وَذي حَسَدٍ يَغتابُني حينَ لا يَرى

وَذي حَسَدٍ يَغتابُني حينَ لا يَرى

مَكاني وَيُثني صالِحاً حينَ أَسَمعُ

مَكاني وَيُثني صالِحاً حينَ أَسَمعُ

And an envious man backbites me when he does not see

With envy he backbites me when he cannot see

where I am, yet speaks well of me within my hearing.

My place, and speaks well of me when I hear.

تَوَرَّعتُ أَن أَغتابَهُ مِن وَرائِهِ

تَوَرَّعتُ أَن أَغتابَهُ مِن وَرائِهِ

وَما هُوَ أَن يَغتابَني مُتَوَرِّعُ

وَما هُوَ أَن يَغتابَني مُتَوَرِّعُ

I refrain out of scruple from backbiting him behind his back,

I hesitated to backbite him in return

but he has no scruples about backbiting me.

While he did not hesitate to backbite me.

وَيَضحَكُ في وَجهي إِذا ما لَقيتُهُ

وَيَضحَكُ في وَجهي إِذا ما لَقيتُهُ

وَيَهمِزُني بِالغَيبِ سِرّاً وَيَلسَعُ

وَيَهمِزُني بِالغَيبِ سِرّاً وَيَلسَعُ

And he smiles to my face whenever I meet him,

He smiles in my face when we meet

and secretly disparages me in my absence and stings me.

And stings me in secret behind my back.

مَلَأتُ عَلَيهِ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

مَلَأتُ عَلَيهِ الأَرضَ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

يَضيقُ عَلَيهِ رُحبُها حينَ أَطلُعُ

يَضيقُ عَلَيهِ رُحبُها حينَ أَطلُعُ

I have filled the earth around him, until it is as though

I gave him wide berth until it was as though

its vast expanse grows narrow for him whenever I appear.

The vastness of the earth was narrow for him when I appeared.