عجباً لقوم يحسدون فضائلي

عجباً لقوم يحسدون فضائلي

ما بين غيابي إلى عذالي

ما بين غيابي إلى عذالي

How strange that people envy my virtues—

How strange are those who envy my virtues

From my backbiters to my reproachers!

In my absence till my return

عتبوا على فضلي وذموا حكمتي

عتبوا على فضلي وذموا حكمتي

واستوحشوا من نقصهم وكمالي

واستوحشوا من نقصهم وكمالي

They reproached me for my excellence and condemned my wisdom,

They blamed my merit and condemned my wisdom

And were dismayed by their deficiency and my perfection.

And felt lonesome in their deficiency and my perfection

إني وكيدهم وما عتبوا به

إني وكيدهم وما عتبوا به

كالطود يحقر نطحة الأوعال

كالطود يحقر نطحة الأوعال

Indeed I, faced with their scheming and their reproaches,

I and their plots and what they blamed

Am like a lofty mountain that scorns the butting of ibexes.

Are like a mountain belittling the butting of lambs

وإذا الفتى عرف الرشاد لنفسه

وإذا الفتى عرف الرشاد لنفسه

هانت عليه ملامة الجهال

هانت عليه ملامة الجهال

And when a young man knows the right course for himself,

And when a young man knows guidance for himself

The reproach of the ignorant becomes insignificant to him.

The blame of the ignorant becomes trivial to him