مَلَكتُم عَلَيَّ عِنانَ الخُطَب

وَجُزتُم بِقَدري سَماءَ الرُتَب

You have held the reins of love over me,

And granted me, as I deserve, the highest ranks.

فَمَن أَنا بَينَ مُلوكِ الكَلامِ

وَمَن أَنا بَينَ كِرامِ الحَسَب

Who am I amidst the kings of speech?

Who am I amidst the noble pedigree?

أَتَسعى إِلَيَّ حُماةُ القَريضِ

وَتَمشي إِلَيَّ سَراةُ العَرَب

The protectors of poetry seek me,

And the nobles of the Arabs walk to me.

وَتَنظِمُ فِيَّ عُقودَ الجُمانِ

وَتَنثُرُ فَوقي نِثارَ الذَهَب

For me they string the pearls of verse,

And over me they sprinkle the seeds of gold.

وَأُكرَمُ حَتّى كَأَنّي نَبَغَتُ

وَقُمتُ لِمِصرَ بِما قَد وَجَب

I am honored as if I were a prodigy,

And I stood for Egypt as was proper.

فَماذا أَتَيتُ مِنَ الباقِياتِ

وَهَذا شَبابي ضَياعاً ذَهَب

So what lasting works have I achieved

While my youth has vanished into dust?

عَمِلتُ لِقَومِيَ جُهدَ المُقِلِّ

عَلى أَنَّهُ عَمَلٌ مُقتَضَب

I toiled for my people with great effort,

Though it was a summarized endeavor.

فَلَم يُغنِ شَيئاً وَلَم يُجدِهِم

وَلَم يَبقَ إِلّا بَقاءَ الهَبَب

It helped nothing and did not avail them,

And there remained only fleeting fame.

وَهَل أَنا إِلّا اِمرُؤٌ شاعِرٌ

كَثيرُ الأَماني قَليلُ النَشَب

Am I anything but a poet

With abundant dreams but little achievement?

يَقولُ وَيُطرِبُ أَتابَهُ

وَيَقنَعُ مِنهُم بِذاكَ الطَرَب

I speak and captivate my companions,

And that captivation contents me.

تَعَلَّقتُ حيناً بِذَيلِ البَيانِ

وَأَدخَلتُ نَفسي فيمَن كَتَب

For a time, I clung to the tail of rhetoric,

And entered myself among those who write.

فَلا السَبقُ لي في مَجالِ النُهى

وَلا لِيَ يَومَ الفَخارِ الغَلَب

But I have no precedence in the field of wisdom,

Nor victory on the day of pride.

وَلا أَنا مِن عِليَةِ الكاتِبينَ

وَلا أَنا بِالشاعِرِ المُنتَخَب

I am not of the elite of writers,

Nor am I the chosen poet.

وَلَكِن سَما بِيَ عَطفُ الأَميرِ

وَرَأيُ الوَزيرِ وَفَضلُ الأَدَب

But I gained the favor of the prince,

And the view of the minister and the merit of literature.

وَما كُنتُ أَحلُمُ لَولا الوَزيرُ

بِهَذا الهَناءِ وَهَذا اللَقَب

I would not have dreamed of this comfort and title,

Had it not been for the minister.

عَلَيَّ أَيادٍ لَهُ جَمَّةٌ

وَفَضلٌ قَديمٌ شَريفُ السَبَب

Upon me are his abundant favors,

And his ancient, noble lineage.

فَآناً أَقالَ بِهِ عَثرَتي

وَأَورى زِنادي وَآناً وَهَب

Sometimes he lifts my stumbling,

And kindles my flint, and other times grants me favor.

تَفَيَّأتُ مِنهُ ظِلالَ النَعيمِ

وَأَصبَحتُ أَعرِفُ لُبسَ القَصَب

I enjoyed from him the shadows of bliss,

And I came to know the wearing of the caftan.

وَأَمشي اِختِيالاً إِلى عابِدينَ

يُطالِعُني بَدرُها عَن كَثَب

I walk proudly to Abidin,

Its full moon watching me closely.

وَأَلثِمُ كَفَّ كَريمِ الجُدودِ

غِياثِ العُفاةِ مُزيلِ الكُرَب

I grasp the hand of the generous, noble ancestor,

Savior of the helpless, remover of distress.

وَأَحتَثُّ بَينَ وُفودِ السَراةِ

مَطايا الرَجاءِ لِذاكَ الرَحَب

And I spur on between the visiting nobility

The steeds of hope towards that vastness.

