كَتَبتَ فَهَجَّنتَ الَّذينَ تَقَدَّموا

كَتَبتَ فَهَجَّنتَ الَّذينَ تَقَدَّموا

وَأَعلَمتَنا أَنَّ التأَخُّرَ في السَّبقِ

وَأَعلَمتَنا أَنَّ التأَخُّرَ في السَّبقِ

You wrote—and made all those before you seem inferior;

You wrote, and put those who came before you to shame,

And taught us that lateness can take the lead in the race.

And showed us that coming first means falling behind.

وَأَغضَيتَ عَن نَظمِ القَريضِ سَماحَةً

وَأَغضَيتَ عَن نَظمِ القَريضِ سَماحَةً

بِهِ فَظَننا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عَن حَقِّ

بِهِ فَظَننا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عَن حَقِّ

You had magnanimously held back from fashioning verse,

And you refrained from composing verse, out of generosity

So we supposed that this abstention had good cause.

In forgoing it; so we thought that was with good reason.

فَإِن عُدتَ تَهدي مِنهُ كُلَّ عَجيبَةٍ

فَإِن عُدتَ تَهدي مِنهُ كُلَّ عَجيبَةٍ

إِلَينا فَكَم مِن مُعجِزٍ لَكَ في السَّبقِ

إِلَينا فَكَم مِن مُعجِزٍ لَكَ في السَّبقِ

But if you return to offering us every marvel from it,

So if you return to sending every marvel of it

How many an inimitable feat is yours in taking the lead!

To us—how many inimitable works of yours take the lead!

وَمَن لي بِأَن أَلقى بِعَينيَ كُلَّما

وَمَن لي بِأَن أَلقى بِعَينيَ كُلَّما

شَكَوتُ وَما يَرتابُ مِثلُكَ في صِدقي

شَكَوتُ وَما يَرتابُ مِثلُكَ في صِدقي

And whom have I to see with my own eyes whenever

And who can grant me sight of you with my own eyes whenever

I complain—when one like you never doubts my truth?

I complain? One like you does not doubt my truthfulness.

وَوَاللَّهِ لَو شاطَرتُكَ العُمرَ ما وَفَت

وَوَاللَّهِ لَو شاطَرتُكَ العُمرَ ما وَفَت

حَياتي بِأَدنى مِنَّةً لَكَ في عُنقي

حَياتي بِأَدنى مِنَّةً لَكَ في عُنقي

By God, even if I gave you half my span of life, it would not suffice—

And, by God, were I to share my lifetime equally with you, never would

My life—to repay the least favor of yours resting upon my neck.

My life repay the least of your favors borne upon my neck.