news i once had a friend whose intentions were corrupted after a plot of friendship that is not denied by the likes of it. each of us knew the secret of the other and the burden was dropped. when he changed towards me he disclosed everything he had learned of me which i had learned of many times more. then he contacted him and said that his words about me had reached me so he was alarmed by that and feared that i would repay him for the ugly thing he had done. that reached me so i wrote him a poem to comfort him and inform him that i would not repay him.
خبر وكان لي مرة صديق ففسدت نيته بعد وكيد مودة لا يكفر بمثلها، وكان علم كل واحد منا سر صاحبه وسقطت المؤنة، فلما تغير علي أفشى كل ما اطلع لي عليه مما كنت اطلعت منه على أضعافه، ثم اتصل به أن قوله في قد بلغني، فجزع لذلك وخشي أن أقارضه على قبيح فعلته؛ وبلغني ذلك فكتبت إليه شعرا أونسه فيه وأعلمه أني لا أقارضه.