أَلا يا بَني الآدابِ ما العُذرُ عَن ذَنبي

إِذا لَم يَكُن لِلشِعرِ بُدٌّ مِنَ العَتبِ

Alas, O men of arts, what excuse is there for my sin

If poetry must have some reproach

لِأَنِّيَ لَمّا صُغتُهُ وَنَظَمتُهُ

مَدَحتُ بِهِ مَن ما خَلا قَطُّ مِن سَبّي

Because when I composed it and strung the verses together

I praised with it one who was never free from vileness

خَسيساً مِنَ القَوّادِ قُدتُ قَصائِدي

إِلَيهِ فَما كانَ اِنتِجاعي إِلى خَصبِ

Abase pimp - to him I addressed my poems

Yet I gained no fertile land from him

حَمَلتُ عَلى أَكوارِها كُلَّ مُعجِزٍ

مِنَ الجَوهَرِ الشَفّافِ وَالذَهَبِ الرَطبِ

I loaded them with all manner of wonders

Of clear gems and moist gold

فَلَمّا دَنَت مِن فَهمِهِ ضاعَ وَخدُها

وَما حَصَلَت مِنهُ عَلى مَنزِلٍ رَحبِ

But when they drew near to his understanding they went astray

And I gained from him no spacious lodging

كَذَبتُ عَليهِ في الَّذي جِئتُهُ بِهِ

فَعوقِبتُ بِالحِرمانِ مِن جَهَةِ الكَذِبِ

I lied about him in that which I brought to him

So I was punished by being deprived of lying

فَتَبّاً لِدُنيا أَحوَجَتني لِمِثلِهِ

فَكَم أَسَدٍ قَد أَحوَجَتهُ إِلى كَلبِ

Curse a world that made me need the likes of him

How many lions has it made need dogs!