رَأَيتُ جَريراً لَم يَضَع عَن حِمارِهِ

عَلَيهِ مِنَ الثِقلِ الَّذي هُوَ حامِلُه

I saw Jarir, he did not unload from his donkey

The heavy load that it was carrying

أَتى الشَأمَ يَرجو أَن يَبيعَ حِمارَهُ

وَفارِسَهُ إِذ لَم يَجِد مَن يُبادِلُه

He came to Syria hoping to sell his donkey

And his horse when he could not find anyone to exchange with him

وَجاءَ بِعِدلَيهِ اللَذَينِ هُما لَهُ

مِنَ اللُؤمِ كانَت أَورَثَتهُ أَوائِلُه

And he came with his two burdens that were for him

From the baseness that was bequeathed to him by his ancestors

أَتَشتُمُ قَوماً أَنتَ تَزعُمُ مِنهُمُ

عَلى مَطعَمٍ مِن مَطعَمٍ أَنتَ آكِلُه

Do you insult a people whom you claim

To eat their food from their meals while you are its eater

يَظَلُّ بِأَسواقِ اليَمامَةِ عاجِزاً

إِذا قالَ بَيتاً بِالطَعامِ يُكايِلُه

He remains destitute in the markets of al-Yamama

When he says a verse about food to earn it

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ اللُؤمَ حَلَّت رِكابُهُ

إِلى الخَطَفى جاءَت بِذاكَ حَوامِلُه

Did you not see that baseness landed on his mount

To al-Khatfa it came carrying that load

أَناخَ إِلى بَيتٍ عَطِيَّةَ تَحتَهُ

إِلَيهِ ذُرى اللُؤمِ اِستَقَرَّت مَسايِلُه

It settled at the house of ‘Atiya beneath which

The dregs of baseness flowed to it

أَظَنَّ بِنا زَوجُ المَراغَةِ أَنَّهُ

مِنَ الفَقرِ لاقيهِ الهُزالُ فَقاتِلُه

The husband of al-Maragha thinks of us

That he faces poverty that kills him

وَقَد كانَ في الدُنيا مَرادٌ لِقَعبِهِ

وَفي هَجَرٍ تَمرٌ ثِقالٌ جَلائِلُه

While he once had in life what he desired for his paunch

And in Hajar dates heavy in quantity

وَكانَت تَميمٌ مُطعِميهِ وَنابِتاً

بِهِم ريشُهُ حَتّى تَوازى نَواصِلُه

And Taym was feeding him, and he was growing

Feathers until his quills equalled each other

فَأَصبَحَ في العَجلانِ حَوَّلَ رَحلَهُ

إِلى اللُؤمِ مِن قَيسِ اِبنِ عَيلانَ قابِلُه

But he woke up in al-'Ajlan having shifted his belongings

To baseness, from Qais Ibn ‘Ailan his exchanger