ملِكٌ تُرويكَ مِنهُ شِيمَةٌ

ملِكٌ تُرويكَ مِنهُ شِيمَةٌ

أَنسَتِ الظَمآنَ زُرقَ النُطَفِ

أَنسَتِ الظَمآنَ زُرقَ النُطَفِ

A king—a noble trait of his quenches your thirst;

A king whose nobility quenches your thirst

It has made the thirsty forget the azure drops of water.

Made me forget the thirst of the blue gems

جمعت من كلِّ مجدٍ فَحَكَت

جمعت من كلِّ مجدٍ فَحَكَت

لفظةً قد جُمِعَت من أَحرُفِ

لفظةً قد جُمِعَت من أَحرُفِ

It was gathered from every kind of glory, and so resembled

It gathered every glory and wove

A word that has been assembled from letters.

A word made up of letters

يعجبُ السامِعُ من وصفي لها

يعجبُ السامِعُ من وصفي لها

ووراء العجزِ ما لَم أَصِفِ

ووراء العجزِ ما لَم أَصِفِ

The listener marvels at my description of it,

The listener is amazed at my description of it

And beyond my inadequacy lies what I have not described.

And beyond disability is what I have not described

لو أعارَ السهمَ ما في رأيِهِ

لو أعارَ السهمَ ما في رأيِهِ

من سدادٍ وهُدى لم يَصِفِ

من سدادٍ وهُدى لم يَصِفِ

Were he to lend the arrow what his judgment holds

If the arrow lent what was in its view

Of accuracy and guidance, it would not stray.

Of integrity and guidance it would not suffice

حِلمُهُ الراجحُ ميزانُ الهُدى

حِلمُهُ الراجحُ ميزانُ الهُدى

يزن الأشياءَ وزنَ المنصِفِ

يزن الأشياءَ وزنَ المنصِفِ

His weighty forbearance is the balance of right guidance;

Its prevailing wisdom is the scale of guidance

It weighs things as an impartial person would.

It weighs things in the scale of the just