يقول ابن هانى أفسد الشعر ضلة

يقول ابن هانى أفسد الشعر ضلة

وشعر ابى تمامكم هو أضيع

وشعر ابى تمامكم هو أضيع

He says, “Ibn Hani ruined poetry out of folly,

Ibn Hani said the most corrupt poetry led astray,

and your Abu Tammam’s poetry is even more worthless.”

And the poetry of Abu Tammam is the most wasted,

ابا الريش يا صفعان صفعك واجب

ابا الريش يا صفعان صفعك واجب

ولكن مضى من كان فى الله يصفع

ولكن مضى من كان فى الله يصفع

O Abu al-Rish, you oft-slapped fellow, slapping you is a duty;

O Saffah, it is an obligation to slap you,

but gone is he who used to slap for God’s sake.

But the one who would slap for God has passed away.