قالوا قصيدتك ارتدت وما سمعت

قالوا قصيدتك ارتدت وما سمعت

بالله بالله اخبرنا عن السبب

بالله بالله اخبرنا عن السبب

They said, “Your poem was turned back and went unheard.

They said your poem has fallen into heresy, and we have not heard,

By God, by God, tell us the reason.”

I implore you, I implore you, tell us the reason,

فقلت ما قوبلت بالرد من خطأ

فقلت ما قوبلت بالرد من خطأ

الا لكثرة ما فيها من الكذب

الا لكثرة ما فيها من الكذب

So I said, “It was rejected for no fault

So I said it was not met with refutation of error,

except the abundance of lies within it.

Except for the abundance of lies in it,

والله لا عجب من شح انفسكم

والله لا عجب من شح انفسكم

فلو سمحتم لكانت غاية العجب

فلو سمحتم لكانت غاية العجب

By God, your souls’ stinginess is no surprise;

By God, it is no wonder that you are stingy with yourselves,

for had you been generous, that would have been the height of wonder.”

If you were generous, it would be extremely wondrous,