بِسَخا عامِلٌ طَرَقناهُ يَوماً

بِسَخا عامِلٌ طَرَقناهُ يَوماً

فَوَجدناهُ لَيسَ فيهِ سَخاءُ

فَوَجدناهُ لَيسَ فيهِ سَخاءُ

An official in Sakha—we visited him one day,

With stinginess we reproached a man one day,

and found no generosity in him.

But found he had no generosity.

عِندَهُ أَنهُ جَريرٌ وَهَذا

عِندَهُ أَنهُ جَريرٌ وَهَذا

أَصلُ ما اِنجَرَّ فيهِ مِنّي الهِجاءُ

أَصلُ ما اِنجَرَّ فيهِ مِنّي الهِجاءُ

He thinks himself Jarir, and this

He thought himself a poet—and that was why

is what prompted my satire against him.

My satires against him were set in array.

عَجَبي فيهِ كَيفَ يَخفى عَلَيهِ

عَجَبي فيهِ كَيفَ يَخفى عَلَيهِ

عَجزُهُ عَن بُلوغِهِ ما يَشاءُ

عَجزُهُ عَن بُلوغِهِ ما يَشاءُ

I marvel at him: how can he fail to see

I wondered how he failed to recognize

his inability to attain what he wishes?

That he fell short of all he hoped to reach.