لَنا حاكِمٌ أَعمى سَديدٌ قَضاؤُهُ

لَنا حاكِمٌ أَعمى سَديدٌ قَضاؤُهُ

وَلَو كانَ ذا عَينٍ لما سَدَّدَ الحُكما

وَلَو كانَ ذا عَينٍ لما سَدَّدَ الحُكما

We have a blind judge whose judgment is sound.

We have a blind ruler whose rule is firm,

Yet if he had an eye, he would not judge rightly.

Had he sight, he would not have firmed the rule.

لَهُ لَهجَةٌ خَرساءُ يَجري بِها القَضا

لَهُ لَهجَةٌ خَرساءُ يَجري بِها القَضا

تَرى فُصحاءَ الناسِ في جَنبِها بُكما

تَرى فُصحاءَ الناسِ في جَنبِها بُكما

He has a mute utterance through which judgment proceeds;

He has a dumb tongue by which he rules,

beside it, you see the eloquent among people rendered mute.

You see the eloquent as dumb beside it.

وَلا حُكمَ حينَ يُصلَبُ جَهرَةً

وَلا حُكمَ حينَ يُصلَبُ جَهرَةً

فَحينَئِذٍ لا ظُلمَ تَخشى وَلا هَضما

فَحينَئِذٍ لا ظُلمَ تَخشى وَلا هَضما

And there is no judgment when he is openly crucified;

No rule when opinion is firmly crucified,

then you fear neither injustice nor loss of your due,

Then no injustice is feared nor wrong.

سِوى ناقِصٍ يَسمو إِلَيهِ وَكامِلٍ

سِوى ناقِصٍ يَسمو إِلَيهِ وَكامِلٍ

يُرى في حَضيضٍ لا يُقلُّ وَلا يُسمى

يُرى في حَضيضٍ لا يُقلُّ وَلا يُسمى

save that one who is deficient rises toward him, while one who is complete

Except a deficient who aspires to it and a perfect

is seen in the depths, neither lifted nor raised.

Who is seen in abyss who neither declines nor is named.

إِذا خَرَّ مِنهُ الرَأسُ ثُمَّ نَكستَهُ

إِذا خَرَّ مِنهُ الرَأسُ ثُمَّ نَكستَهُ

غَدا ثاوِياً فَاعجَب وَصَفَّ لَكَ الأَسما

غَدا ثاوِياً فَاعجَب وَصَفَّ لَكَ الأَسما

If his head falls off and you then turn him upside down,

When the head falls off then it bows,

he comes to rest—so marvel—and arrays the names for you.

It becomes desolate the next day, so wonder and describe the names.

لَهُ الحُكمُ في الدُنيا كَذلِكَ حُكمُهُ

لَهُ الحُكمُ في الدُنيا كَذلِكَ حُكمُهُ

يُنَفَّذُ في الأُخرى فَدقّق لَهُ فهما

يُنَفَّذُ في الأُخرى فَدقّق لَهُ فهما

His is the judgment in this world; likewise, his judgment

Such is his rule in this world,

is enforced in the next, so ponder him carefully.

Implemented in the next, so scrutinize well for him.

إِلى شَرَفِ الدينِ اِقتَضَيتُ مَقالَتي

إِلى شَرَفِ الدينِ اِقتَضَيتُ مَقالَتي

إِلى سَيِّدٍ حازَ الشَهامَةَ وَالعلما

إِلى سَيِّدٍ حازَ الشَهامَةَ وَالعلما

To Sharaf al-Din I have addressed my petition,

My words appealed to the honor of religion,

to a master who has attained gallantry and learning,

To a master who won glory and knowledge.

إِلى مِصقَعٍ لَو قيسَ قُسٌّ بِمِثلِهِ

إِلى مِصقَعٍ لَو قيسَ قُسٌّ بِمِثلِهِ

لألفيتَ قُسّاً في بَلاغَتِهِ فَدما

لألفيتَ قُسّاً في بَلاغَتِهِ فَدما

to an eloquent orator: were Quss measured against one like him,

To Miṣqaʿ, if a reed-pen was likened to him,

you would find Quss halting in eloquence.

You would find a reed-pen surpassing him in eloquence.

إِلَيهِ رَجائي أَن يَرُدَّ جَوابَها

إِلَيهِ رَجائي أَن يَرُدَّ جَوابَها

فَنَحنُ إِلى نَظمٍ بَديعٍ لَهُ نَظما

فَنَحنُ إِلى نَظمٍ بَديعٍ لَهُ نَظما

To him I look in hope that he will send an answer to it,

My hope is that he responds to it,

for we thirst for exquisite verse of his.

For we await wonderful poetry from him.

وَنَروى متى نَروي بَدائِعَ لَفظِهِ

وَنَروى متى نَروي بَدائِعَ لَفظِهِ

وَنَظما إِذا لَم نَروِ يَوماً لَهُ نظما

وَنَظما إِذا لَم نَروِ يَوماً لَهُ نظما

We are quenched whenever we recite his wondrous words,

And we quench our thirst whenever we quench it with the wonders of his diction,

and thirst if a day passes without our reciting his verse.

And poems whenever we do not quench on a day poems from him.