عساها تنجلى وخلاك ذمٌّ

عساها تنجلى وخلاك ذمٌّ

وماءُ الوجه في الوجَناتِ جَمُّ

وماءُ الوجه في الوجَناتِ جَمُّ

May it clear away, with no blame upon you,

May it be unveiled and spare you blame

And the water of honor is abundant in the cheeks.

And the water of the face in the cheeks gathered

ولم يَجرِ السؤالُ على لسانى

ولم يَجرِ السؤالُ على لسانى

ولا ندَّى يدى بحرٌ خِضمٌ

ولا ندَّى يدى بحرٌ خِضمٌ

And no begging has passed over my tongue,

And the question did not run on my tongue

Nor has a vast sea moistened my hand.

Nor did my hand touch a Flexible sea

سيحرُسنى التجمُّل من أناس

سيحرُسنى التجمُّل من أناس

هُمُ عنّى بداء البُخْل صُمُّ

هُمُ عنّى بداء البُخْل صُمُّ

Dignified restraint will guard me from people

Vanity will protect me from people

Whom the disease of miserliness has made deaf to me.

Who are misers in the disease of stinginess, deaf

حمانى زادَهم بطنٌ خميصٌ

حمانى زادَهم بطنٌ خميصٌ

على الجُلَّى وعِرنينٌ أشَمُّ

على الجُلَّى وعِرنينٌ أشَمُّ

A lean belly has kept me from their provisions,

Their belly's provision protected them

Even in direst hardship—as has a proud, high-bridged nose.

Over the bare and the intense stench

فقد سقَّيتُ بَرْدَ اليأسِ منهم

فقد سقَّيتُ بَرْدَ اليأسِ منهم

فؤادا من رجائهمُ يُحَمُّ

فؤادا من رجائهمُ يُحَمُّ

For I have poured the cool draught of giving up on them

So I watered the cold of despair from them

Into a heart fevered by hope in them.

A heart that burns from their hopes

وكيف أكلَّف المعروفَ قوما

وكيف أكلَّف المعروفَ قوما

سواءٌ عندهم مدحٌ وذمُّ

سواءٌ عندهم مدحٌ وذمُّ

And how can I demand kindness of people

And how can I oblige kindness to a people

To whom praise and blame are alike?

Praise and blame are equal to them

تُلاقِى المكرماتُ بهم هوانا

تُلاقِى المكرماتُ بهم هوانا

كما يلقَى بذى الرَّوِق الأجَمُّ

كما يلقَى بذى الرَّوِق الأجَمُّ

Noble deeds meet with contempt among them,

Kind deeds meet humiliation with them

As a hornless beast does before one with horns.

As the most aromatic aloes wood meets the uncouth

إذا ضحِكوا الىَّ رأَوْه بِرًّا

إذا ضحِكوا الىَّ رأَوْه بِرًّا

أكلُّ البِرّ تقبيلٌ وضمَُّ

أكلُّ البِرّ تقبيلٌ وضمَُّ

When they smile at me, they count it as kindness;

If they laugh at me they see it as righteousness

Is all kindness kissing and embracing?

All righteousness is kissing and hugging to them

يرَوْنَ عقوقَ ما كنزَوا حراما

يرَوْنَ عقوقَ ما كنزَوا حراما

هل العَرَض المسومُ أبٌ وأُمُّ

هل العَرَض المسومُ أبٌ وأُمُّ

They deem disloyalty to what they have hoarded forbidden;

They see the disobedience of what they hoarded as unlawful

Is priced worldly wealth a father and a mother?

Is the offered honor a father or a mother?

وكم من شيمةٍ دفراءَ فيهم

وكم من شيمةٍ دفراءَ فيهم

تفوح لو أنّ أخلاقاً تُشَمُّ

تفوح لو أنّ أخلاقاً تُشَمُّ

And how many a foul-smelling trait they have,

And how many repugnant traits in them

That would reek, if character could be smelled!

That would smell if manners could be smelled

ستأتيهم قوافٍ شارداتٌ

ستأتيهم قوافٍ شارداتٌ

بأنساعِ المخازى لا تُزمُّ

بأنساعِ المخازى لا تُزمُّ

Wandering rhymes will reach them,

Withered mouths will come to them

Unbridled by the girth-straps of disgrace.

With types of disgrace that cannot be controlled

مقالٌ في النفوسِ له دبيبٌ

مقالٌ في النفوسِ له دبيبٌ

وبعض القول في الأعراض سُمُّ

وبعض القول في الأعراض سُمُّ

An utterance that creeps through souls,

A saying in the souls that has bustling

And some speech is poison to reputations.

And some of the words in honors are poison

فإعرابُ الفَمِ المِنطبقِ فتحٌ

فإعرابُ الفَمِ المِنطبقِ فتحٌ

متى أضحى بناءُ الكفّ ضمُّ

متى أضحى بناءُ الكفّ ضمُّ

So the shut mouth’s inflection is 'opening,'

So the pronunciation of the closed mouth is an opening

Whenever the hand’s fixed form becomes 'closure'.

Whenever the structure of the palm becomes closed