أَفدي الغَزالَ الّذي في النَّحوِ كلَّمَني

أَفدي الغَزالَ الّذي في النَّحوِ كلَّمَني

مُناظِراً فاجتَنَيْتُ الشّهدَ مِن شَفَتِهْ

مُناظِراً فاجتَنَيْتُ الشّهدَ مِن شَفَتِهْ

I would ransom the gazelle who spoke to me about grammar,

I would sacrifice for the gazelle whose speech in grammar addressed me,

debating, so I gathered honey from his lip.

Conversing, and so I gathered honey from his lips,

وارفضّ من عرق من مر جامده

وارفضّ من عرق من مر جامده

حتَّى وددتُ بأنِّي تِربُ مِنشَفَتِهْ

حتَّى وددتُ بأنِّي تِربُ مِنشَفَتِهْ

And sweat streamed forth [the remaining phrase is unclear as written],

And refused the dew from those who passed in hardness,

until I wished I were his towel’s peer.

Until I wished that I were the dust of his lips.

فأوردَ الحُججَ المقَبولَ شاهِدُها

فأوردَ الحُججَ المقَبولَ شاهِدُها

مُحَقِّقا لِيريني فضلَ معرِفَتِهْ

مُحَقِّقا لِيريني فضلَ معرِفَتِهْ

So he presented arguments whose supporting evidence was accepted,

So he presented accepted proofs, his witnesses,

verifying them, to show me the excellence of his knowledge.

Clarifying for me the virtue of his knowledge,

ثمَّ اتفَقْنا على رأيٍ رَضيِتُ بهِ

ثمَّ اتفَقْنا على رأيٍ رَضيِتُ بهِ

بالرَّفعُ مِن صِفَتي والنَّصبُ مِن صِفَتِهْ

بالرَّفعُ مِن صِفَتي والنَّصبُ مِن صِفَتِهْ

Then we agreed on an opinion I was content with:

Then we agreed upon an opinion I was pleased with:

with raising (the nominative) as my attribute, and setting upright (the accusative) as his.

My attribute in the nominative case, and his attribute in the accusative.