أَصابَ الأَخفَشَينِ بَصيرُ خَطبٍ

أَعادَ الأَعشَيَينِ بِلا حِوارِ

The two linguists were struck by an eloquent address,

Bringing back the two poets without any dialogue.

وَغيلَ المازِنِيُّ مِنَ الليالي

بِزِندٍ مِن خُطوبِ الدَهرِ واري

And the wine of nights intoxicated Al-Mazini,

With a cup of life's vicissitudes flowing and fleeting.

وَلِلجَرميُّ ما اِجتَرَمَت يَداهُ

وَحَسبُكَ مِن فَلاحٍ أَو بَوارِ

And enough of Al-Jurmi and what his hands did in crime,

Whether in success or failure and fickleness.

فَأَمّا فَرخُهُ فَبِلا جَناحٍ

يَطيرُ بِحَملِ أَقلامٍ جَواري

As for his chick, it has no wings,

Flying with the burden of dancing slave girls' pens.

وَلَم يَهمُم بِلَقطِ الحَبِّ يَوماً

فَيوجَدَ رَهنَ أَشراكٍ دَواري

And it never cared to gather grains of love one day,

To be held hostage in the traps of fickle horses.

وَلا يَرِدُ المِياهَ إِذا هَوافٍ

مِنَ الأَفراخِ مُتنَ مِنَ الأَوارِ

Nor does it drink water when it's surrounded,

By chicks, lean from starvation.

أَتَمُّ مِنَ النُسورِ بَقاءَ عُمرٍ

نُسورُ الطَيرِ لا الشُهُبِ السَواري

It lives longer than eagles,

Eagles of birds, not of adorned wrists.

وَأَكثَرُ ماشَكاهُ مِنَ الرَزايا

عَواريٌّ لِضَيعَتِهِ عَواري

And most of its complaints of troubles,

Is a nakedness of its nakedness.

فُطوراً بِالمَغارِبِ مُستَشاراً

وَطَوراً بِالمَشارِقِ في غِرارِ

Sometimes counseling the sunsets,

Other times hiding in the caves at daybreak.

وَلَم يَخِفِ الحِمامَ فَأَلجَأتُهُ

مُطِلّاتُ الصُقورِ إِلى تَواري

And it did not fear the doves, so I made it hide,

From the attacking falcons in concealment.

أَجَلُّ مِنَ الفَريدِ لِخازِنيهِ

وَأَبقى في الأَكُفِّ مِنَ السِوارِ

More precious to its treasuries than the unmatched,

And more lasting in palms than bracelets.

وَما نَفَعَ المُبَرِّدَ مِن حَميمٍ

وَصادَت ثَعلَباً نُوَبٌ ضَواري

And the heated love of Al-Mubarrad was of no use,

As crafty hyenas hunted prey.