يا خَليليَّ مِنْ ذُؤابَةَ شيبا

نَ ويُدْعَى لِمَا يَنُوبُ الخَليلُ

O my companion, my hair has turned white

From sorrow, and so the companion is called to account

إنَّ هَذا الفتَى الذي وسَمَ الشعْ

رَ بِعَارٍ ما أنْ نَرَاهُ يَزُولُ

This young man who has branded poetry

With shame will not, I think, escape

قَد نَضَا مُدْيةَ الجَهَالةِ يَفْرِي

وَدَجَ الفَضْلِ فَهوَ منهُ قَتيلُ

He has outgrown the ignorance of youth

And attacked excellence, so he is its victim

يا حُمَاةَ القَريضِ هُبُّوا لأَخْذِ الثْ

ثارِ فالخَطْبُ لَوْ عَلِمتُمْ جَلِيلُ

O protectors of poetry, rise to take vengeance

The matter, if you but knew, is serious

وخُذُوا بالتّراتِ من قَائِلِ الشعْ

رِ فَمَا الحَزْمُ أنْ تُضَاعَ الذُّحُولُ

And take from the slanderer of verse measure for measure

For it is not wise to leave insults unanswered

لاَكَ في فِيهِ شَحْمَةَ الشِّعْرِ مَنْ لمْ

يَدْرِ ما فَاعِلٌ ولا مَفْعُولُ

His mouth is foul with the fat of poetry though he knows not

What is subject and what object

وادَّعَى رُتْبةَ البَلاغَةِ في القَوْ

لِ غَبيٌّ لَمْ يَدْرِ إيش يَقُولُ

And he claimed the rank of eloquence in his words

A fool who knew not what he was saying

وأكَولٌ عِرْضِي فَمَا ساغَهَ حتَّ

تَى غَدَا بَعدَ ذَاكَ وهوَ أكِيلُ

And he assailed my honor, which did not please him

Until he went too far and was completely shamed

مَدَّ لِي سَاعِداً قَصيراً فَلَمْ يَلْ

بَثْ إلى أنْ ثَنَاهُ بَاعٌ طَويلُ

He stretched out to me a puny arm but could not reach

Until a tall seller bent it back

أنَا مَنْ لا يُسيغُ غَيبتُهُ البَا

دِنُ إلاَّ ثَنَتْهُ وهوَ هَزيلُ

I am one whose absence the wastelands can hardly bear

Except that he insulted me when I was weak

وإذَا ما العَزيزُ حَاوَلَ ذُلِّي

وأبَى اللَّهُ فالعَزيزُ ذَليلُ

And when the mighty attempt the lowly

And God refuses, the mighty become lowly