أَجَزتُ لِسَيِّدي وَمَليكِ رِقّي

أَجَزتُ لِسَيِّدي وَمَليكِ رِقّي

رِوايَةَ ما حَوى مِن نَسجِ فِكري

رِوايَةَ ما حَوى مِن نَسجِ فِكري

I have authorized my lord and the master who holds me in bondage

I dedicate to my lord and master this narration

to transmit what he has gathered of the weave of my thought,

Of what my mind has woven in verse and prose

وَما أَنشَأتُ مِن جِدٍّ وَهَزلٍ

وَما أَنشَأتُ مِن جِدٍّ وَهَزلٍ

وَما أَبدَعتُ مِن نَظمٍ وَنَثرِ

وَما أَبدَعتُ مِن نَظمٍ وَنَثرِ

and what I have composed in earnest and in jest,

Of the serious and the jest I have created

and what I have created in verse and prose.

Of the poetry and prose I have composed

وَلَم أَقصِد بِذاكَ سِوى قَبولي

وَلَم أَقصِد بِذاكَ سِوى قَبولي

لِمَرسومٍ أَشارَ بِهِ وَأَمري

لِمَرسومٍ أَشارَ بِهِ وَأَمري

And by this I intended only to assent

In doing so I aim only for acceptance

to a decree he indicated and to the command addressed to me.

Of the edict he indicated I obey

وَلو نَسَبوا إِلَيهِ جَميعَ عِلمي

وَلو نَسَبوا إِلَيهِ جَميعَ عِلمي

لَكانَ كَنُقطَةٍ في لُجِّ بَحرِ

لَكانَ كَنُقطَةٍ في لُجِّ بَحرِ

And even if they ascribed all my knowledge to him,

Were all my knowledge attributed to him

it would be like a drop in the depths of a sea.

It would be but a drop in the sea