يا مَن عَلا شَرَفاً عَلى كيوانِ

وَرَقى مَحَلّاً دونَهُ القَمَرانِ

O you who attained nobility above all creatures

And ascended to a station beyond the two luminaries

وَقَضى بِحَقٍّ في الرَعيّةِ سالِكاً

بِهِمُ طَريقاً سَنّها العُمرانِ

And judged the people with truth as your guide

Along a path you laid out for civilization

شِيَمُ الكِرام كما عَلِمتُ إِذا جَنى

عَبدٌ لَهُم الأَخذُ بِالغُفرانِ

The trait of nobility, as I knew, is when

A servant shows them forgiveness in taking from them

كُلٌّ يَهون سِوى شَماتَةِ حُسَّدي

لَمّا فُلانٌ يَلتَقي بِفُلانِ

All is trivial except the gloating of my envious enemies

When so-and-so encounters so-and-so

هُم سَوَّدُوا حَسَداً بَياضَ صَحيفَتي

بِزَخارِفِ الأَقوالِ وَالبُهتانِ

They blackened out of envy the whiteness of my page

With the decorations of words and false accusations

هَلّا كَفَيتَنِيَ العِدا مُتَذَكِّراً

قَولَ الأَديب عَصابة الجَرجاني

Why did the enemies not suffice reminding me

Of the words of the eloquent, assembly of al-Jurjani

وَنقَضت مِنّي بِنيَتي وَبنَيتَنِي

بِيَدَيكَ أَحسن بنيَة البُنيانِ

You demolished my structure and rebuilt me

With your hands into the best built structure

فَعَلَيكَ تَقويمي إِذا ما مالَ بي

أَوَدٌ لِأَنَّكَ أَنتَ كُنتَ الباني

So upon you is to straighten me if I lean

For you were the one who built me in the first place