جود الأَوائل أَغرى في مَديحكم

أَمثالنا زمراً بِالحال ما شَعَروا

The excellence of the ancients enticed us to praise you

Our peers, a group, were unaware of the situation

نِلتُم مَراتبهم لا نَلتم رُشداً

بِلا نَدى وَذَكَرتُم مِثلَما ذَكَروا

You assumed their ranks, but did not gain their wisdom

Without dew and you mentioned just as they mentioned