ونظمٌand a poem يجاريvies with الناظمينthe poets جوادُهits noble steed
ونظمٌ يجاري الناظمين جوادُه
إذاwhenever شاءَhe wishes أنto يلهوplay بلحيةِwith the beard of أحمقa fool
إذا شاءَ أن يلهو بلحيةِ أحمق
And a poem whose noble steed vies with the poets,
His poetry flows smoothly like a generous steed
whenever he wishes to toy with a fool's beard,
When he wishes to toy with the beard of a fool
أتىcame منfrom إمامa master منطقيversed in logic فيهconcerning him للثناfor praise
أتى من إمام منطقي فيه للثنا
وللحبِّand for love ماwhat لمdid not يبقَremain منِّيof me وماand what بقيremained
وللحبِّ ما لم يبقَ منِّي وما بقي
came from a master logician, for whose praise
He comes from an eloquent Imam, praising him
and love are all of me that is gone and all that remains.
And for love what remains of me and what's left
أباO father of الفتحvictory لوif فاتحتyou opened talks with بحراًa sea أوor ابنهits son
أبا الفتح لو فاتحت بحراً أو ابنه
لقامَit would stand مقامin the place of المجتدِيthe supplicant المتملّقthe fawning one
لقامَ مقام المجتدِي المتملّق
Abu al-Fath, if you opened talks with a sea or its son,
O Abu Al Fath, had you conquered a sea or its son
it would take the place of a fawning supplicant.
You would have taken the place of the flattering sycophant
وياand O منone who لهhas فيin العقلِreason والنقلِand transmitted learning خاطرinsight
ويا من له في العقلِ والنقلِ خاطر
لعادwould return لهto him منthe one who قالsaid للفلكto the celestial sphere ارفقbe gentle
لعاد له من قال للفلك ارفق
And O you with insight into reason and transmitted learning,
And O you who has intellect and tradition in your mind
the one who told the celestial sphere, 'Be gentle,' would return to you.
To whom the celestial sphere gently yielded
لقدindeed جدتyou were generous حتىuntil جدتyou were generous فيin كلّevery ناقلٍnarrator
لقد جدت حتى جدت في كلّ ناقلٍ
وحتىand until أتاكَcame to you الحمدpraise منfrom كلّevery منطقutterance
وحتى أتاكَ الحمد من كلّ منطق
Indeed, you gave generously, till every narrator spoke of your bounty,
Indeed I have strived, striving with every transmitter
and till praise came to you from every tongue.
Until praise reached you from every logic
وقلَّدتنيand you bestowed on me شرفٌSharaf منof النظمِverse نعمةًa blessing
وقلَّدتني شرفٌ من النظمِ نعمةً
أنرتyou illuminated بهاwith it ماwhat بينbetween غربwest ومشرقand east
أنرت بها ما بين غرب ومشرق
And you bestowed on me, Sharaf, a blessing of verse,
And you granted me the honor of poetry as a blessing
with which you lit all between west and east.
With which I illuminated between West and East
أقولI say لهاto it إذwhen صحفتI altered the lettering نعتthe description of حاسدan envier
أقول لها إذ صحفت نعت حاسد
بعينيكbefore your two eyes ماwhat يلقىsuffers الحسودthe envious man وماand what لقيhas suffered
بعينيك ما يلقى الحسود وما لقي
I say to it, having altered an envier's description:
I say to it, when the eyes of an envier distorted
'Before your eyes is what the envious man suffers and has suffered.'
The attributes of the envied, what the envious face and faced
Sol 6.1