1. أَمَوْلَى الوَرَى إنِّي جَعلْتُكَ في الذِي

    جَرَى أَمْسِ ما بَينِي وبَينَكَ قَاضِيَا

    O master of mankind, I have appointed you, in the matter that

    arose yesterday between me and you, as judge.

  2. علَى أنَّهُ إنْ رَدَّ حُكْمَكَ وَاحِدٌ

    فإنَّكَ تَلْقَانِي بِحُكْمِكَ رَاضِيَا

    On the understanding that, if anyone rejects your judgment,

    you will find me content with your judgment.

  3. فَدَيتُكَ والنَّاسُ الذيِنَ تَرَاهُمُ

    إذَا حُمَّ ما لا بُدَّ مِنهُ فِدَائِيَا

    I would ransom you; and the people you see

    are my ransom when the inevitable is decreed.

  4. أيَحْسُنُ إنعالَيْكَ خَدِّي كَرَامَةً

    وتَتْرُكُنِي أمْشِي علَى الشَّوكِ حَافِيَا

    Is it fitting that I make my cheek your sandal in homage,

    while you leave me to walk barefoot on thorns?

  5. وتَشْرَبُ من كَفِّيَ فَماً يَقتُلُ الصَّدَى

    وأشْرَبُ مِنْكَ ما يَزيدُ ظَمَائِيَا

    And you drink from my palm a mouthful that kills thirst,

    while I drink from you what increases my thirst.

  6. أَلَمْ تَرَني استقْبلْتُ أَوْجُهَ شقْوتِي

    لَدَيكَ وخَلَّفتُ النَّعيمَ ورَائِيا

    Did you not see me turn toward the faces of my misery

    at your side, and leave bliss behind me?

  7. وُجُوهُ أحبَّاءٍ تَبدَّلْتُ مِنْهُمُ

    وُجُوه رِجَالٍ يُتَّقَوْنَ أَعَادِيَا

    Faces of loved ones, in whose place I have taken

    the faces of men feared as enemies;

  8. وأَفْلاذُ أكْبَادٍ تَذُوبُ عَليهِمُ

    ورَاءَ دُمُوعِي قِطْعةٌ من فُؤَادِيَا

    and children, pieces of the liver, for whom there melts

    behind my tears a piece of my heart.

  9. يَنَالُ الجَفَا والضُّرُّ منهُمْ مُرَادَهُ

    وهَانَ لو انِّي نِلتُ مِنْكَ مُرَادِيَا

    Estrangement and harm have their way with them,

    yet that would be bearable if I gained from you what I desire.

  10. وحَادِثَةٍ أنْزَلتَهَا بِي لو انَّها

    بِرَضْوَى لخَوَّى جَانِبَاهُ تَدَاعِيَا

    And a calamity you brought upon me—had it fallen

    on Radwa, both its flanks would have buckled and collapsed.

  11. يَغُضُّ لَهَا من طَرْفِهِ نَاظِرُ العُلاَ

    ويكْسِرُ من جَفْنَيهِ عَنهَا تَعامِيَا

    The eye of glory lowers its gaze before it,

    and droops its eyelids, feigning blindness to it.

  12. وهَبْ أنَّهَا لَمْ تَأْتِ عَنْكَ وإنَّمَا

    رَمَانِي بِها مَنْ شَلَّهُ اللَّهُ رَامِيَا

    And suppose it did not come from you, but rather

    someone hurled it at me—may God paralyze that hurler!

  13. فَمَالَكَ قَدْ أغْفَيتَ عندَ مَسَاءَتي

    وهَانَ عَليكَ عندَ ذَاكَ هَوَانِيَا

    Then why did you doze off when I was wronged,

    and why was my humiliation so trivial to you then?

  14. وإنَّ قَرَارِي عندَها واستِكَانَتي

    علَى خَجَلٍ منْهَا وفَرْط حَيَائِيَا

    Indeed, my remaining still before it, and my submission,

    despite my shame at it and my excessive modesty,

  15. يَرُدُّ عَلَى ابنِ العَاصِ عَمْرو حَيَاءَهُ

    ويُلْبِسُ عِرْضِي عندَ تِلكَ المَخَازِيَا

    restore his modesty to Amr ibn al-As,

    and clothe my honor, at that, in disgrace.

