وَقَوافٍ مُلْسِ المُتونِ شِدادِ ال

وَقَوافٍ مُلْسِ المُتونِ شِدادِ ال

أَسْرِ غُرٍّ مَصْقُولَةِ الأَطرافِ

أَسْرِ غُرٍّ مَصْقُولَةِ الأَطرافِ

And rhymes, smooth-backed, strong in

With smooth, eloquent verses, forceful rhetoric

structure, radiant, with polished edges.

Of free, finely honed phrase

لَمْ يَشِنْها إِجازَةٌ وَسِنادٌ

لَمْ يَشِنْها إِجازَةٌ وَسِنادٌ

وَحَلَتْ إِذْ خَلَتْ مِنَ الإصرافِ

وَحَلَتْ إِذْ خَلَتْ مِنَ الإصرافِ

Neither mismatched rhyme consonants nor pre-rhyme inconsistencies have marred them;

Needing no license nor credentials

and they grew sweet, being free of mismatched rhyme vowels.

Since no one finds fault with them

وإِذا ما رُواتُها انْتَقَدوها

وإِذا ما رُواتُها انْتَقَدوها

حَسِبوها لآلِئَ الأَصْدافِ

حَسِبوها لآلِئَ الأَصْدافِ

And whenever their reciters scrutinize them,

And if critics examine them

they deem them pearls from shells.

They are to be reckoned pearls

صُغْتُها في النَّسيبِ وَالفَخْرِ حَتّى

صُغْتُها في النَّسيبِ وَالفَخْرِ حَتّى

عُدَّ فيها الإعْجازُ مِنْ أَوْصافي

عُدَّ فيها الإعْجازُ مِنْ أَوْصافي

I fashioned them in love poetry and self-praise, until

I composed them on lineage and glory until

in them, inimitability was counted among my qualities.

In them miracles were seen as my traits

وَمَتى زَلَّ عَنْ لِساني مَديحٌ

وَمَتى زَلَّ عَنْ لِساني مَديحٌ

هُوَ أَدْنَى مُروءَةِ الأَشْرافِ

هُوَ أَدْنَى مُروءَةِ الأَشْرافِ

And whenever praise slips from my tongue—

And whenever praise slips from my tongue

it is the least of noblemen's virtues—

It is the least nobility can proffer

فَأَنا المُسْتَعيرُ مَعْناهُ مِمَّا

فَأَنا المُسْتَعيرُ مَعْناهُ مِمَّا

قَالَهُ المَادِحُونَ في الأَسْلافِ

قَالَهُ المَادِحُونَ في الأَسْلافِ

then I borrow its meaning from what

So I borrow the meanings

the panegyrists said of forebears.

From what panegyrists have said in the past