يتحيَّر الشعراءُ إن سَمِعوا بهِ

يتحيَّر الشعراءُ إن سَمِعوا بهِ

في حُسنِ صنعتِه وفي تأليفهِ

في حُسنِ صنعتِه وفي تأليفهِ

Poets are bewildered if they hear of it,

The poets are perplexed when they hear of it

at the beauty of its craftsmanship and its composition.

Of its skillfully crafted composition

فكأنه في قُربه من فَهمِهم

فكأنه في قُربه من فَهمِهم

ونكولهم في العَجزِ عن ترصيفهِ

ونكولهم في العَجزِ عن ترصيفهِ

Thus it is as though—in its nearness to their understanding,

It's as if in its proximity to their understanding

and their shrinking back, unable to arrange it—

And their inability to match its composition

شجرٌ بَدا للعَينِ حسنُ نباتهِ

شجرٌ بَدا للعَينِ حسنُ نباتهِ

ونأى عن الأيدي جَنى مقطوفهِ

ونأى عن الأيدي جَنى مقطوفهِ

it were a tree whose lovely growth appears to the eye,

A tree appeared beautiful in its growth

while its fruit for plucking lies beyond the hands’ reach.

Yet its fruits were beyond reach

فإذا قرنت أَبِيَّه بمُطيعهِ

فإذا قرنت أَبِيَّه بمُطيعهِ

وقرنته بغَريبه وطريفه

وقرنته بغَريبه وطريفه

Then, when you pair its defiant parts with its compliant ones,

So when its clarity is combined with its subtlety

and pair it with its rare and novel expressions,

And combined with its uniqueness and charm

ألفيت معناه يطابق لَفظَه

ألفيت معناه يطابق لَفظَه

والنظم منه جليُّه بلطيفهِ

والنظم منه جليُّه بلطيفهِ

you find its meaning matching its wording,

You find its meaning matches its wording

and its verse joining its clear parts to its subtle ones.

And its composition is refined in its subtlety

فأتاه متَّسِقاً على إحسانه

فأتاه متَّسِقاً على إحسانه

قد نيط منه رَزينه بخفيفه

قد نيط منه رَزينه بخفيفه

Thus it came to him, harmonious in its excellence,

So it came to him well-composed in his excellence

its weighty parts already tied to its light ones.

Adorned by him with a delicate string

هذَّبتُه فجعلتُه لك باقيا

هذَّبتُه فجعلتُه لك باقيا

ومنعت صرفَ الدهر عن تَصريفه

ومنعت صرفَ الدهر عن تَصريفه

I polished it and made it endure for you,

I have refined it and made it last for you

and kept time’s vicissitudes from altering it.

And prevented the passing of time from altering it