قلبتُ بطونَ الشعر قبلَ ظهورِهِ

قلبتُ بطونَ الشعر قبلَ ظهورِهِ

فلم أرَ قولا لم تقدّمْهُ بالفعلِ

فلم أرَ قولا لم تقدّمْهُ بالفعلِ

I turned over poetry’s insides before its outsides,

I have turned the bellies of poetry before its appearance

and found no saying you had not already anticipated in deed.

So I have not seen a saying that you have not preceded with the deed

وما استطرفَ الأقوامُ لي فيك مِدحةً

وما استطرفَ الأقوامُ لي فيك مِدحةً

لأني بما علَّمتهم بك من جهلِ

لأني بما علَّمتهم بك من جهلِ

And the people found no praise of mine for you novel,

And the people have not admired any eulogy from me about you

for, in teaching them about you, I acted out of ignorance:

Because I taught them about you from ignorance

أعرِّفُهم منك الذي يعرفونه

أعرِّفُهم منك الذي يعرفونه

وأسلافُهم من قبلِ شعري ومن قبلي

وأسلافُهم من قبلِ شعري ومن قبلي

I tell them of you what they already know,

I make them know about you what they already know

and their forebears knew, before my poetry and before me.

And their ancestors before my poetry and before me

فيُعرضُ عنه السامعونَ وإنني

فيُعرضُ عنه السامعونَ وإنني

لذو المذهب المحمود والمنطق الجزلِ

لذو المذهب المحمود والمنطق الجزلِ

So the listeners turn away from it, although I

So the listeners ignore it while I

indeed have a praiseworthy manner and forceful speech.

Have the praised doctrine and the eloquent logic