إذا عَافَى مَليكُ النَاسِ عَبداً

فلا عَافاكَ ربُكَ يا قُتَيبهْ

If a king pardons his subject

May your Lord not pardon you, O Qutaybah

طلَبت النحوَ مذ أنْ كُنتَ طفلاً

إلى أن جلَّلتكَ قبُحتْ شيبهْ

You have sought grammar since you were a child

Until your ugliness was crowned with old age

فما تزداد إلاّ النقصَ فيه

وأبتَ لدى الإياب بِشَرَ أَوبهْ

Yet you still know less and less

And with clothing, appear the shabbiest

وكنتَ كغَائبٍ قد غابَ حيناً

فطالَ مُقامُه وأتى بخيبهْ

You're like one who's been away for a while

And returns a failure after a lengthy exile