قالوا الأشاقِر تَهجوكُم فَقُلتُ لَهم

ما كُنتُ أَحسَبهُم كانوا وَلا خُلِقوا

They said the despicable ones satirize you, so I said to them,

I did not think they existed or were created,

قَومٌ مِن الحَسَبِ الزَّاكي بِمَنزِلَةٍ

كَطحلبِ الماءِ لا أَصل وَلا وَرَقُ

A people of noble lineage with the status

Of pond scum, no origin or leaves,

لا يُكثِرونَ وَإِن طالَت حَياتُهُمُ

وَلَو يَبولُ عَلَيهم ثَعلَبٌ غَرِقوا

They do not increase, however long their lives,

If a fox urinated on them they would drown,

إِنَّ الأشاقِرَ قَد أَضحَوا بِمَنزِلَةٍ

لَو يُرهِنونَ بِنَعلي عَبدِنا غَلِقوا

Indeed the despicable ones have reached a status

If they pawned our slave's sandal they would be denied.