إذا ما مدحتُ المرءَ يوماً ولم يُثِبْ

إذا ما مدحتُ المرءَ يوماً ولم يُثِبْ

مديحي وحقُّ الشعرِ في الحكم واجبُ

مديحي وحقُّ الشعرِ في الحكم واجبُ

If one day I praise a man and he does not reward

If I praised a man one day, and he did not repay

my praise—though poetry is rightfully owed its due—

My praise, though poetry's truth is justice owed,

كفاني هجائيهِ قيامي بمدحه

كفاني هجائيهِ قيامي بمدحه

خطيباً وقول الناس لي أنت كاذبُ

خطيباً وقول الناس لي أنت كاذبُ

it is enough, as satire against him, that I stand praising him

Let my satire of him suffice - my raising him

as an orator, and that people tell me, “You are a liar.”

A spokesman - and people saying: “You are a liar!”