رمى اللهُ رِئبالَ القَريضِ بِرئبالِ

رمى اللهُ رِئبالَ القَريضِ بِرئبالِ

ومغتالَ ما حبَّرتُ منه بِمُغتالِ

ومغتالَ ما حبَّرتُ منه بِمُغتالِ

May God strike poetry's lion with a lion,

God cast Quraysh's orator with an orator

and the assassin of my finely crafted verse with an assassin.

And I have bound what I embroidered of him with a binder

حجَبتُ عن الأَسماعِ منه بَقيَّةً

حجَبتُ عن الأَسماعِ منه بَقيَّةً

مقيَّدةً عن كلِّ حَلٍّ وتَرحالِ

مقيَّدةً عن كلِّ حَلٍّ وتَرحالِ

I hid a remnant of it from ears,

I have blocked the remainder from hearing

fettered, barred from every stay and journey.

Confined from every solution and travel

وأطبقتُ إِشفاقاً عليه حِقاقَه

وأطبقتُ إِشفاقاً عليه حِقاقَه

فصارَ وما أرخَصتُ من حَلْيِه غالي

فصارَ وما أرخَصتُ من حَلْيِه غالي

And, fearing for it, I shut its jewel boxes;

And I have closed his defects out of sympathy

so it grew precious, though I had cheapened none of its jewelry.

So he and what I loosened of his adornment became expensive

وحذَّرني أن يُستباحَ حريمُه

وحذَّرني أن يُستباحَ حريمُه

تذكُّرُ بَيتٍ يَقطعُ الأرضَ جَوَّالِ

تذكُّرُ بَيتٍ يَقطعُ الأرضَ جَوَّالِ

And what warned me against the violation of its sanctuary

And he warned me against violating his sanctuary

was the memory of a roaming verse that crosses the earth:

Remembering a house that roams the land wandering

أَلاَ يَحبِسُ الشيخُ الغَيورُ بَناتِه

أَلاَ يَحبِسُ الشيخُ الغَيورُ بَناتِه

مخافةَ جِنِّيِّ الشمائلِ بطَّالِ

مخافةَ جِنِّيِّ الشمائلِ بطَّالِ

Does not the jealous old man confine his daughters

Does not the jealous old man detain his daughters

for fear of a wastrel with a jinn's ways?

Fearing the genie of traits, idle