قل للأَمير الذي مناقبُه

قل للأَمير الذي مناقبُه

كل لسانٍ بذكرها جاري

كل لسانٍ بذكرها جاري

Say to the emir whose virtues

Tell the prince whose virtues

every tongue recounts in flowing speech,

every tongue is speaking of,

مما حَوت كفُّه وما وَرِثت

مما حَوت كفُّه وما وَرِثت

عن راحتَي ملهمٍ ودينارِ

عن راحتَي ملهمٍ ودينارِ

arising from what his hand has held and what it inherited

of what his palm contained and what

from the palms of Mulhim and Dinar:

he inherited from the rest of a poet and money.

في النفسِ عتبٌ لو قد نطقتُ به

في النفسِ عتبٌ لو قد نطقتُ به

لقيل إني جاوَزتُ مِقداري

لقيل إني جاوَزتُ مِقداري

In my soul is a reproach; had I voiced it,

In my soul there is blame, that if I spoke it

it would be said that I had overstepped my bounds.

it would be said I exceeded my proper bounds.

وإن تحمَّلته وجَدتُ له

وإن تحمَّلته وجَدتُ له

بينَ ضلوعي أذكي من النارِ

بينَ ضلوعي أذكي من النارِ

And if I endure it, I find it burning

And if I bore it, I would find for it

between my ribs more fiercely than fire.

between my ribs a fire more kindled than fire.

ما لك ضيَّعتَني وقد حصلَت

ما لك ضيَّعتَني وقد حصلَت

محفوظةً في عُلاكَ أشعاري

محفوظةً في عُلاكَ أشعاري

Why have you neglected me, when

Why did you waste me when you had made

my poems in praise of your eminence have been preserved?

my poems safe in your keeping?

إن كنتَ أحضَرتَني لتُبعدَني

إن كنتَ أحضَرتَني لتُبعدَني

عنك فما كانَ وجه إحضاري

عنك فما كانَ وجه إحضاري

If you summoned me to send me away

If you summoned me to thrust me

from you, what was the point of summoning me?

away from you, what was the point of summoning me?