عَجَباً لاِبْنِ النَّابِغَةِ! يَزْعُمُ لاِهْلِ الشَّامِ أَنَّ فِيَّ دُعَابَةً، وَأَنِّي امْرُؤٌ تِلْعَابَةٌ: أُعَافِسُ وَأُمَارِسُ ! لَقَدْ قَالَ بَاطِلاً، وَنَطَقَ آثِماً. أَمَا ـ وَشَرُّ الْقَوْلِ الْكَذِبُ ـ إِنَّهُ لَيَقُولُ فَيَكْذِبُ، وَيَعِدُ فَيُخْلِفُ، وَيُسْأَلُ فَيَبْخَلُ، وَيَسْأَلُ فَيُلْحِفُ، وَيَخُونُ الْعَهْدَ، وَيَقْطَعُ الْاِلَّ فَإِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَ الْحَرْبِ فَأَيُّ زَاجِر وَآمِر هُوَ مَا لَمْ تَأْخُذِ السُّيُوفُ مَآخِذَهَا! فَإِذَا كَانَ ذلِكَ كَانَ أَكْبَرُ مَكيدَتِهِ أَنْ يَمْنَحَ الْقَوْمَ سُبَّتَهُ.
I am surprised at the son of an-Nābighah that he says about me among the people of Syria (ash-Shām) that I am a jester and that I am engaged in frolicks and fun. He said wrong and spoke sinfully. Beware, the worst speech is what is untrue. He speaks and lies. He promises and breaks the promise. He begs and sticks, but when someone begs from him he withholds miserly. He betrays the pledge and ignores kinship. When in a battle, he commands and admonishes but only uptil the swords do not come into action. When such a moment arrives his great trick is to turn naked [1] before his adversary.