أَيُّ رَأيٍ وَأَيُّ عَقلٍ صَحيحِ

لَم يُخَوِّفكَ سانِحي وَبَريحي

What mind and what sane thought

Did not frighten you, my satire and my gale?

كَذَبَت نَفسُكَ الَّتي حَدَّثَت أَن

نِيَ أُنمي رَمِيَّتي وَجَريحي

Your soul lied to you when it told you

I grow my arrows and my wounds.

خَلَقَ اللَهُ لِحيَةً لَكَ لَو تُح

لَقُ لَم يُدرَ ما غَلاءُ المُسوحِ

God created a beard for you—if you shave

It, its high price would not be known.

وَذَراها في الريحِ إِن كُنتَ تَرجو

سَيرَ شِعري في نَعتِها بِالريحِ

And toss it to the wind if you hope

My poem will describe it blown by the wind.

سارَ في التيهِ عَقلُ مَن ظَنَّ أَنّي

بِالأَماني يَسيرُ فيكَ مَديحي

Lost was the mind of one who thought I

Proceed with praises of you through wishes.

يا حَروناً في البُخلِ قَد وَأَبي بُخ

لِكَ عوقِبتَ بِالأَصَمِّ الجَموحِ

O Haroun, stingy to the core, who refused

And so were punished with deafness obstinate and zealous,

بِبَعيدِ المَدى قَريبِ المَعاني

وَثَقيلِ الحِجى خَفيفِ الروحِ

Of far-reaching import, near in meaning,

Weighty in argument, light in spirit,

سَجَرَت كَفُّهُ بُحورَ القَوافي

لَكَ عِندَ التَعريضِ وَالتَصريحِ

His palm enchained the seas of verse

When hinting and when speaking outright.

لُجَجي لَستَ سالِماً مِن تَعالي

ها وَلَو كُنتَ في سَفينَةِ نوحِ

My billows spare you no arrogance

Even if you were in Noah’s ship.