يا أَحمَدُ بنَ أَبي دُؤادٍ دَعوَةً

بَعَثَت إِلَيكَ جَنادِلاً وَحَديدا

O Ahmad ibn Abi Du'ad, I sent

Spears and swords to you as an invitation

ما هذِهِ البِدَعُ الَّتي سَمَّيتَها

بِالجَهلِ مِنكَ العَدلَ وَالتَوحيدا

What are these innovations you named

With ignorance - justice and monotheism?

أَفسَدتَ أَمرَ الدينِ حينَ وَليتَهُ

وَرَمَيتَهُ بِأَبي الوَليدِ وَليدا

You corrupted the matter of religion when you took charge

And cast it with Abul Walid and the boy Walid

لا مُحكَماً جَزلاً وَلا مُستَطرَفاً

كَهلاً وَلا مُستَحدَثاً مَحمودا

Neither mature and meaningful nor elegant

Old nor newly praised

شَرِهاً إِذا ذُكِرَ المَكارِمُ وَالعُلا

ذَكَرَ القَلايا مُبدِئاً وَمُعيدا

Evil when virtues and sublimity are mentioned

Speaking of insignificant matters, initiating and repeating

وَيَوَدُّ لَو مُسِخَت رَبيعَةُ كُلُّها

وَبَنو إِيادٍ صَحفَةً وَثَريدا

If only Rabi'ah and the sons of Iyad altogether

Were made into one nonsense and worthless page

وَإِذا تَرَبَّعَ في المجالسِ خلتَهُ

ضَبُعاً وخلتَ بني أبيهِ قرودا

And when he sits pompously in gatherings, you likened him

To a hyena and likened his father's sons to monkeys

وإذا تبسَّمَ ضاحِكاً شَبَّهتَهُ

شَرِقاً تَعَجَّلَ شُربَهُ مَزؤودا

And when he smiles laughing, you likened him

To the rising sun, hastening his drink gulped down

لا أَصبَحَت بِالخَيرِ عَينٌ أَبصَرَت

تِلكَ المَناخِرَ وَالثَنايا السودا

No eye that saw those nostrils

And black lips awoke to any good