1. I do not insult the sultan during his days
Out of fear of his might and bitterness of his punishment

2. And when fate strikes him with its vicissitudes
I beware his decline and the peril of his reward

3. And I consider it harmful to think of harming him
When time has slipped from his grasp

4. By Allah, I lampoon whoever's time lampoons him
My pouncing upon him is forbidden in his presence

5. So let the leaders know that I am a devout man
Who shuns evil and dreads its causes

6. It is right to censor with satire, making clear
To the foolish their deviance and rectitude

7. Satire is forbidden against a man unless a man
Who satire has befallen due to his peers

8. Or one seeking sustenance whom a tyrant protects
Wrongfully depriving him of his food and drink