سُتُهجَى والهِجَاءُ لَهُ تَلِيقُ

لأنَّكَ بالهِجَاءِ حَرٍ خَلِيقُ

You will be insulted and insults befit you,

Because you are worthy of insults, you wretch.

فَقَد وَافَيتَ مِن بَلَدٍ بَعِيدٍ

تَقُودُ بِكَ الحَمَاقَةُ أو تَسُوقُ

So you have come from a distant land,

Led by stupidity or driven by it.

يُزَجِّيكَ الفُسُوقُ وأنتَ مَرؤٌ

جَدِيرٌ أَن يُزَجِّيهِ الفُسُوقُ

Debauchery befits you, you man,

Worthy for debauchery to befit.

تُحَاوِلُ أَن تُغَادَرني عَيِيًّا

ولَيسَ لِمَا تُحَاوِلُهُ طَرِيقُ

You attempt to leave me blind,

With no path for what you attempt.

فَإِنَّكَ بَاقِلٌ أو أنتَ أعيا

فَكَيفَ لأن تُعَارِضني تَتَوقُ

For you are spineless or tired,

So how dare you oppose me, you wretch?

وتَزعُمُ أَنَّ شِعرَكَ مثل شِعرى

فَقُل هَيهَاتَ هَيهَاتَ العَقِيقُ

And you claim your poetry is like mine,

Say "No way! No way!, O carnelian!"

أطِيقُ إِذَا أرَدتُ الشِّعرَ يَوماً

عَلَى عِلاَّتِهِ مَالاَ تَطِيقُ

I can, if I one day want poetry,

Do what you cannot endure.

فَقَد جُرِّبتُ قَبلَكَ فِيهِ حتى

بَدَا أني البَصِيرُ بِهِ السَّبُوقُ

For I was tried in it before you

Until it was clear I was the pioneering expert.

فَشِعرُكَ لَم يَكُن شِعراً عَتِيقاً

وإِنَّ الشِّعرَ أحسُنُه العَتِيقُ

Your poetry was not old poetry.

And the best poetry is the old.

ولَم تَكُ في مَعَادِنِه عَرِيقاً

وإني في مَعَادِنِهِ عَرِيقُ

And you were not established in its veins,

While I am established in its veins.

فَلَو لاَقَيتني لَصَليتَ نَاراً

لَمَّا أَن قُلتَ خَائِنَهُ طَرِيقُ

Had you met me, you would have touched fire

When you said its path was treacherous.

ولَكِن جَرَّكَ الجُدَرِىٌّ عني

بِحَيثُ تَبِيضُ بِالقُنَنِ الأُنُوقُ

But al-Jurdani pulled you from me

To where partridges whitened with pomade turn.

فَكُن إِمَّا سَلِمتَ أخاً شَفِيقاً

عَلَيه فَهُو عَلَيكَ أخٌ شَفِيقُ

So either make peace, as a caring brother is

Caring to him, and he will be caring to you,

بَدَا لِى أنَّ عَقلَكَ في إختِلاَلٍ

وأَنَّك لاَ تَرُوقُ ولاَ تَفُوقُ

Or it seemed to me your mind was disturbed

And you do not please or excel,

وأَنَّكَ جَاهِلٌ لَم تَدرِ شَيئاً

وشِيمَتُكَ المَنَاكِرُ والنَّهِيقُ

And you are an ignorant man who knew nothing

And your trait is braying and neighing,

وأخبَرني بِأنَّكَ لاَ تُصَلِّى

وَلَم تَكُ صَائِماً ثِقَةٌ صَدُوقُ

And inform me that you do not pray

And were not a fasting, trustworthy, honest man,

خَبُثتَ أصَالَةً وخَبُثتَ عِرقاً

كَذَاكَ الأصلُ تَتبَعُهُ العُرُوقُ

You were wicked in origin and race.

Thus the origin is followed by branches.