عاشَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهِ البُوصِيريْ

وَحَياةُ الكِلاَبِ مَوْتُ الحَمِيرِ

The vizier al-Bussayri lived after dying,

While the life of dogs is the donkeys' dying.

عاشَ قَوْمٌ مُذْ قِبْلَ إنِّي قد مِتُّ

فماتُوا قَبْلِي بِوَخْزِ الصُّدُورِ

A people lived before I said "I am dead,"

And died before me from inner wounds bleeding.

لَسْتُ مَمَّنْ يَمُوتُ أَوْ يَقْدمُونِي

وَأَبْكِي عَلَيْهِمُ في القُبُورِ

I'm not one who dies or one they eulogize,

And for whom they weep inside tombs proceeding.

وَصَحِيحٌ بأَنَّني كُنتُ قَدْ مِتُّ

وأحْيانِيَ جُودُ هذَا الوَزِيرِ

And it's true that I was dead for a space,

Yet my vizier's goodness granted me grace.