يَأَيُّها المَلِكُ الَّذي أَمسَت لَهُ

بُصرى وَغَزَّةَ سَهلُها وَالأَجرَعُ

O King, to whom Gaza and its plains belong

And Jaffa, its harbor and citadel abide by his command

وَمَليكُها وَقَسيمُها عَن أَمرِهِ

يُعطى بِأَمرِكَ ما تَشاءُ وَيُمنَعُ

Whatever you desire is granted by your order, whatever you forbid is denied

I complain to you, so hear my grievance: I have been burdened with offspring

أَشكو إِلَيكَ فَأَشكِني ذُرِّيَّةً

لا يَشبَعونَ وَأُمُّهُم لا تَشبَعُ

Whose appetite is never sated, nor their mother's appetite appeased

They have multiplied against me, neither the elder dies

كَثُروا عَلَيَّ فَما يَموتُ كَبيرُهُم

حَتّى الحِسابِ وَلا الصَغيرُ المُرضَعُ

Until his time comes, nor does the suckling infant

My master's coldness in providing for them

وَجَفاءَ مَولايَ الضَنينِ بِمالِهِ

وَوَلوعَ نَفسٍ هَمُّها بِيَ موزَعُ

And a soul obsessed with dividing it among them

And the old craft, while our kinsmen

وَالحُرفَةَ القُدمى وَأَنَّ عَشيرَنا

زَرَعوا الحُروثَ وَأَنَّنا لا نَزرَعُ

Till the soil yet we do not

You were sent to the poets like Dahis

فَبُعِثتَ لِلشُعَراءِ مَبعَثَ داحِسٍ

أَو كَالبَسوسِ عِقالَها تَتَكَوَّعُ

Or a camel freed of her nose rope

You forbade me to satirize the miser, so my censure cannot make him afraid

وَمَنَعتَني شَتمَ البَخيلِ فَلَم يَخَف

شَتمي فَأَصبَحَ آمِناً لا يَفزَعُ

You took away the subtlety of speech, leaving no harmful lampoon

Nor beneficial praise

وَأَخَذتَ أَطرارَ الكَلامِ فَلَم تَدَع

شَتماً يَضُرُّ وَلا مَديحاً يَنفَعُ

You were sent to the world to gather its riches

And collect its taxes, always accumulating

وَبُعِثتَ لِلدُنيا تُجَمِّعُ مالَها

وَتَصُرُّ جِزيَتَها وَدَأباً تَجمَعُ

You denied yourself its bounty but granted it to the workers

So you are the most excellent greedy one

وَمَنَعتَ نَفسَكَ فَضلَها وَمَنَحتَها

أَهلَ الفَعالِ فَأَنتَ خَيرٌ مولَعُ

Until a cure comes to you in departure

And reaches your neglect, while the most obedient slave remains

حَتّى يَجيءَ إِلَيكَ عِلجٌ نازِحٌ

فَيُصيبَ عَفوَتَها وَعَبدٌ أَوكَعُ

The weak family with no good in them

Are best, while the likes of them altogether are mere rabble

وَالعَيلَةُ الضَعفى وَمَن لا خَيرُهُ

خَيرٌ وَمِثلُهُمُ غُثاءٌ أَجمَعُ

A mother you claimed for them, but their mother died

In the days of 'Aad when Tubba' died

أُمٌّ زَعَمتَ لَهُم وَماتَت أُمُّهُم

في عَهدِ عادٍ حينَ ماتَ التُبَّعُ

You will soon claim to be their mother

Whilst they ride you because of their weight or suckle you

فَلتوشِكَنَّ وَأَنتَ تَزعُمُ أُمُّهُم

أَن يَركَبوكَ بِثِقلِهِم أَو يَرضَعوا

And I see those who inherited the estate of Muhammad

Are shining stars while your star gleams

وَأَرى الَّذينَ حَوَوا تُراثَ مُحَمَّدٍ

أَفَلَت نُجومُهُمُ وَنَجمُكَ يَسطَعُ