وَإِنّي أَتَتني عَن يَسارٍ مَقالَةٌ

وَإِنّي أَتَتني عَن يَسارٍ مَقالَةٌ

وَجَهلٌ وَكانَ المَرءُ لَيسَ بِجاهِلِ

وَجَهلٌ وَكانَ المَرءُ لَيسَ بِجاهِلِ

And indeed, a remark from Yasar has reached me,

And truly a story came to me from the left,

And folly, though the man was no fool.

And ignorance, though a man should not be ignorant,

فَإِنَّكَ قَد حاوَلتَ جَهلاً وَفِتنَةً

فَإِنَّكَ قَد حاوَلتَ جَهلاً وَفِتنَةً

وَإِنَّكَ تَسعى إِن سَعيتَ بِخامِلِ

وَإِنَّكَ تَسعى إِن سَعيتَ بِخامِلِ

For you have indeed attempted folly and strife,

For you have attempted ignorance and strife,

And if you strive, you strive with one of no renown.

And you strive in vain if you strive with the ineffective,

وَكَيفَ أُعادي مَعشَراً يَأدِبونَكُم

وَكَيفَ أُعادي مَعشَراً يَأدِبونَكُم

عَلى الحَقِّ أَن لا يَأشِبُوهُ بِباطِلِ

عَلى الحَقِّ أَن لا يَأشِبُوهُ بِباطِلِ

And how could I oppose a people who summon you

And how could I oppose a group who discipline you

To the truth, without mingling it with falsehood?

For truth, lest they adulterate it with falsehood,

أَبَت كَبِدي لا أَكذِبَنكَ قِتالَهُم

أَبَت كَبِدي لا أَكذِبَنكَ قِتالَهُم

وَكفّي وَتأباهُ عَلَيَّ أَنامِلي

وَكفّي وَتأباهُ عَلَيَّ أَنامِلي

My liver refused—I will not lie to you—to fight them,

My liver refused, I will not lie to you about their fighting,

And my palm; my fingertips, too, refuse me that.

And my palms and fingers refused me, upon myself my fingers.