريض

مقاتلهُ مَقتلاً مَقتلا

Then I would be struck by the arrow of poetry

A lethal, lethal strike

وجرَّدتُ من مقولي صارماً

فاحتزَّه مِفصلاً مِفصلا

And I would unsheathe my sharp saying

Severing joint by joint

ولكن أجلّك عمَّا ذكرت

فذاكَ بحقِّك لن يجمُلا

But your dignity precludes what I have mentioned

For that does not befit your right