1. Our companion today has nothing strange in his speech
And everything he says is strange
١. بِرذَونُنا اليَومَ ما بِهِ عُجُبُ
وَكُلُّ ما في حَديثِهِ عَجَبُ
2. I have not tasted blame on his mouth
Rather he is a burrow whose cover is a tail
٢. ما ذَقتُهُ ذَنَبٌ عَلى فَمِهِ
بَل هُوَ جُحرٌ غِطاؤُهُ ذَنَبُ
3. A burrow in which there is a young camel at his burrow's entrance
I recognized him underneath his beard a wart
٣. جُحرٌ بِهِ عِندَ جَحرِهِ بَعَرٌ
عَرَفتُهُ تَحتَ ذَقنِهِ كَبَبُ
4. O my enviers of his eloquence
Not every desired target is hit by seeking
٤. يا حاسِديهِ عَلى بَلاغَتِهِ
ما كُلُّ مَرمىً يَنالُهُ الطَلَبُ
5. In his palm are reeds for racing
Reeds planted underneath its fingernails
٥. لِلسَبقِ في كَفِّهِ بِها قَصَبٌ
غُرِّزَ مِن تَحتِ ظُفرِها القَصَبُ
6. They said: And his palm's pens are twigs
I said: You lie, his pens are tendons
٦. قالوا وَأَقلامُ كَفِّهِ عَصَبٌ
قُلتُ كَذَبتُم أَقلامُها عُصُبُ
7. And I see people before him wrote
No, they neither recited nor wrote
٧. وَقَد أَرى الناسَ قَبلَهُ كَتَبوا
كَلّا وَما أَنشَدوا وَلا كَتَبوا
8. If there was an error in his manuscripts
Your age is long and kinship is near
٨. إِن غَلِطَ الكَشطُ في صَحائِفِهِ
سِنُّكَ هَذي المُدى وَذي القُرُبُ
9. Leave his pearls alone and enough for you
When you have managed thorns on him
٩. دَعوا لَهُ دُرَّهُ وَحَسبُكُمُ
إِذ قَد قَدَرتُم عَلَيهِ مَخشَلَبُ
10. Woe to a name you wrote so on
Its letters dirt from it sticks
١٠. الوَيلُ لِاِسمٍ كَتَبتَهُ فَعَلى
حُروفِهِ مِن تُرابِها تُرَبُ
11. A caliph from Bani Othman did not
Elevate over us through it nor fortified
١١. خَليفَةٌ مِن بَني أُسامَةَ لَم
يَعلوا عَلَينا بِهِ وَلَم يَثِبوا
12. The excellent ancient template as
It narrates from them, and the secret and refinement
١٢. النَمَطُ الأَوَّلُ القَديمُ كَما
يُؤَثِّرُ عَنهُم وَالسِرُّ وَالأَدَبُ
13. And explaining what the secretaries said about the patch
Until books became inflated
١٣. وَشَرحُ ما قالَهُ المُكاتِبُ في الرُق
عَةِ حَتّى تُفَخَّمَ الكُتُبُ
14. And this journey which I contracted became
Neither a purpose under it nor a cause
١٤. وَهَذِهِ الرِحلَةُ الَّتي عَهِدتُ غَدَت
لا دَرَكُ تَحتَها وَلا سَبَبُ
15. And the section's ending with the answer for it
An obligatory eloquence it must overcome
١٥. وَمَقطَعُ الفَصلِ بِالجَوابِ لَهُ
بَلاغَةُ واجِبٌ لَها الغَلَبُ
16. From it we sought you out with what you wrote
And we knew bare it the veils
١٦. مِنها اِختَطَبنا بِما كَتَبتَ بِهِ
وَقَد عَرَفنا وَهَتكُهُ الحُجُبُ
17. And if you started the book in Rajab
And the matter becomes easy Rajab did not dissolve
١٧. وَإِن بَدَأتَ الكِتابَ في رَجَبٍ
وَيُسِّرَ الأَمرُ لَم يَحُل رَجَبُ
18. This is to a gathering whose humor
Is ripe fruit in hearts it gets stolen
١٨. هَذا إِلى مَجلِسٍ فُكاهَتُهُ
فاكِهَةٌ بِالقُلوبِ تُنتَهَبُ
19. In the non-Arab state from his writing
A miracle supported by it the Arabs
١٩. في دَولَةِ العُجمِ مِن كِتابَتِهِ
مُعجِزَةٌ أُيِّدَت بِها العَرَبُ
20. The vast plain of Persia and what
Books claim on its behalf it does not deny
٢٠. فارِسُ ميدانِهِ الوَسيعِ وَما
