Judgment lies neither with your father,
nor with the clan to which you belong—
for they are the lowest of men.

Jarīr thereupon stood up in anger and said:
You two have reviled a man who began by speaking the truth
before the Caliph, while shafts of speech were being hurled.
Do you, in your foolishness, abuse the best of you in lineage?
By my Lord, falsehood and folly dwell in you both.
You insulted him because I am raised high and you are brought low—
may you ever remain abased, you wretches. (1)

Jarīr then leapt forward, kissed the Bedouin’s head and said,
“Commander of the Faithful, let my reward be his.”
(The reward amounted to fifteen thousand.)
ʿAbd al-Malik replied, “And let him receive the like of it from my own treasury.”
The Bedouin accepted the whole sum and left. (2)

Yaʿqūb ibn as-Sikkīt relates that Jarīr once entered upon ʿAbd al-Malik with a delegation from Iraq sent by al-Ḥajjāj. He recited his panegyric containing the verse:
Are you not the best of those who ride their mounts,
and the most open-handed of mankind when the cup is passed? (3)

The Caliph granted him one hundred camels and eight herdsmen—four Nubians and four of the captives recently brought from Sogdia.

Jarīr said: “In front of the Commander of the Faithful ʿAbd al-Malik were a number of silver bowls (4) that had been presented to him. He paid them no heed, tapping them with the rod in his hand. I said, ‘Commander of the Faithful, the milk-bowl!’ So he tossed one of those vessels to me. When I returned to al-Ḥajjāj, he was pleased with the honour the Caliph had shown me and bestowed upon me fifty camels laden with provisions for my family.”

Nifṭawayh reports that Jarīr once entered upon Bishr ibn Marwān while al-Akhtal was in his company. Bishr said to Jarīr, “Do you know who this is?”
“No, who is he, O Emir?” Jarīr replied.
“This is al-Akhtal,” said Bishr.

Al-Akhtal said, “I am the one who reviled your honour, kept you awake at night, and harmed your people.”

Jarīr answered, “As for your claim that you reviled my honour, what harm is it to the sea when a drowning man curses it? As for your claim that you kept me awake, had you let me sleep it would have been better for you. And as for harming my people—how can you harm a people to whom you pay the jizya (poll-tax)?”

Al-Akhtal was one of the Christian Arabs—may Allah disgrace him and banish him—

[He is the one who recited to Bishr ibn Marwān the ode that begins…]