وما الحَسَبُ الموروثُ لا درَّ دَرُّه

وما الحَسَبُ الموروثُ لا درَّ دَرُّه

بمحتَسَبٍ إلا بآخرَ مُكتسبْ

بمحتَسَبٍ إلا بآخرَ مُكتسبْ

And inherited honor—may its milk never flow!—

Not from inherited lineage comes glory’s gain

counts for nothing unless joined by honor one has earned.

Unless with toil and strife is honour’s prize attained.

إذا العودُ لي يُثمر وإن كان شُعبةً

إذا العودُ لي يُثمر وإن كان شُعبةً

من المُثمراتِ اعتدَّه الناسُ في الحطبْ

من المُثمراتِ اعتدَّه الناسُ في الحطبْ

If a bough bears fruit for me, though it is a branch

When the firestick beareth not, what boots its name

of fruit-bearing trees, people count it as firewood.

And the noble house from whose stock the good-for-nought came?

وأنت لعَمْري شُعبةٌ من ذوي العلا

وأنت لعَمْري شُعبةٌ من ذوي العلا

فلا ترضَ أن تُعتدَّ من أوضع الشُّعَبْ

فلا ترضَ أن تُعتدَّ من أوضع الشُّعَبْ

And you, by my life, are a branch of men of high station,

Thou art, forsooth, a branch of those high-stationed lords

so do not accept being counted among the lowliest branches.

Yet with the meanest wood thou art well equipoised.

وللمجد قومٌ ساوروهُ بأنفسٍ

وللمجد قومٌ ساوروهُ بأنفسٍ

كرامٍ ولم يرضَوْا بأمٍّ ولاَ بأبْ

كرامٍ ولم يرضَوْا بأمٍّ ولاَ بأبْ

And glory has men who strove for it with souls

Honour the brave stance takers with lives put at stake

that were noble, and did not rest content with mother or father.

Not the sires and dams whoseIssueshowed their make.

رأيتك قد عوَّلتَ بي في مدائحي

رأيتك قد عوَّلتَ بي في مدائحي

على نائِل الآباء في سالف الحِقبْ

على نائِل الآباء في سالف الحِقبْ

I saw that, in dealing with me over my praises, you had relied

Thou soughtest my aidance to laud thee in rhyme;

on your forefathers' bounty in ages long past.

On deeds of sires hoping greatness in time:

وذلك شيءٌ كان غيريَ نالهُ

وذلك شيءٌ كان غيريَ نالهُ

ولو كنتُ أيضاً نِلتُهُ كان قد ذهبْ

ولو كنتُ أيضاً نِلتُهُ كان قد ذهبْ

And that was something someone other than me had received;

A vain thing is such hope. If I hymned thy sires,

and even had I received it too, it would already be gone.

Their glory expired and praise with it expires!

أتجعلُ نَيْلاً ناله ابنُ محلِّمٍ

أتجعلُ نَيْلاً ناله ابنُ محلِّمٍ

ثوابَ مديحي فيك هذا هو العجبْ

ثوابَ مديحي فيك هذا هو العجبْ

Do you make a gift that Ibn Muhallim received

Shall I base thy meed on what meninhooded gained,

the reward for my praise of you? This is truly astonishing!

To one whose sires such reward with toil attained?

فما رِفدُ عبد اللَّه والقَرْمِ طاهرٍ

فما رِفدُ عبد اللَّه والقَرْمِ طاهرٍ

سواي بقاضٍ عنك حقي الذي وجبْ

سواي بقاضٍ عنك حقي الذي وجبْ

For the bounty of Abd Allah and the noble chief Tahir

Never! By Allah, shall Abdallah's actions weigh

to others cannot discharge, on your behalf, the debt rightly due to me.

‘Gainst Caab's son, my due from thee to pay.

فلا تَتَّكِلْ إلا على ما فعلتَهُ

فلا تَتَّكِلْ إلا على ما فعلتَهُ

ولا تحسبنَّ المجدَ يُورَثُ بالنسبْ

ولا تحسبنَّ المجدَ يُورَثُ بالنسبْ

So rely only on what you yourself have done,

On thine acts rely not another's who's gone

and never suppose that glory is inherited through lineage.

Deem not renown inherit by lineage alone

فليس يسودُ المرءُ إلا بنفسه

فليس يسودُ المرءُ إلا بنفسه

وإن عَدَّ آباءً كراماً ذوي حسبْ

وإن عَدَّ آباءً كراماً ذوي حسبْ

For a man attains eminence only through his own merits,

Man earns for himself. His sires' deeds are bygone

even if he counts noble forefathers of high standing.

Though noble the line of his ancestry's drawn