لَو لَم يَكُن لي في عُلاكَ مَدائِحٌ

لَكَفى نُزولي طارِقاً بِذَراكا

If I did not have praises for your loftiness,

My descent to your abode would suffice, O radiant one.

لا أَبجَحَنَّ بِما مَدَحتُ بِهِ العُلا

اللَفظُ لَم يَحمِل سِوى مَعناكا

I shall not boast of what I have praised your loftiness with,

For words carried naught but your meaning.

وَلَو اِتَّخَذتُ لَهُ شَريكاً في العُلا

لَرَأَيتُ شَركي غَيرَهُ إِشراكا

Had I taken for it a partner in loftiness,

I would have seen my partner's association as polytheism.

وَلَئِن غَلِطتُ بِأَن أَعَرتُ جَماعَةً

شُكرَ اللِسانِ فَما المُرادُ سِواكا

If I erred by ignoring a group,

Thankfulness of the tongue - you alone were intended.

فَالناسُ إِن نُحِلوا المَقالَ نَحَلتُهُم

مِنكَ الفِعالُ وَما رَزَأت عُلاكا

So people, if endowed with fine speech were granted it,

The doing is yours - I never perceived any loftiness but yours.

وَبَسَطتُ عُذري حينَ لَم أُدرِك لَكُم

وَصفاً وَكانَ العَجزُ لي إِدراكا

I made excuses when I could not attain, for you,

Description - and my incapacity was a perception.