قُل لِلأَميرِ تَجِد لِلقَولِ مُضطَرَبا

وَتَلقَ في كَنَفَيهِ السَهلَ وَالرُحُبا

Tell the prince you find him troubled by words,

And he took the plains and expanses in his embrace.

فِداءُ نَعلِكَ مُعطىً حَظَّ مَكرُمَةٍ

أَصغى إِلى المَطلِ حَتّى باعَ ما وَهَبا

Your sandal's ransom is a gift of honored fortune.

He listened to blame until he sold what he had given.

إِنّي وَإِن كانَ قَومٌ ما لَهُم سَبَبٌ

إِلّا قَضاءٌ كَفاهُم دونِيَ السَبَبا

And if there are people who have no cause,

Except a decree that sufficed them without me a cause,

لَمُضمِرٌ غُلَّةً في القَلبِ يُضرِمُها

أَنّي سَبَقتُ وَتُعطي غَيرِيَ القَصَبا

I have a grudge in my heart that kindles it,

That I preceded and you give others the cane.

إِحفَظ وَسائِلَ شِعرٍ فيكَ ما ذَهَبَت

خَواطِفُ البَرقِ إِلّا دونَ ما ذَهَبا

Preserve the means of poetry in you, nothing of it has gone

Except what the lightning bolts went beyond.

يَغدونَ مُغتَرِباتٍ في البِلادِ فَما

يَزَلنَ يُؤنِسنَ في الآفاقِ مُغتَرِبا

They go abroad in the countries, so they

Do not cease to cheer up horizons abroad.

فَلا تُضِعها فَما في الأَرضِ أَحسَنُ مِن

نَظمِ القَوافي إِذا ما صادَفَت حَسَبا

So do not neglect it, for there is nothing finer on earth than

The rhyme of verses when they encounter pedigree.

إِن أَنتَ لَم تَكُ عَدلَ الحَقِّ تُنصِفُهُ

لَم نَرجُ بَعدَكَ خَلقاً يُنصِفُ الأَدَبا

If you were not just to the truth and do it justice,

We would not after you see people who do justice to literature.