هَبِ النَّاسَ قَالُوا باتّفاقٍ بأنّني

هَبِ النَّاسَ قَالُوا باتّفاقٍ بأنّني

فَرِيدُ أَوانِي في جَميعِ الْمَعارِفِ

فَرِيدُ أَوانِي في جَميعِ الْمَعارِفِ

Suppose people unanimously say that I am

People have unanimously said that I

Peerless in my time in every branch of knowledge;

Am unique in all branches of knowledge

فَما النَّفْعُ في هَذا وما ضَرَّ قَوْلُهُمْ

فَما النَّفْعُ في هَذا وما ضَرَّ قَوْلُهُمْ

أسِيرَ قُصورٍ مَشْيُهُ مَشْيُ زَاحِفِ

أسِيرَ قُصورٍ مَشْيُهُ مَشْيُ زَاحِفِ

So what good is this, and what harm in their calling me

Of what use is this and what harm is their saying

A captive of inadequacy, whose gait is a crawler’s gait?

I walk the palaces with a crawling gait