قَدْ قَرَأْنَا الْحَيَاةَ سَطْرًا فَسَطْرًا

وَشَهِدْنَا صُرُوفَهَا أَلْوَانَا

We have read life line by line,

And witnessed its ups and downs.

وَرَأَيْنَا الْمِقْدَامَ يَسْمُو إِلَى الْعِـ

ـزِّ وَلَا يَرْتَضِي النُّجُومَ مَكَانَا

We saw the valiant rise to glory,

Not satisfied with anything less than the stars.

وَلَمَحْنَا بِجَانِبَيْهِ أُنَاسًا

قُتِلُوا ذِلَّةً وَمَاتُوا هَوَانَا

And by his side we saw people,

Killed in humiliation, dying in disgrace.

إِنَّمَا الْمَنْصِبُ الْكَرِيمُ بِمَنْ فِيـ

ـهِ، وَلَيْسَ الْقَنَاةُ إِلَّا سِنَانَا

True merit lies in the man himself,

Not in his lineage or pedigree.

قَدْ حَبَسْنَا الْمَدِيحَ عَنْ كُلِّ مُسْتَا

مٍ، وَأَجْدِرْ بِشِعْرِنَا أَنْ يُصَانَا

We withheld praise from the unworthy,

More deserving our poetry of protection.

لَا تَزِينُ الْعُقُودُ جِيدًا إِذَا لَمْ

يَكُ، بِالْحُسْنِ قَبْلَهَا مُزْدَانَا

Necklaces do not adorn a neck

That was not beautiful before them.

رُبَّ دُرٍّ لَاقَى مِنَ الصَّدْرِ دُرًّا

وَجُمَانٍ فِي النَّحْرِ لَاقَى جُمَانَا!

Many a precious pearl met

Its match in an open chest.

لَوْ مَدَحْنَا مَنْ لَا يَحِقُّ لَهُ الْمَدْ

حُ لَوَى الشِّعْرُ رَأْسَهُ فَهَجَانَا

Had we praised those undeserving of praise

Poetry would have recoiled in shame from us.

الرَّسُولُ الْكَرِيمُ أَنْطَقَ حَسَّا

نًا، وَلَوْلَاهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ حَسَّانَا

The noble Messenger inspired Hassan,

Else there'd have been no Hassan among us.

وَابْنُ حَمْدَانَ لَقَّنَ الْمُتَنَبِّي

غُرَرَ الْمَدْحِ فِي بَنِي حَمْدَانَا

Ibn Hamdan taught Al-Mutanabbi

The subtleties of praise among the Hamdan.

يَصْدُقُ الشِّعْرُ حِينَمَا يَصْدُقُ النَّا

سُ فَيَشْدُو بِمَدْحِهِمْ نَشْوَانَا

Poetry rings true when people are true,

And sings joyfully in praising them.

وَإِذَا عَزَّتِ الْمَكَارِمُ وَلَّى

مُطْرِقَ الرَّأْسِ وَاجِمًا خَزْيَانَا

But when noble deeds grow rare,

It bows its head in silent shame.

وَمَضَى يَشْتَكِي الزَّمَانَ وَيَبْكِي

دَارِسَاتِ الطُّلُولِ وَالْأَظْعَانَا

It laments the days that are gone,

The chivalrous heroes and glittering spears.

فَإِذَا شِئْتَ أَنْ أَكُونَ زُهَيْرًا

فَأَعِنِّي وَهَاتِ لِي ابْنَ سِنَانَا

So if you want me to be another Zuhair,

Help me, and bring me his like from among you.