بَعَثْتَ به حَنَانًا أَمْ جِنانا

وصُلْتَ بهِ لِسانًا أَم سِنانا

Did you send it as affection or madness?

Did you convey it as a tongue or teeth?

وقلَّدْتَ الطُّروسَ به كلاماً

يُفَصَّلُ في التَّرائِبِ أَم جُمَانا

And you adorned the birds with speech through it

Is it distinctly articulated or mumbling?

قريضٌ زارَ بل روضٌ أَرِيضٌ

فآتانا المحاسِنَ إِذ أَتانا

A visitor who brought a garden, nay a flower bed

So he brought us beauties when he came to us

نُعانِي أَو نعايِنُ منه لفظاً

مُعاناً بالبلاغة لا مُعانَى

We suffer or examine in it an expression

With eloquence not meanings

يَروعُ وقد يروقُ فأَيُّ بِيضٍ

تَذَكِّرُنا القيونَ أَوِ القِيانا

It startles and it may please, so which eggs

Remind us of cradles or coffins?

قرأْنا من محاسِنِها فنوناً

وكِدْنا أَن نُسَمِّيهَا قُرَانا

We have read in its beauties diverse arts

And we almost called it Quran

شرائِعُ مُوجِباتٌ أَن تُدَانَا

بدائِعُ مانِعاتٌ أَنْ تُدانَى

Laws warranting our judgment

Marvels preventing our judgement

فلو حَسَّانُ فازَ بها لَحلَّى

بجوهَرِها قلائِدَهُ الحِسانا

If Hasan attained it he would have adorned

His necklaces with its jewels

ولو رامَ ابْنُ هانِىٍءٍ اتِّصالاً

بصعب مَرَامِها يوماً لهانا

If Ibn Hani had sought to reach

Its difficult purpose he would have despaired

ولو أَنِّي أَطَقْتُ أَطَلْتُ قولي

فلم أَتْرُكْ فلاناً أَو فلانا

Had I been able I would have prolonged my words

And left no so-and-so or so-and-so

أَبا حَسَنٍ ملَكْتَ الحُسْنَ طُرًّا

فأَسْقِطْ شانِياً أَوْ فَاعْلُ شَانا

O Abu Hasan you possessed beauty as wealth

So depose a lowly one or act magnanimously

نَصَبْتَ على صِقِلِّيَةٍ لواءً

هَدَانا في دُجَى خطبٍ دَهانا

You have raised over Sicily a banner

Guiding us in the darkness of perilous affairs

بدا عَلَمًا فكنتَ عليه نارًا

ولولا الحِلْمُ سَمَّيْتُ الدُّخانا

It appeared as a flag and you were its fire

And were it not for forbearance I would have called it smoke

وكم رُزِقَ المكانَةَ من أُناسٍ

لَوِ اختيروا لما وَجَدوا مكانا

And how many were given status from people

If chosen they would have not found a place

فديتُكَ من خليلِ لي خليلٍ

كُفيتُ به الزَّمانَةَ والزَّمانا

I ransom you from a friend who is my friend

I was content with him in days and times

وقد شاهَدْتُ إِخوانًا ولكِنْ

هُمُ الإِخوانُ إِن نظروا الخِوانا

I have seen brothers but

They are brothers if they look to brotherhood

وكم من تَسْكُنُ الأَجفانُ منه

إِذا أَسكنته منك الجِفانا

How many a lid is weighed down by him

When you weigh down their lids from you