دعْني أَقولُ ودعْهُ يَنْتقِدُ

دعْني أَقولُ ودعْهُ يَنْتقِدُ

قوْلي الزُّلالُ ونقْدُهُ البَرَدُ

قوْلي الزُّلالُ ونقْدُهُ البَرَدُ

Let me speak, and let him criticize.

Let me speak and let him criticize

My speech is clear, sweet water; his criticism is hail.

My speech is clear and his criticism is cold

ويقول سحر ما أَقولُ لكُمْ

ويقول سحر ما أَقولُ لكُمْ

قُلْتُ صدقْتَ لأَنَّهُ عُقدُ

قُلْتُ صدقْتَ لأَنَّهُ عُقدُ

And he says that what I say to you is magic.

And he says it's magic what I say to you

I said, "You speak truly, for it is knots."

You said truly, because it is a knot

ماذا يضر الأُسْد إِن زأَرتْ

ماذا يضر الأُسْد إِن زأَرتْ

إِنْ ظل ينقُدُ زأْرَها النقدُ

إِنْ ظل ينقُدُ زأْرَها النقدُ

What harm comes to the lions if they roar,

What would hurt the lion if it roared

if the short-legged sheep keep criticizing their roar?

If the shadow keeps criticizing its roar

أَو مَا عَلى قوْلي وجُمْلتِه

أَو مَا عَلى قوْلي وجُمْلتِه

زَبَدٌ بنَقْدٍ كُلُّهُ زَبَدُ

زَبَدٌ بنَقْدٍ كُلُّهُ زَبَدُ

Or is there not, upon my speech in its entirety,

Or what's wrong with my words and sentences

froth from criticism that is itself all froth?

Foam with criticism, all of it is foam

قَوْلِي يصوغُ الفِكْرُ عَسْجَدَهُ

قَوْلِي يصوغُ الفِكْرُ عَسْجَدَهُ

والنقدُ فيه يصوغُه المَعِدُ

والنقدُ فيه يصوغُه المَعِدُ

My speech—thought fashions its gold;

My words shape the idea beautifully

and criticism of it is fashioned by the dyspeptic.

And the criticism in it shapes it crooked

لا عاد وجهِي مِلْؤُهْ ضَحِكٌ

لا عاد وجهِي مِلْؤُهْ ضَحِكٌ

نَقْدٌ بِعَيْنٍ مِلْؤُهَا رَمَدُ

نَقْدٌ بِعَيْنٍ مِلْؤُهَا رَمَدُ

May my face, full of laughter, never be visited

No longer does my face fill with laughter

by criticism with an eye full of inflammation.

Criticism with an eye filled with mucus