كان العزيرُ زماناً

لا دَرَّ درُّ العُزيرِ

Once Al-‘Uzair was

No pearl Al-‘Uzair's pearl shone.

إنْ سيل عن قائل الشع

ر قَرّظ الناس غيري

If the torrent of eloquent poetry

Gifted people other than me,

وكان ذاك لأني

لم أهدِ للشيخ أيري

That was because I

Did not gift the Sheikh poetry.

حتى إذا شمْت فيه

أيراً كجُرذان عَير

Until when I smelled in him

An odor like rats' den,

أضحى يُري الناسَ أني

في الشعر فوق زهيرِ

He began showing people that I

In poetry am above Zuhair.

وقال لي ذاك قولي

ما احتل قَسُّك دَيري

And he said to me those words-

Your stubbornness did not make my monastery.

نحن الرواةُ الأُلَى سا

ر ذكرُهم أيَّ سير

We are the tallest palm trees, mentioning them

Made their fame walk any path.

وقولنا القول يروى

قدْماً بشرٍّ وخير

And our words which are narrated

Were formerly good and blessed.

فاشدُد يديك بنفعي

ولا تَعرَّض لضَيري

So strengthen your hand to benefit me

And do not expose me to harm.

علمتُ أن هجائي

لما جفا البرجَ طيري

I knew that my lampoon,

When the constellation Scorpio rose, was war

وأنه لي حرب

إذا ضنِنتُ بميري

If I was stingy with my poetry.