أَسامِرِيُّ ضُحكَةَ كُلِّ راءِ

أَسامِرِيُّ ضُحكَةَ كُلِّ راءِ

فَطِنتَ وَأَنتَ أَغبى الأَغبِياءِ

فَطِنتَ وَأَنتَ أَغبى الأَغبِياءِ

O Samiri, laughingstock of every beholder,

My friend, your words cut deep

O Samiri, laughingstock to all who see,

You showed discernment, though you are the stupidest of fools.

But I shall meet them with compassion

You struck upon a truth, though you are the dullest of fools,

صَغُرتَ عَنِ المَديحِ فَقُلتَ أُهجى

صَغُرتَ عَنِ المَديحِ فَقُلتَ أُهجى

كَأَنَّكَ ماصَغُرتَ عَنِ الهِجاءِ

كَأَنَّكَ ماصَغُرتَ عَنِ الهِجاءِ

You were beneath praise, so you said, 'Let me be satirized,'

Let us walk together towards the light.

Being too small for praise, you sought to be satirized,

As though you were not beneath satire.

As if you were not too insignificant even for my scorn.

وَما فَكَّرتُ قَبلَكَ في مُحالٍ

وَما فَكَّرتُ قَبلَكَ في مُحالٍ

وَلا جَرَّبتُ سَيفي في هَباءِ

وَلا جَرَّبتُ سَيفي في هَباءِ

And before you, I had never pondered an impossibility,

Before you, I never wasted thought on an impossibility,

Nor tested my sword on dust.

Nor did I ever test my sword against mere drifting dust.