وَعَدتُم وَأَعطَيتُم مَدى المَطلِ حَقَّهُ

وَعَدتُم وَأَعطَيتُم مَدى المَطلِ حَقَّهُ

عَلى قَدرِهِ حَتّى سَئِمنا التَمادِيا

عَلى قَدرِهِ حَتّى سَئِمنا التَمادِيا

You promised, and gave the span of delay its due,

You promised and gave free rein as long as hope remained,

in full measure, until we wearied of its dragging on.

According to its extent, until we grew weary of patience.

فَلَمّا تَقاضَينا بِشِعرٍ سَخِطتُمُ

فَلَمّا تَقاضَينا بِشِعرٍ سَخِطتُمُ

وَقُلتُم غَدا بَعدَ المَدائِحِ هاجِيا

وَقُلتُم غَدا بَعدَ المَدائِحِ هاجِيا

Then, when we sought payment through verse, you grew angry,

Yet when we asked for poetry in exchange you were angered

and said, “After panegyrics, he has turned satirist.”

And said tomorrow, after the praises, it will come reproaching.

وَما كانَ ذاكَ الهُزءُ ظُلماً وَإِنَّما

وَما كانَ ذاكَ الهُزءُ ظُلماً وَإِنَّما

يُذِكِّرُ بِالأَشعارِ مَن كانَ ناسِيا

يُذِكِّرُ بِالأَشعارِ مَن كانَ ناسِيا

Yet that mockery was no injustice; it only

That jest was no injustice, but only

reminds through poems whoever had forgotten.

Reminded the forgetful of poetry.

فَإِن قُلتُمُ إِنّا ظَلَمنا فَلَم نَكُن

فَإِن قُلتُمُ إِنّا ظَلَمنا فَلَم نَكُن

ظَلَمنا وَلَكِنّا أَسَأنا التَقاضِيا

ظَلَمنا وَلَكِنّا أَسَأنا التَقاضِيا

So if you say that we did wrong, we had not

If you say we were unjust, we were not,

done wrong, but we erred in demanding payment.

But we erred in asking payment.