ذَمَمتُكَ أَوَّلاً حَتّى إِذا ما

ذَمَمتُكَ أَوَّلاً حَتّى إِذا ما

بَلَوتُ سِواكَ عادَ الذَمُّ حَمدا

بَلَوتُ سِواكَ عادَ الذَمُّ حَمدا

I censured you at first, until

At first I blamed you, until when I

I tried others besides you, and censure turned to praise.

Tested others, blame turned to praise.

فَلَم أَحمِدكَ مِن خَيرٍ وَلَكِن

فَلَم أَحمِدكَ مِن خَيرٍ وَلَكِن

رَأَيتُ سِواكَ شَرّاً مِنكَ حَدّا

رَأَيتُ سِواكَ شَرّاً مِنكَ حَدّا

So I praised you not for goodness, but

I did not praise you for your goodness, but

I found others worse than you in severity.

I saw others were worse than you absolutely.

فَعُدتُ إِلَيكَ مُجتَدِياً ذَليلاً

فَعُدتُ إِلَيكَ مُجتَدِياً ذَليلاً

لِأَنّي لَم أَجِد مِن ذاكَ بُدا

لِأَنّي لَم أَجِد مِن ذاكَ بُدا

So I returned to you, seeking gifts, abject,

So I returned to you humbly, lowly,

Because I found no escape from that.

Because I found no alternative to that.

كَمَجهودٍ تَحامى لَحمَ مَيتٍ

كَمَجهودٍ تَحامى لَحمَ مَيتٍ

فَلَمّا اِضطُرَّ عادَ إِلَيهِ شَدّا

فَلَمّا اِضطُرَّ عادَ إِلَيهِ شَدّا

Like a famished man who shunned a dead animal's flesh,

Like one repelled from eating dead flesh,

Then, when necessity forced him, he rushed back to it.

Who, when desperate, returns to it eagerly.