وذي وُدٍّ تَغيَّظ إذ جفاني

وذي وُدٍّ تَغيَّظ إذ جفاني

أبو حفصٍ فقلت له فداهُ

أبو حفصٍ فقلت له فداهُ

A loving friend grew angry when I was shunned

A friend was angered when I turned from him,

by Abu Hafs; I told him, “May I be his ransom!

Abu Hafs, I said to him, may I ransom him,

ألم ترني وقفتُ عليه عِرضي

ألم ترني وقفتُ عليه عِرضي

وأمكَنني بذلك من قَفاهُ

وأمكَنني بذلك من قَفاهُ

Have you not seen how I placed my honor at his disposal,

Did you not see me expose my honor for his sake

and he thereby gave me access to the back of his neck?

And give him access to my inner self?

فلستُ الدهرَ هاجِيَهُ حياتي

فلستُ الدهرَ هاجِيَهُ حياتي

ولكنِّي سأهجو مَنْ هجاهُ

ولكنِّي سأهجو مَنْ هجاهُ

So never, as long as I live, shall I satirize him;

So I am not one to disparage life itself,

but I shall satirize whoever satirizes him.

But I will disparage him who disparages me.

إذا كافأتُهُ سُوءاً بسوءٍ

إذا كافأتُهُ سُوءاً بسوءٍ

فمن لِيدي ونُزهتِها سِواهُ

فمن لِيدي ونُزهتِها سِواهُ

If I repay him ill for ill,

If I requite his evil with evil,

then who but he would give my hand its amusement?”

Who then will care for my hand and its purity but me?