أَتَوا خالِصينَ لِوَجهِ الأَميرِ

فَلا عَن رِياءٍ وَلا عَن رَهَب

They came sincerely for the sake of the prince,

Not for show or greed.

لَهُم ما يَشاؤونَ مِن رَبِّهِم

رِضاءُ الأَميرِ وَنَيلُ الأَرَب

From their Lord they have what they wish,

The pleasure of the prince and attaining needs fulfilled.

وَلِلكاشِحينَ نَكالُ الزَمانِ

وَنَحسُ النُجومِ ذَواتِ الذَنَب

While for the ungrateful is the wrath of fate

And the ill-omened stars with tails.

فَعَهدُ الأَميرِ كَعَهدِ الرَشيدِ

يَمُتُّ إِلَيهِ بِحَبلِ النَسَب

For the prince’s rule is like al-Rashid’s,

To which he is bound by lineage.

إِلَيكَ أَبا حَسَنٍ أَنتَمي

فَما زَلَّ مَولىً إِلَيكَ اِنتَسَب

To you Abu Hasan I profess loyalty,

For I have not ceased being devoted to you.

عَرَفتَ مَكاني فَأَدنَيتَني

وَشَرَّفتَ قَدري بِدارِ الكُتُب

You knew my status so you brought me near,

And ennobled my worth with the House of Books.

وَعَرَّفتَ دَهري مَكانَ الأَديبِ

وَقَد كانَ دَهري شَديدَ الكَلَب

And you introduced my time to the place of the literary,

When before it was violently unjust.

فَلَو أَنَّ لي مُرقِصاتِ الخَليلِ

وَإِعجازَ شَوقي إِذا ما رَغِب

Had I the rhythms of al-Khalil,

Or Shawqi’s eloquence when he wished,

لَقُمتُ بِشُكرِكَ حَقَّ القِيامِ

وَلَكِن طَلَبتُ فَعَزَّ الطَلَب

I would rightly thank you,

But I sought and it was difficult to attain.

فَشُكري لِصُنعِكَ شُكرُ النَباتِ

بِبَطنِ الفَلاةِ لِقَطرِ السُحُب

So my thanks for your favor are the growth’s thanks

In the belly of the desert for the drops of clouds.

وَشُكراً لِشَوقي رَسولِ القَريضِ ال

كَريمِ الإِخاءِ المَتينِ السَبَب

And thanks to Shawqi, messenger of poetry,

Noble brother, strong in loyalty.

وَشُكراً لِداوودَ رَبِّ اليَراعِ

وَشُكراً لِسَركيسَ رَبِّ العَجَب

And thanks to Dawud, lord of the plain,

And thanks to Sarkis, lord of wonder.

وَشُكراً لِكُلِّ كَريمٍ سَعى

إِلَيَّ وَكُلِّ أَديبٍ خَطَب

And thanks to every noble one who strove

Towards me, and every literary man who sought me.

هُمُ شَجَّعوني عَلى أَن أَقولَ

وَما كانَ لي بَينَهُم مُضطَرَب

They encouraged me to speak

Though among them I was not perturbed.

هُمُ أَلهَموني فَصيحَ الكَلامِ

هُمُ عَلَّموني طَريقَ النُخَب

They inspired me with eloquent speech,

They taught me the way of the elect.

فَعَنهُم أَخَذتُ وَعَنهُم صَدَرتُ

وَمِن عِندِهِم فَضلِيَ المُكتَسَب

From them I took and through them I excelled,

And from them came my acquired merit.

فَحَيّوا عَزيزَ البِلادِ الَّذي

عَلى السُحبِ ذَيلَ المَعالي سَحَب

So hail the precious one of the countries,

Who trails the hem of glory on the clouds.

وَحَيّوا سَعيداً وَزيرَ الأَميرِ

قَريبَ الصَوابِ بَعيدَ الغَضَب

And hail Sa'id, minister of the prince,

Close to right, far from anger.

تَوَلّى الرِئاسَةَ وَالحادِثاتِ

تَروعُ النُفوسَ بِوَقعِ النُوَب

He assumed leadership amid events

That terrify souls with sudden calamity.

فَساسَ البِلادَ وَأَرضى العِبادَ

وَأَرضى الأَميرَ وَأَرضى الأَدَب

He managed the nation and pleased the servants,

Pleased the prince and pleased literature.