قد كنت أمنعُ بيعَ الشِّعرِ في زمنٍ

أقلُّ ما يُتشارَى فيه بالذهبِ

I once withheld poetry from sale, in a time

when the least it would trade for was gold.

فصِرْتُ أعرِضُه بالبخْسِ في زمنٍ

يُردُّ أكثرُه في الماءِ والحطَبِ

Now I offer it for a pittance, in a time

when most of it is refused even for water and firewood.

ولي غرائبُ فيه لو يقومُ بها

أخو الشباب شفيعاً فيه لم يَشِب

And I have rare marvels in it—if youth’s own brother stood up for them

as its intercessor, he would not turn gray.

ولم تكنْ وهْي عند الرومِ ضائعة

فهل تضيعُ وقد جاءتْ الى العربِ

These marvels were not lost while among the Romans;

shall they be lost now that they have come to the Arabs?