قَد أَهدَفَ الغَثُّ العَمى لَو لَم يَكُن
وَغداً وَلَيسَ الوَغدُ مِن أَهدافي
The blind rain has targeted blindness, had it not been
And tomorrow, yet tomorrow is not among my targets
وَأَتى بِأَبياتٍ لَهُ مَسروقَةٍ
شَتّى النِجارِ وَنِسبَةٍ أَفوافِ
And came up with verses stolen for him
Scattered carpenter work and dubious lineage
ما إِن يَزالُ يَجُرُّ مِن أَشعارِهِ
جيفاً فَكَيفَ أَقولُ في الجَيّافِ
He still drags from his poems
A carcass, so how can I speak amid the barrenness
باتَ الشَقِيُّ قَتيلَ أَيرٍ بَعدَ ما
آلَ الهِجاءُ بِهِ قَتيلَ قَوافِ
The wretched one perished, a victim of spite after
Invective made him a victim of canyon pits
يُنبيكَ عَن حَلَقِيَّةٍ في شِعرِهِ
بِتَعَصُّبٍ لِلّامِ دونَ الكافِ
It cautions you of a circle in his poetry
With bias for the 'l' over the 'k'
وَالشاعِرُ السَرّاجُ كانَ يَفوتُنا
عَجَباً فَقُل في الشاعِرِ الإِسكافِ
The illuminating poet Sarraj did amaze us
So speak of the ignorant poet
مُتَلَفِّفُ العُثنونِ مِن إِكبابِهِ
لِلخَرزِ بَينَ قَوالِبٍ وَأَشافِ
Wrapped in the bent posture of his hunchback
For the beads between the molds and rims
فَقَدَتكَ أَقدامُ العُلوجِ فَكُلُّ مَن
بِبِلادِ رَأسِ العَينِ بَعدَكَ حافِ
Your feet have missed you, so everyone in
The lands of Ras al-Ain after you is lacking
وَزَعَمتَ أَنَّكَ خَثعَمِيٌّ بَعدَما
عَرَفوا أَباكَ فَبَعضَ ذا الإِرجافِ
And you claimed to be a Khat'ami after
They knew your father, so some of this quaking
إِنّي قَنِعتُ بِخَثعَمٍ وَهيَ الَّتي
لَيسَت مِنَ الأَنسابِ غَيرَ كَفافِ
I am content with a Khat'ami which is
Not of lineages other than self-sufficiency
ما قَصَّرَت بِكَ هِمَّةٌ عَن هاشِمِ
لَولا اتِّقاءُ عُقوبَةِ الأَشرافِ
No ambition in you fell short of Hashim
Had it not been for fear of the nobility's punishment
أَسَرَقتَ شِعري ثُمَّ جِئتَ تَذُمُّني
يا وَغدُ ما هَذا مِنَ الإِنصافِ
You stole my poetry then came to blame me
Oh tomorrow what is this lacking in equity
وَجَرَيتَ تَطلُبُني فَرَدَّكَ خائِباً
حَسبُ الحِمارِ وَكَبوَةُ الإِقرافِ
And you went about pursuing me but were sent back disappointed
The donkey's measure and the shame of begging
إِن لَم أَدُلَّ عَلى أَبيكَ فَإِنَّني
مِن لُؤمِ نُطفَةِ جَدِّكَ النَطّافِ
If I don't identify your father, then I
Am of the vile sperm of your announcer grandfather
