1. وَقالوا أَسِغها إِنَّما هِيَ مَضغَةٌ

    بِفيكَ أَبا الغَيداقِ تُربٌ وَجَندَلُ

    And they said, "Swallow it; it is only a morsel."

    Dust and stones in your mouth, Abu al-Ghaydaq!

  2. صَدَفتُ بِوَجهي لا بِقَلبِيَ عَنكُمُ

    وَيَصدِفُ قَلبُ المَرءِ وَالوَجهُ مُقبِلُ

    I turned my face away from you, not my heart.

    And a person's heart turns away while their face is turned toward you.

  3. رَجَعنا عَلى الأَعقابِ فيما يَسُرُّنا

    نُجَرُّ إِلى ما لا نَوَدُّ وَنَعتَلُ

    We turned back on our heels in matters that delight us,

    Dragged toward what we do not desire, and roughly hauled along.

  4. صِحاحُ أَديمِ الوُدِّ لا عَيبَ فيهِمُ

    سِوى ما يَقولُ الجادِبُ المُتَعَلِّلُ

    Their affection's skin is unblemished; there is no fault in them,

    Except what the pretext-seeking faultfinder says.

  5. فَزِعتُ إِلى الأَبدالِ بَعدَ فِراقِهِم

    فَأَعوَزَني يا عَمروُ مَن أَتَبَدَّلُ

    I turned to substitutes after parting from them,

    But, O Amr, I could find no one to take in their stead.