قل للأَمير الذي مناقبُه

كل لسانٍ بذكرها جاري

Tell the prince whose virtues

every tongue is speaking of,

مما حَوت كفُّه وما وَرِثت

عن راحتَي ملهمٍ ودينارِ

of what his palm contained and what

he inherited from the rest of a poet and money.

في النفسِ عتبٌ لو قد نطقتُ به

لقيل إني جاوَزتُ مِقداري

In my soul there is blame, that if I spoke it

it would be said I exceeded my proper bounds.

وإن تحمَّلته وجَدتُ له

بينَ ضلوعي أذكي من النارِ

And if I bore it, I would find for it

between my ribs a fire more kindled than fire.

ما لك ضيَّعتَني وقد حصلَت

محفوظةً في عُلاكَ أشعاري

Why did you waste me when you had made

my poems safe in your keeping?

إن كنتَ أحضَرتَني لتُبعدَني

عنك فما كانَ وجه إحضاري

If you summoned me to thrust me

away from you, what was the point of summoning me?