شَهِدتُ غَداةَ خَصم بَني سُلَيمٍ

وَجوهاً مِن قَضائِك غَيرَ سودِ

I witnessed one morn the foes of Bani Sulaym

With faces changed by your decrees, not made black.

قَضَيتَ بِسُنَّةٍ وَحَكَمتَ عَدلاً

وَلَم تَرِثِ الحَكومَةَ مِن بَعيدِ

You judged by precedent and ruled with equity,

Not inheriting the rule from afar.

إِذا غُمِزَ القَنا وُجِدَت لَعَمري

قَناتُكَ حينَ تُغمَزُ خَيرُ عودِ

When the reed-pipe is squeezed, my life bears me witness,

Your reed-pipe is best when put under duress.

إِذا عَضَّ الثِقافَ بِها اِشمَأَزَّت

إِباءَ النَقسِ بائِنَةَ الصُعودِ

If the expert squeezes it, it recoils in disdain,

Scornful of rising to meet his address.

حَمى حَدِباً لُحومَ بناتِ قَومٍ

وَهُم تَحتَ التُرابِ أَبو الوَليدِ

It defends the flesh of the Banu, though they

Lie beneath the soil, Abu al-Walid!

وَفي المِئَتَينِ لِلمَولى نَكالٌ

وَفي سَلبِ الحَواجِبِ وَالخُدودِ

For the Master, two hundred lashes there are

And for tearing out the eyebrows and cheeks.

إِذا كافَأَتَهُم بِبَناتِ كِسرى

فَهَل يَجِدُ المَوالي مِن مَزيدِ

If He rewards them with the daughters of Chosroes,

Can the servile find any increase?

فَأَيُّ الحَقِّ أَنصَفُ لِلمَوالي

مِن اِصهارِ العَبيدِ إِلى العَبيدِ

By which right, then, can the servile claim

To marry the slave born to the slave?