يقول ذوو التشؤُّمِ ما لقينا

كما لقي ابن سهلٍ من يزيدِ

The pessimists said, "We did not meet

What Ibn Sahl met from Yazid

أتَتهُ منيّةُ المأمون لما

أتاهُ يزيدُ من بلدٍ بعيد

Al-Mamun's death came upon him when

Yazid came to him from a faraway land

فصيّرَ منه عسكرَهُ خلاءً

وفرَّقَ عنه أفواجَ الجنودِ

So he dismissed his army

And dispersed the legions of soldiers

فقلتُ لهم وكم مشؤومِ قومٍ

أباد لهم عديداً من عديدِ

I said to them, "How unlucky are the people

Whose large numbers were destroyed

رأيتُ ابن المعذّلِ يالَ عمرو

بشؤمٍ كان أسرعَ في سعيد

I saw Ibn Al-Mu'aththal, oh 'Amr

With misfortune that was swifter to Sa'eed

فمنه موتُ جلّةِ آل سلمٍ

ومنه قض آجامِ البريد

From it was the death of the nobles of Banu Salim

And from it the ruin of the couriers

ولم ينزل بدارٍ ثمّ يمسي

ولما يستمع لطم الخدود

And it did not alight upon a house and then depart

Without hearing the slapping of cheeks

وكلُّ مديحِ قوم قال فيهم

فإنّ بعقبهِ يا عين جودي

And every praise of a people he said about them

For by its heels, oh my eyes, is decay

إذا رجلٌ تسمّعَ منه مدحاً

تنسّمَ منه رائحةَ الصعيد

When a man hears praise from another

He detects from it the smell of carrion

فلو حصفَ الذين يبيح فيهم

أثاروا منه رائحةَ الطريدِ

If he enumerated those he slanders

They would emit from him the smell of something rotten

فليسَ العزُّ يمنعُ منه شؤماً

ولا عتباً بأبوابِ الحديدِ

For might does not prevent misfortune from him

Nor does blame at the gates of iron