هو الشعر أجرى في ميادين سبقه

هو الشعر أجرى في ميادين سبقه

وافرج من أبوابه كلَّ مبهم

وافرج من أبوابه كلَّ مبهم

It is poetry: I run in the arenas of its race,

He is the poetry that flowed in arenas preceded

and open every sealed one of its doors.

And opened from its doors every ambiguous thing

وسل أهله عني هل امتزت منهم

وسل أهله عني هل امتزت منهم

بطبعي وهل غادرت من متردم

بطبعي وهل غادرت من متردم

And ask its practitioners about me: have I stood apart from them

And ask his people about me, did I gain from them

by my innate gift, and have I left any rent unmended?

With my nature, and did I leave any ruins

سلكت أساليب البديع فأصبحت

سلكت أساليب البديع فأصبحت

بأقوالي الركبان في اليد ترتمي

بأقوالي الركبان في اليد ترتمي

I followed the paths of rhetorical artistry, and so

I took the methods of rhetoric and became

riders, bearing my verses, came hurtling 'in the hand' (unclear as written).

With my words the riders in the hand cast lots

ورّبتما غنى به كلّ ساجع

ورّبتما غنى به كلّ ساجع

يردّده في شجوه والترنم

يردّده في شجوه والترنم

And often every warbling bird sang of it,

And perhaps every complainer sang with it

repeating it in its sorrow and song.

Repeating it in his lament and chanting

وضيعني قومي لأني لسانهم

وضيعني قومي لأني لسانهم

اذا أفحم الاقوام عند التكلم

اذا أفحم الاقوام عند التكلم

And my people neglected me because I am their tongue,

And my people ignored me because I am their tongue

when the peoples are struck speechless in discourse.

When the peoples are confused when speaking

وطالبني دهري لأني زنته

وطالبني دهري لأني زنته

وأني فيه غرة فوق أدهم

وأني فيه غرة فوق أدهم

And my age hounded me because I adorned it,

And my time blamed me because I weighed it down

and because within it I am a white blaze upon a black steed.

And that I in it am beyond the wisest of the wise