1. أعُتبَةُ أَجبَنُ الثَقلَينِ عُتبا

    بِجَهلِكَ صِرتَ لِلمَكروهِ نَصبا

    O Utbah, most cowardly of humans and jinn—O Utb!

    Through your ignorance you have become a target for harm.

  2. رُميتَ بِمَن لَوَ اِنَّ الجِنَّ تُرمى

    بِهِ لَتَنَهَّبَتها الإِنسُ نَهبا

    You have been assailed by one who, were the jinn assailed

    by him, humankind would plunder them utterly.

  3. فَإِنَّكَ إِن تُساجِلني تَجِدني

    لِرَأسِكَ جَندَلاً وَلِفيكَ تُربا

    For if you vie with me, you will find me

    stones for your head and dust for your mouth.

  4. تَجِد صِلّاً تَخالُ بِكُلِّ عُضوٍ

    لَهُ مِن شِدَّةِ الحَرَكاتِ قَلبا

    You will find a deadly serpent: you would think that in every limb

    he has a heart, so fierce are his movements;

  5. أَخا الفَلَواتِ قَد أَحيا وَأَردى

    رِكاباً في صَحاصِحِها وَرَكبا

    a brother of the deserts, who has given life to and slain

    riding-camels in their barren expanses, and riders.

  6. فَكادَ بِأَن يُرى لِلشَرقِ شَرقاً

    وَكادَ بِأَن يَرى لِلغَربِ غَربا

    So he was almost seen as an east beyond the East,

    and almost saw a west beyond the West.

  7. وَأَنتَ تُديرُ قُطبَ رَحاً عَلِيّاً

    وَلَم تَرَ لِلرَحا العَلياءِ قُطبا

    And you turn a millstone's pivot aloft,

    yet you have never seen a pivot on the upper millstone.

  8. تَرى ظَفَراً بِكُلِّ صِراعِ قِرنٍ

    إِذا ما كُنتَ أَسفَلَ مِنهُ جَنبا

    You see victory in every wrestling bout with a rival,

    whenever your side lies beneath his.

  9. ثَكِلتُ قَصائِدي إِن مَرَّ يَومٌ

    وَلَمّا أَقضِ فيهِ مِنكَ نَحبا

    May I be bereaved of my poems if a day goes by

    without my exacting satisfaction from you that day.

  10. وَكُنتُ إِذَن كَأَنتَ فَإِنَّ مِثلي

    إِذا ما كانَ مِثلُكَ كانَ كَلبا

    And I would then be like you; for one like me,

    if he were like you, would be a dog.