لَنا حاكِمٌ أَعمى سَديدٌ قَضاؤُهُ

وَلَو كانَ ذا عَينٍ لما سَدَّدَ الحُكما

We have a blind ruler whose rule is firm,

Had he sight, he would not have firmed the rule.

لَهُ لَهجَةٌ خَرساءُ يَجري بِها القَضا

تَرى فُصحاءَ الناسِ في جَنبِها بُكما

He has a dumb tongue by which he rules,

You see the eloquent as dumb beside it.

وَلا حُكمَ حينَ يُصلَبُ جَهرَةً

فَحينَئِذٍ لا ظُلمَ تَخشى وَلا هَضما

No rule when opinion is firmly crucified,

Then no injustice is feared nor wrong.

سِوى ناقِصٍ يَسمو إِلَيهِ وَكامِلٍ

يُرى في حَضيضٍ لا يُقلُّ وَلا يُسمى

Except a deficient who aspires to it and a perfect

Who is seen in abyss who neither declines nor is named.

إِذا خَرَّ مِنهُ الرَأسُ ثُمَّ نَكستَهُ

غَدا ثاوِياً فَاعجَب وَصَفَّ لَكَ الأَسما

When the head falls off then it bows,

It becomes desolate the next day, so wonder and describe the names.

لَهُ الحُكمُ في الدُنيا كَذلِكَ حُكمُهُ

يُنَفَّذُ في الأُخرى فَدقّق لَهُ فهما

Such is his rule in this world,

Implemented in the next, so scrutinize well for him.

إِلى شَرَفِ الدينِ اِقتَضَيتُ مَقالَتي

إِلى سَيِّدٍ حازَ الشَهامَةَ وَالعلما

My words appealed to the honor of religion,

To a master who won glory and knowledge.

إِلى مِصقَعٍ لَو قيسَ قُسٌّ بِمِثلِهِ

لألفيتَ قُسّاً في بَلاغَتِهِ فَدما

To Miṣqaʿ, if a reed-pen was likened to him,

You would find a reed-pen surpassing him in eloquence.

إِلَيهِ رَجائي أَن يَرُدَّ جَوابَها

فَنَحنُ إِلى نَظمٍ بَديعٍ لَهُ نَظما

My hope is that he responds to it,

For we await wonderful poetry from him.

وَنَروى متى نَروي بَدائِعَ لَفظِهِ

وَنَظما إِذا لَم نَروِ يَوماً لَهُ نظما

And we quench our thirst whenever we quench it with the wonders of his diction,

And poems whenever we do not quench on a day poems from him.