قَد نالَ خَيرونُ خَيراً لَيسَ يُكفَرُهُ

وَزادَ في قَدرِهِ مُذ صِرتُ أَذكُرُهُ

The virtuous have gained virtues that cannot be repaid,

And my esteem for him grew as I recalled him.

كُوَيتِبٌ مِن بَني الأَقباطِ لَيسَ لَهُ

شَيءٌ يَعيشُ بِهِ إِلّا تَشَرُّرُهُ

A Coptic scribe who has naught to live on

But the scattering of his pages.

فَلَو وُليتُ عَلى الكُتّابِ مُحتَسِباً

لَكانَ أَوَّلَ قُبطِيٍّ أُدَرِّرُهُ

Had I been in charge of the scribes as censor,

The first Copt I would have evicted was him.