إِذا ما رُمتُ مِن مَهديكَ كُفُؤاً

إِذا ما رُمتُ مِن مَهديكَ كُفُؤاً

لَقَد أَنفَدَت لُؤلُؤَ كُلِّ بَحرِ

لَقَد أَنفَدَت لُؤلُؤَ كُلِّ بَحرِ

If I sought a worthy equal to your gift,

When I was cast out of your cradle as an equal,

I would surely exhaust the pearls of every sea.

You had exhausted the pearls of every sea.

فَكَيفَ يَقومُ عِندَكَ نَزرُ شِعرِ

فَكَيفَ يَقومُ عِندَكَ نَزرُ شِعرِ

يُذيبُ الرُعبَ مِنهُ كُلَّ شَطرِ

يُذيبُ الرُعبَ مِنهُ كُلَّ شَطرِ

How, then, can a little verse measure up before you,

So how can my meager poetry stand before you

when dread melts every half-line of it?

That melts away all fears from every side?

جَعَلتُ القَولَ في سَيفٍ وَرُمحِ

جَعَلتُ القَولَ في سَيفٍ وَرُمحِ

وَعَفَتِ النُظمُ في قَدٍّ وَخَصرِ

وَعَفَتِ النُظمُ في قَدٍّ وَخَصرِ

I have devoted my words to sword and spear,

I made my words into swords and spears

and shunned verse on figure and waist.

And modesty of verse into waist and bosom,

فَإِنّي عاشِقٌ غَرَرُ المَعالي

فَإِنّي عاشِقٌ غَرَرُ المَعالي

وَلي نَفسٌ فِداؤُكَ نَفسَ حَرِّ

وَلي نَفسٌ فِداؤُكَ نَفسَ حَرِّ

For I love the choicest of noble achievements,

For I am a passionate lover of noble deeds,

and I have a soul—your ransom—a free man's soul.

And I have a soul whose ransom is my own soul, however free.

إِذا فَكَّرتُ يَوماً في كَلامٍ

إِذا فَكَّرتُ يَوماً في كَلامٍ

يَكونُ بِمَدحِ عَبدُ اللَه فِكري

يَكونُ بِمَدحِ عَبدُ اللَه فِكري

If one day I ponder what to say,

When I one day think of words,

my thoughts turn to praising Abdullah.

That would praise Abdullah, he occupies my thoughts.