أَراني وَهِنداً أَكثَرَ الناسُ قالَةً

عَلَينا وَقالُ الناسِ بِالمَرءِ مُلحِقُ

They see me as weak, most people find fault

With me, while people tend to blame a man,

تُكَنِّنُها نِسوانُها وَيَلومُني

صِحابي وَكُلٌّ ما اِستَطاعَ مُعَوِّقُ

Their women malign me, and my friends blame me too,

Each does the utmost that he can to hinder.

فَنَحنُ عَلى بَغيِ الوُشاةِ وَسَعيِهِم

هَوانا جَميعٌ أَمرُنا حَيثُ يُصفَقُ

Yet we pursue the path the slanderers made,

Submissive, whatever way the matter ends.

فَإِن نَحنُ جِئنا سُنَّةً لَم تَكُن مَضَت

فَنَحنُ إِذا مِمّا يَقولونَ أَخرَقُ

If we should start a course till now untried,

We would be called, for what they say, iconoclasts.

وَإِن كانَ أَمراً سَنَّهُ الناسُ قَبلَنا

فَفيمَ مَقالُ الناسِ فينا تَفَرَّقوا

But if the course was one men followed before,

Why do they talk of us, make divisions?

أَحَقّاً بِأَن لَم تَهوَ غانِيَةٌ فَتىً

وَأَنَّ أُناساً لَم يُحِبّوا وَيَعشَقوا

Is it right that a songstress never loved a knight,

Or that no men have loved and felt passion?

فَمَن ذا الَّذي إِن جِئتُ ما أَمَروا بِهِ

يَبيتُ بِهَمٍّ آخِرَ اللَيلِ يَأرَقُ

Who is the man, if I do as they command,

That frets on sleepless nights and tosses wakeful?

وَإِنَّ الَّتي نَهَّينَها عَن وِصالِنا

تَبيتُ إِذا اِشتاقَت إِلَينا تَشَوَّقُ

But she we're barred from joining, if she longs for us,

Will lie awake, when yearning comes, craving us.

فَإِنّا لَمَحقوقونَ أَن لا يَرُدَّنا

أَقاويلُ ما سَدّوا عَلَينا وَأَلصَقوا

We are wronged that their talk should bar our road,

All the charges they have levelled and attached.