يَجحَدُ ما أَدَّعي لَهُ الكُتُبُ
21. If Egypt permits to part from him
Then Baghdad compared to it is Aleppo
٢١. إِن سَمَحَت مِصرُ أَن تُفارِقُهُ
فَإِنَّ بَغدادَ دونَها حَلَبُ
22. I seek refuge for its scout and its rider
Other than the horses cure it the dogs
٢٢. أُعيذُ بِرذَونَهُ بِراكِبِهِ
غَيرُ البَراذينِ داوِها الكَلَبُ
23. He flowed over us so our sayer said
Does the Sheikh fall? I said: No, he jumps
٢٣. هَرَّ عَلَينا فَقالَ قائِلُنا
هَل يَقَعُ الشَيخُ قُلتُ بَل يَثِبُ
24. Angrily and the ignited angry person's fire
And other than his pens it has the fuel
٢٤. غَيظاً وَنارُ المُغتاظِ موقَدَةٌ
وَغَيرُ أَقلامِهِ لَها الحَطَبُ
25. I directed what was between us, reproaching
So let lovers reproach if they reproached
٢٥. أَجرَيتُ ما بَينَنا مَعاتِبَةً
فَليَعتِبِ العاشِقونَ إِن عَتَبوا
26. And nothing happened in the talk angrily
With everything from you nor anger
٢٦. وَما جَرى في الحَديثِ مُغضَبَةٌ
بِكُلِّ شَيءٍ مِنكُم وَلا الغَضَبُ
27. Oh noble one, no nobles cautioned you
Nor did his hump get crossed by a brand
٢٧. أَيا نَجيباً لَم تَنبِهِ نُجُبٌ
وَلا تَخَطّى سَنامَهُ قَتَبُ
28. And I have not seen Sudan riding
On its back like what monkeys are seen
٢٨. وَلا رَأَيتُ السودانَ راكِبَةً
بِظَهرِهِ مِثلَ ما تُرى القِرَبُ
29. No bolting from your belly nor
Does anger spread from your meadows
٢٩. لا يَطوِ مِن بَطنِكَ الطِرادُ وَلا
يَنشُرَن مِن كُراعِكَ الغَضَبُ
30. Neither did snorting deter it
Nor did neighing and confusion help you
٣٠. وَلا دَهاكَ التَقبيعُ زاحِرُهُ
وَلا عَناكَ التَقريبُ وَالخَبَبُ
31. I pray for it and praying is its highest
What was raised by polishing the veils
٣١. أَدعو لَهُ وَالدُعاءُ أَرفَعُهُ
ما رُفِعَت بِالصِقالَةِ الحُجُبُ
32. And you are not devoid of continuous comfort
In which mourning and deprivation cease
٣٢. وَلا عَدِمتَ المَراحَ مُتَّصِلاً
يَنقَطِعُ الثُكلُ فيهِ وَالسَلَبُ
33. Oh planter of thorns, its ultimate end
Is that thorns are harvested from it, not grapes
٣٣. يا زارِعِ الشَوكِ إِنَّ غايَتَهُ
أَن يُحصَدَ الشَوكُ مِنهُ لا العِنَبُ
34. Our registry, if its fiber is foreign
Then it about it is not estranged
٣٤. ديوانُنا إِن عَرَتهُ مُغرِبَةٌ
فَإِنَّها عَنهُ لَيسَ تَغتَرِبُ
35. And which elegy other than it if
The writers were lamented, the meadow's disability laments
٣٥. وَأَيُّ نَدبٍ سِواهُ إِن نُدِبَ ال
كُتّابُ عَجزُ اليَراعِ يَنتَدِبُ
36. It begot whom it titled honorable
Thus by my life a title gives life
٣٦. أَنجَبَ مَن بِالنَجيبِ لَقَّبَهُ
كَذا لَعَمري يُعَمِّرُ اللَقَبُ
37. Without a just king whose rule
So where, where are the life source and Arabs
٣٧. مِن دونِ مَلكٍ حانِ وِلايَتُهُ
فَأَينَ اَينَ المِرابُ وَالعَرَبُ
38. Is not this camel between our companion
And what they ride a lineage
٣٨. أَلَيسَ ذا البَركُ بَينَ صاحِبِنا
وَبَينَ ما يَركَبونَهُ نَسَبُ
39. And a facility if its seeker loses it
Then woe to the losers and war
٣٩. وَسيلَةٌ إِن أُضيعَ ناشِدُها
فَالوَيلُ لِلضائِعينَ وَالحَرَبُ
40. He hopes for it and the bridle is its easiest
Kinships are pastured from it and relatives
٤٠. يَأَمُلُها وَالذِمامُ أَيسَرُهُ
تُرعى القَراباتُ مِنهُ وَالقُرَبُ