قولا لمن عاب شعر مادِحه

قولا لمن عاب شعر مادِحه

أما ترى كيف رُكِّب الشجرُ

أما ترى كيف رُكِّب الشجرُ

Say, you two, to him who faulted his panegyrist's verse:

Tell the one who finds fault with my eulogizing poetry,

Do you not see how trees are put together?

Don’t you see how trees are fashioned?

رُكِّب فيه اللحاء والخشب ال

رُكِّب فيه اللحاء والخشب ال

يابس والشوك بينه الثمر

يابس والشوك بينه الثمر

In them are joined bark and wood that is

The rough bark and dry wood are assembled in them,

dry, and thorns, with fruit among them.

Along with thorns, yet also fruit.

وكان أولى بأن يهذّب ما

وكان أولى بأن يهذّب ما

يخلق ربُّ الأرباب لا البشر

يخلق ربُّ الأرباب لا البشر

And more deserving of refinement was what

It would be better if what the Lord of all lords creates

the Lord of lords creates, not mortals.

Were refined, not what humans make.

فلم يكن ذاك بل سواه من ال

فلم يكن ذاك بل سواه من ال

أمر لشيءٍ جرى به القدر

أمر لشيءٍ جرى به القدر

Yet that was not so, but a different state

But that is not the case. Rather, apart from that,

of affairs, for a purpose decreed by fate.

Things happen according to fate’s decree.

والله أدرى بما يدبره

والله أدرى بما يدبره

منا وفي كل ما قضى الخِيَر

منا وفي كل ما قضى الخِيَر

And God knows better what He plans

God knows best what He plans for us

than we do; in all He decrees is what is best.

In all the good He destines.

فليعذُر الناس من أساء ومن

فليعذُر الناس من أساء ومن

قصر في الشعر إنه بشر

قصر في الشعر إنه بشر

So let people excuse whoever does poorly, and whoever

So let people forgive whoever errs

falls short in poetry: he is human.

Or falls short in poetry—he is only human.

مطلبه كالمغاص في دَرك ال

مطلبه كالمغاص في دَرك ال

لجَّة من دون دُرها خطر

لجَّة من دون دُرها خطر

The quest for it is like diving into the depths of the

His goal is like one groping in muddy darkness

deep sea: danger lies between one and its pearls.

For pearls, heedless of peril.

وليذكروا أنه يُكَدّ له ال

وليذكروا أنه يُكَدّ له ال

عقل وتُنضى في قرضه الفِكر

عقل وتُنضى في قرضه الفِكر

And let them remember that, for it, the

Let them remember his mind is racked,

mind is taxed, and thoughts are worn out in composing it.

His thoughts worn out by the crafting of verses.

وفيه ما يأخذ التخيُّرُ من

وفيه ما يأخذ التخيُّرُ من

غالٍ ثمينٍ وفيه ما يَذر

غالٍ ثمينٍ وفيه ما يَذر

And in it is what careful selection takes—

In it is what the discerning take,

costly, precious things—and in it is what it leaves.

Precious and fine, and what they spurn.

وليس بدٌّ لمن يغوص من ال

وليس بدٌّ لمن يغوص من ال

جرف لما يُصطفى ويُحتقَر

جرف لما يُصطفى ويُحتقَر

And whoever dives cannot avoid

For one diving from a cliff, there is no choice

dredging up both what is chosen and what is scorned.

But to grasp what is chosen or scorned.