رَأَيتُكَ توسِعُ الشُعَراءَ نَيلاً

رَأَيتُكَ توسِعُ الشُعَراءَ نَيلاً

حَديثَهُمُ المُوَلَّدَ وَالقَديما

حَديثَهُمُ المُوَلَّدَ وَالقَديما

I saw you lavish bounty upon poets,

I saw you enrich the poets lavishly

I saw you showering poets with your bounty,

The newer, later-born among them, and those of old.

Their modern and ancient discourse

Both the modern among them and the ancients of old;

فَتُعطي مَن بَقى مالاً جَسيماً

فَتُعطي مَن بَقى مالاً جَسيماً

وَتُعطي مَن مَضى شَرَفاً عَظيما

وَتُعطي مَن مَضى شَرَفاً عَظيما

So you give those still living substantial wealth,

So you give who remains abundant wealth

Giving to those who remain vast riches,

And give those who have passed away great honor.

And you give who passed grand eminence

And giving to those who have passed great renown.

سَمِعتُكَ مُنشِداً بَيتَي زِيادٍ

سَمِعتُكَ مُنشِداً بَيتَي زِيادٍ

نَشيداً مِثلَ مُنشِدِهِ كَريما

نَشيداً مِثلَ مُنشِدِهِ كَريما

I heard you reciting Ziyad’s two verses,

I heard you reciting a couplet by Ziyad

I heard you reciting the couplet of Ziyad,

In a recitation as noble as its reciter.

A recitation like its reciter generous

A recitation as noble as the reciter himself;

فَما أَنكَرتُ مَوضِعَهُ وَلَكِن

فَما أَنكَرتُ مَوضِعَهُ وَلَكِن

غَبَطتُ بِذاكَ أَعظُمَهُ الرَميما

غَبَطتُ بِذاكَ أَعظُمَهُ الرَميما

So I did not find it out of place, but

So I did not deny its position but

I did not deny him his place, yet indeed,

For that, I envied his moldering bones.

I envied by that its most lowly

I envied his crumbling bones for such praise.