أمرٌ مُطاعٌ أتاني

أمرٌ مُطاعٌ أتاني

من الهُمامِ الحُلاحل

من الهُمامِ الحُلاحل

A command to be obeyed reached me,

A command obeyed has come to me

From the valiant, eminent lord,

From the protectors, pure and sublime,

من فارسِ الجودِ والبأ

من فارسِ الجودِ والبأ

سِ والنُّهى والفضائل

سِ والنُّهى والفضائل

From the champion of generosity and val-

From the knight of generosity, grace,

or, wisdom, and virtues,

And forbidding evil, excelling in rhyme,

في نظم شِعْرٍ فَصيحٍ

في نظم شِعْرٍ فَصيحٍ

كأنه سِحْرُ بابلْ

كأنه سِحْرُ بابلْ

To compose eloquent verse,

In eloquent, lucid verse,

As though it were Babylon's magic.

As if it were Babylonian magic lines,

أتى وعِندي بهمِّي

أتى وعِندي بهمِّي

من الزَّمانِ شواغِلْ

من الزَّمانِ شواغِلْ

It came while I had, amid my cares,

It came while my mind

Preoccupations brought by time,

Was preoccupied with the burdens of time,

وخاطري كحُسامٍ

وخاطري كحُسامٍ

قد أغْفلتهه الصَّياقِلْ

قد أغْفلتهه الصَّياقِلْ

And my mind was like a sword

And my thoughts like an unpolished sword

That the polishers had neglected.

Neglected among the blades that shine,

فكِدتُ أُمْسك لولا

فكِدتُ أُمْسك لولا

عُلوُّ قدْرِ المُسائلْ

عُلوُّ قدْرِ المُسائلْ

So I nearly held back, but for

I almost refrained, were it not

The requester's lofty standing.

For the loftiness of the question divine,

وحامِلٌ لِعلومٍ

وحامِلٌ لِعلومٍ

أصابَ فيها الأوائلْ

أصابَ فيها الأوائلْ

And a bearer of sciences,

Borne by one knowing truths

In which the ancients were right,

And excelling over all in his prime,

يُدعى بتقويمِ حقٍّ

يُدعى بتقويمِ حقٍّ

وجُلُّ ما فيه باطلْ

وجُلُّ ما فيه باطلْ

Is called a true almanac,

Called for correcting what is right

Yet most of what it contains is false.

Though most of it is false and malign.