أرى ابنَ عنين لا كلا اللهُ نَفسَهُ

أرى ابنَ عنين لا كلا اللهُ نَفسَهُ

أخافَ الوَرَى طُراً بِمُرً هِجائِهِ

أخافَ الوَرَى طُراً بِمُرً هِجائِهِ

I see that Ibn ʿUnayn—may God not protect his soul—

I see the son of 'Unayn's folly. God forbid

has frightened all humankind with the bitterness of his satire.

His ignoble deeds should spread and cause alarm

وَلَم يُهملوِهُ خَشيةً مِنهُ إِنما

وَلَم يُهملوِهُ خَشيةً مِنهُ إِنما

رأَوهُ مَهيناً ذَمُّهُ كثَنائِهِ

رأَوهُ مَهيناً ذَمُّهُ كثَنائِهِ

They did not ignore him out of fear of him; rather,

But they indulged him, fearing not his work

they deemed him contemptible, his censure no different from his praise.

For they saw him as vile, worthy only of blame