قالوا اِمتَدَحتَ فَماذا اِعتَضتَ قُلتُ لَهُم

خَرقُ النِعالِ وَإِبلاءُ السَراويلِ

They asked me, “Why do you criticize when you just praised?”

They asked, "You praised him, so what did you gain?" I said to them:

I said, “The worn-out sandals and tattered robes.”

"The tearing of my sandals and the wearing out of my trousers."

قالوا فَسَمِّ لَنا هَذا فَقُلتُ لَهُم

وَصفي لَهُ يَعدِلُ التَصريحَ في القيلِ

“Name him for us,” they demanded.

They said, "Then name this one for us," so I replied:

I said, “To describe him would match his faults in speech.”

"My description of him serves as an explicit declaration."

ذاكَ الأَميرُ الَّذي طالَت عَلاوَتُهُ

كَأَنَّهُ ناظِرٌ في السَيفِ في الطولِ

“That prince whose tyranny was prolonged

"He is that Emir whose neck has grown so exceedingly long,"

As though he looked in the sword for his height.”

"As though, in his height, he were sighting down the length of a sword."