تؤَخرنيhold me back ساداتlords دهريmy age وقدthough already دَرَواthey knew
تؤَخرني سادات دهري وقد دَرَوا
صفاتيmy qualities وأنسابيand my lineages التيwhich هيthey are أكرمmost noble
صفاتي وأنسابي التي هي أكرم
The lords of my age hold me back, though they know
My peers in status keep me back though they know
My qualities and my lineages, which are most noble.
My qualities and lineage, more noble than theirs.
كأنهمُas though they قدalready خالفواthey contradicted قولthe saying of أحمدٍAhmad
كأنهمُ قد خالفوا قول أحمدٍ
فماfor none عندهمamong them إلاexcept النسيبthe well-born المقدمgiven precedence
فما عندهم إلا النسيب المقدم
As though they had contradicted Ahmad's saying,
As if contradicting the words of Ahmad, who said
For among them, only the well-born is given precedence.
Merit alone takes precedence, not status by birth.
Sol 6.1