قل للذي أعجبتْ محاسِنُهُ

وَعَجَّبَتْ فَهْي لِلْوَرى سُبَحُ

Tell the one whose beauty amazed me,

And it amazed, so it is free for all,

وَمَنْ غدا والنَّوالُ من يَدِهِ

يُطْلَبُ والرأيُ منه يُقْتَدَحُ

And whoever comes tomorrow and generosity is from his hand,

He is sought and his opinion is pierced.

حَرَّمَ مَدْحِي عليك أَنكَ تَسْـ

ـتأهِلُ مَا لاَ تُطِيقُه المِدحُ

My praise of you made unlawful for me that you

Deserve what praise cannot bear.

وَسَاقَ مَدْحِي إليكَ أنَّ جَوَا

بَاتِكَ عندَ المدائحِ المنَحُ

And my praise of you led me to you that your

Answers to praises are rewards.

أقْبَلَ بِي إنَّني رأيتُك أقبلْـ

ـتَ على الشعر وهو مُطَّرَحُ

Come with me, for I saw you come,

You inclined toward poetry and it is neglected.

قَدَّرْتُ أنْ تَنْفُقَ الزُّيُوفُ عَلَى

طَوْلِكَ لا أن يُزَيَّفَ الوَضحُ

I estimated that glory spends on

Your height, not that the morning light is counterfeited.

وأنتَ ذاكَ الذي به انْفَسَحَ الـ

ـضيِّقُ لا مَنْ ضاقَتْ بِهِ الفُسَحُ

And you are the one through whom tightness opened,

Not one through whom spaciousness tightened.

مِفْتَاحُكَ العفْوُ لا التَّشدُّدُ بَلْ

لَسْتَ بِمُسْتَغْلِقٍ فَتُفْتَتَحُ

Your key is pardon, not firmness, but

You are not locked so you need to be opened.