1. شاطَرتَ داهِيَةَ السُوّاسِ ثَروَتَهُ

    وَلَم تَخَفهُ بِمِصرٍ وَهوَ واليها

    You took half the wealth of the shrewdest of statesmen,

    And did not fear him in Egypt, though he was its governor.

  2. وَأَنتَ تَعرِفُ عَمراً في حَواضِرِها

    وَلَستَ تَجهَلُ عَمراً في بَواديها

    And you know Amr in its cities,

    And you are not ignorant of Amr in its deserts.

  3. لَم تُنبِتِ الأَرضُ كَاِبنِ العاصِ داهِيَةً

    يَرمي الخُطوبَ بِرَأيٍ لَيسَ يُخطيها

    The earth has brought forth no master strategist like Ibn al-As,

    Who takes aim at calamities with judgment that never misses them.

  4. فَلَم يُرِغ حيلَةً فيما أَمَرتَ بِهِ

    وَقامَ عَمرٌو إِلى الأَجمالِ يُزجيها

    So he sought no ruse concerning what you commanded,

    And Amr rose and went to the camels, driving them onward.

  5. وَلَم تُقِل عامِلاً مِنها وَقَد كَثُرَت

    أَموالُهُ وَفَشا في الأَرضِ فاشيها

    And you exempted no official from it once there had been an increase

    In his wealth and word of it had spread throughout the land.