تَناهَضَrose in rivalry القَومُthe people لِلمَعاليfor lofty honors
تَناهَضَ القَومُ لِلمَعالي
لَمّاwhen رَأواthey saw نَحوَهاtoward them نُهوضيmy rising
لَمّا رَأوا نَحوَها نُهوضي
The people rose to vie for lofty honors,
The people rose for noble goals
when they saw me rising toward them.
When they saw me rising towards them
تَكَلَّفواthey strained to undertake المَكرُماتِnoble deeds كَدّاًwith toil
تَكَلَّفوا المَكرُماتِ كَدّاً
تَكَلُّفَthe strained crafting of الشِعرِpoetry بِالعَروضِthrough prosody
تَكَلُّفَ الشِعرِ بِالعَروضِ
They strained, with toil, to perform noble deeds,
They undertook honored deeds with great effort
as one strains to compose verse by metrical rules.
As poetry undertook meter with rigor
Sol 6.1