قالوا هجاك أبو حفْصٍ فقلت لهم

قالوا هجاك أبو حفْصٍ فقلت لهم

أعاش بعدي سليمان بن داوُودِ

أعاش بعدي سليمان بن داوُودِ

They said, “Abu Hafs satirized you.” So I said to them:

They said Abu Hafs satirized you, so I told them:

Did Solomon, son of David, live on after me?

Solomon son of David still lives after me!

أنَّى فهمتم كلام الطير ويحكُمُ

أنَّى فهمتم كلام الطير ويحكُمُ

والتَرْجُمان الذي سمَّيْتُهُ مُودي

والتَرْجُمان الذي سمَّيْتُهُ مُودي

How did you understand the birds’ speech, woe to you,

How could you understand the speech of birds, alas!

When the interpreter I named is dead?

And the interpreter I called Moodi!

لو كان حيّاً سليمانُ الذي اعترفتْ

لو كان حيّاً سليمانُ الذي اعترفتْ

له الغُواةُ وألقتْ بالمقاليدِ

له الغُواةُ وألقتْ بالمقاليدِ

If Solomon were alive—the one acknowledged

Had Solomon, to whom rebels confessed

By the wayward, who yielded him the reins—

And surrendered the keys, been alive,

أعياه شعْرُ أبي حفص بِلُكنَتِهِ

أعياه شعْرُ أبي حفص بِلُكنَتِهِ

حتى يُبَلَّدَ فيه أيَّ تبليدِ

حتى يُبَلَّدَ فيه أيَّ تبليدِ

Abu Hafs’s verse, with its halting speech, would baffle him,

The poetry of Abu Hafs with his wit

Until he was utterly stupefied by it.

Would have confused him, no matter how wise!