  16. ولا تَدَّعي والصِّدْقُ قَوْلُكَ إنَّني

    أَحَلْتُ وِدَادِي أوقَلَبْتُ ثَنَائِيا

    Do not claim—and your word is truthful—that I

    have altered my affection or reversed my praise.

  17. رَمَى اللَّهُ بالبُعْدِ البعيد مَوَدَّةً

    وأدْنَى امرأً ما كانَ للوُدِّ دَانِيَا

    May God cast far away whoever is distant in affection,

    and draw a man close so long as he remains close in love.

  18. دُعَاءٌ علَى نَفْسِي لإبْرَارِ مَقْسَمِي

    وأنْتَ فتَنْجُو سَالِماً مِنْ دُعَائِيا

    A prayer against myself, to uphold my sworn oath;

    you, however, escape unharmed from my prayer.

  19. وأَمْرَضُ شَيءٍ للحَشَا وأَشَقُّهُ

    علَى النَّفْسِ إخفَائِي علَى النَّاسِ ما بِيَا

    And the thing most sickening to the heart, and hardest

    upon the soul, is my hiding from people what ails me.

  20. أُضَامُ فلا أشْكُو ولو هَمَّ سَاعَةً

    لِسَانِي بالشَّكْوَى قَطعتُ لِسَانِيَا

    I am wronged, yet do not complain; if, even for a moment,

    my tongue meant to complain, I would cut out my tongue.

  21. فَطَلِّقْ وَرَاجِعْ بعدَ حِينٍ مَودَّتِي

    تَجدْهَا على كثْرِ الطَّلاقِ كَمَا هِيَا

    So divorce my affection, and take it back after a while;

    despite repeated divorces, you will find it just as it was.

  22. سَقَى اللَّهُ بالجَرْعَاءِ حَيّاً وإنَّنِي

    بِذَاكَ قد اسْتسقيتُهُ لحيائِيا

    May God send rain to a tribe at al-Jar'a; indeed,

    by that prayer I have sought rain from Him for my modesty's sake.

  23. هُمُ أشْرعُونِي بَابَ كُلِّ رَغِيبَةٍ

    وكَفُّوا الأذَى عن أَنْ يَمُرَّ بِبَابِيَا

    They opened to me the door of every desired blessing,

    and kept harm from passing by my door.

  24. بِعَادُهُمُ قُرْبٌ وفَقْرُهُمُ غِنَى

    تُبَلُّ يَدِي اليُمْنَى بِهِ وشِمَالِيَا

    Their remoteness is nearness, and their poverty is wealth

    that moistens my right hand and my left.

  25. فَيا ابنَ الأُلى اجْتَابُوا الخَصَاصَةَ والغِنَى

    علَى جَارِهِمْ يَبْدو جَديداً وبَالِيَا

    So, O son of those who clothed themselves in poverty, while wealth

    appears on their neighbor, both new and worn-out,

  26. إذَا سُدَّ دُونَ الإذنِ بابٌ لِعِلَّةٍ

    وكَان مُنَاداةُ الضُّيُوفِ تَنَاجِيَا

    when a door was barred against admittance for some reason,

    and the calling of guests was done in whispers,

  27. جَلَوا تِلكُمُ الجِفنَ المِلاَءَ وأعْلَنُوا

    عَلَيها بأصْواتِ الدُّعَاةِ تَنَادِيَا

    they displayed those brimming bowls and proclaimed

    over them, with the callers' voices, a loud summons.

  28. أُعيذُكَ أن أصْفُو وتكدرَ أو أفِي

    وتَغدرَ أو أدْنُو وتُصْبِحَ نَائِيا

    I seek protection for you, lest I be clear while you turn turbid, or keep faith

    while you betray, or draw near while you become distant,

  29. وأبْتَدِرُ الغَايَاتِ سَبقاً فأنتهي

    لأبْعَدِها شَأْواً ولَستَ أَمَامِيا

    and race ahead toward the goals until I reach

    the farthest of them in the race, with you not ahead of me.