رَأَيتُكَ توسِعُ الشُعَراءَ نَيلاً

حَديثَهُمُ المُوَلَّدَ وَالقَديما

I saw you enrich the poets lavishly

I saw you showering poets with your bounty,

Their modern and ancient discourse

Both the modern among them and the ancients of old;

فَتُعطي مَن بَقى مالاً جَسيماً

وَتُعطي مَن مَضى شَرَفاً عَظيما

So you give who remains abundant wealth

Giving to those who remain vast riches,

And you give who passed grand eminence

And giving to those who have passed great renown.

سَمِعتُكَ مُنشِداً بَيتَي زِيادٍ

نَشيداً مِثلَ مُنشِدِهِ كَريما

I heard you reciting a couplet by Ziyad

I heard you reciting the couplet of Ziyad,

A recitation like its reciter generous

A recitation as noble as the reciter himself;

فَما أَنكَرتُ مَوضِعَهُ وَلَكِن

غَبَطتُ بِذاكَ أَعظُمَهُ الرَميما

So I did not deny its position but

I did not deny him his place, yet indeed,

I envied by that its most lowly

I envied his crumbling bones for such praise.