مَدَحْتُ أبَا جَعْفَرٍ

مَدَحْتُ أبَا جَعْفَرٍ

وَقُلْتُ شَرِيفُ العَرَبْ

وَقُلْتُ شَرِيفُ العَرَبْ

I praised Abū Jaʿfar,

I praised Abu Ja'far

and said, “The Arabs’ nobleman.”

And said he's noble among Arabs

فَأَسْلَمِنَي بُخْلُهُ

فَأَسْلَمِنَي بُخْلُهُ

إلى خَيْبَةِ المُنْقَلَبْ

إلى خَيْبَةِ المُنْقَلَبْ

But his stinginess consigned me

But his stinginess betrayed me

to a disappointing return,

To the disappointment of failure

وَأَبْدَى عَلَى بَابِهِ

وَأَبْدَى عَلَى بَابِهِ

تَجَمُّلَ أَهْلِ الأَدَبْ

تَجَمُّلَ أَهْلِ الأَدَبْ

and revealed at his door

And at his door I saw

the outward elegance of men of letters.

The pomp of educated people

إذا قُلْتُ قدْ جَادَ لي

إذا قُلْتُ قدْ جَادَ لي

يَقُولُ قمِيصي كَذِبْ

يَقُولُ قمِيصي كَذِبْ

Whenever I say, “He has been generous to me,”

When I say he was generous to me

my shirt says, “A lie!”

He says "my shirt is a liar"