تبرَّعَgave freely تاجُTaj (crown) الدينal-Din (the faith) ليto me بنوالهِwith his bounty
تبرَّعَ تاجُ الدين لي بنوالهِ
كوردٍlike a watering place أفادprovided الرِيَّthe quenching of thirst قبلbefore ورودهِreaching it
كوردٍ أفاد الرِيَّ قبل ورودهِ
Taj al-Din freely bestowed his bounty on me,
Taj al-Din gifted me with his poem
Like a watering place that quenched thirst before it was reached.
Of rhymed prose that benefited before its creation
تُطالبنيdemand of me غُرُّradiant القوافيthe rhymes بمدحهِto praise him
تُطالبني غُرُّ القوافي بمدحهِ
كأنَّas though القوافيthe rhymes أصبحتhad become منamong جنودهِhis soldiers
كأنَّ القوافي أصبحت من جنودهِ
The radiant rhymes demand that I praise him,
The whims of rhyme call on me to praise it
As though the rhymes had joined his troops.
As if rhyme itself enlisted in its army
فأُمسكُso I hold back لاnot بخلاًout of stinginess عليهtoward him بحقِّهِwith his due
فأُمسكُ لا بخلاً عليه بحقِّهِ
ولكنهُbut it is واللّهِby God رفْقٌconsideration بجودهِfor his generosity
ولكنهُ واللّهِ رفْقٌ بجودهِ
So I hold back—not because I begrudge him his due,
Yet I refrain, not from stinginess over what's due
But, by God, out of consideration for his generosity.
But truly, by God, to spare his generosity
Sol 6.1