Sol 6.1

  1. O you who blame me for what I sought

    for my livelihood and to remedy my lot in life,

  2. I have concerned myself with Egypt’s affairs,

    but where is anyone concerned with mine?

  3. The fault lies with the heedless,

    the wealthy; and the excuse is mine.

  4. I am this age’s martyr, hidden away

    in a wilderness or in a palace.

  5. If a free man’s thought is a bringer

    of sorrows, may I lose my thought!

  6. Or if in lamenting sorrow

    the ignorant find delight, I would seal my lips.

  7. The injustice is that I suffer for my literary works,

    even if they immortalize my memory.

Sol 6.1