ماذا رُميتَ بِهِ مِن

ماذا رُميتَ بِهِ مِن

شُوَيعِرٍ فيهِ جَهلُ

شُوَيعِرٍ فيهِ جَهلُ

What have you been afflicted with—

What have you been accused of

a petty poet full of ignorance!

Of poetry in which there is ignorance

يَغتابُ شِعرِيَ حَتّى

يَغتابُ شِعرِيَ حَتّى

كَأَنَّهُ لِيَ مِثلُ

كَأَنَّهُ لِيَ مِثلُ

He maligns my verse, until

That maligns my poetry as if

it is as though he were my equal.

It were equal to me

وَما سَمِعتَ بِعُلوٍ

وَما سَمِعتَ بِعُلوٍ

قَبلي يُعاديهِ سُفلُ

قَبلي يُعاديهِ سُفلُ

And you have never heard of loftiness

And you have not heard of glory

before me, opposed by baseness.

Before me which baseness contradicts

هَذا كَما قالَ قَومٌ

هَذا كَما قالَ قَومٌ

ما تَمَّ سَمّوهُ فَضلُ

ما تَمَّ سَمّوهُ فَضلُ

This is as some people have said:

This is as a people have said

"Whatever is complete, they call excellence."

Whose superiority was not complete

يا مَليحَ الدَلالِ وَالإِدلالِ

يا مَليحَ الدَلالِ وَالإِدلالِ

لا تُمِتني بِعِلَّةِ الإِعتِلالِ

لا تُمِتني بِعِلَّةِ الإِعتِلالِ

O you of lovely coyness and confident airs,

O beautiful in charm and temptation

do not kill me under the pretext of illness.

Do not make me die from the excuse of abstinence

لَو حَلَت هَذِهِ الخِصلُ وَطابَت

لَو حَلَت هَذِهِ الخِصلُ وَطابَت

لَم أَكُن مِن ذَواقِها كَالخِلالِ

لَم أَكُن مِن ذَواقِها كَالخِلالِ

Had these traits been sweet and pleasant,

If this trait were sound and good

I would not have been like a toothpick from tasting them.

I would not be one who tastes it like vinegar

فَتَدارَك خَفِيَّ جِسمي وَإِلّا

فَتَدارَك خَفِيَّ جِسمي وَإِلّا

لَم يَبِن لِلخَيالِ مِنّي خَيالي

لَم يَبِن لِلخَيالِ مِنّي خَيالي

So save my barely visible body, or else

So heal my hidden body, else

my phantom will not be discernible to imagination.

My image will not appear to the imagination