هذا ابن حجاجٍ تفاقم أمره

هذا ابن حجاجٍ تفاقم أمره

وجرى وجر لحد غايته الرسن

وجرى وجر لحد غايته الرسن

This is Ibn Hajjaj, whose plight grew grave,

This is Hijjaj's son who suffered to the brink

And he ran, pulling the halter to the limit of his reach,

And raced till he reached the end of his rope

حتى غدا ملقى ذبيحاً حاكياً

حتى غدا ملقى ذبيحاً حاكياً

للناس رقدته إذا هجر الوسن

للناس رقدته إذا هجر الوسن

Until he lay cast down, slaughtered, mimicking

Until he lay slaughtered telling tales

For the people his repose when slumber had forsaken him.

To people of his sleep when wakefulness fled

فليحذر الكتابُ ما قد غاله

فليحذر الكتابُ ما قد غاله

وأخصُّ بينهم الفقيه أبا الحسن

وأخصُّ بينهم الفقيه أبا الحسن

So let the scribes beware of what has struck him down;

So let writers beware what made him err

And among them I single out the jurist Abu al-Hasan.

Especially the jurist Abul Hasan among them