أَرى دَهري تَفَضَّلَ واستِفادا

أَرى دَهري تَفَضَّلَ واستِفادا

بِنابِغَة نَسيَت بِهِ زِيادا

بِنابِغَة نَسيَت بِهِ زِيادا

I see my age has bestowed favor and gained benefit,

I see my fate has been kind, gaining

Through a genius who made me forget Ziyad.

From an eminent one I forgot Ziyad.

وَلما أَن مَضى عَنّا زِياد

وَلما أَن مَضى عَنّا زِياد

لَنظم الشعر عَوَّضَنا زِنادا

لَنظم الشعر عَوَّضَنا زِنادا

And when Ziyad passed from among us,

And when Ziyad passed away from us

For composing poetry, it gave us fire-strikers in his place.

We substituted poetry for Zinad.

وَحينَ أَتاكَ ذاكَ أَفادَ هَذا

وَحينَ أَتاكَ ذاكَ أَفادَ هَذا

فَأَنسى مَن أَتاكَ لمن أَفادا

فَأَنسى مَن أَتاكَ لمن أَفادا

And while that one came to you, this one gave,

And when he came to you and enlightened you

Making those he benefited forget the one who came to you.

He made you forget who enlightened you before.

وَما أَعني سِواكَ أَبا عَليِّ

وَما أَعني سِواكَ أَبا عَليِّ

فَكُن حَيثُ اشتُهيتَ تَكُن مُرادا

فَكُن حَيثُ اشتُهيتَ تَكُن مُرادا

And I mean none but you, Abu Ali.

I mean none but you, Abu Ali

So be where you are desired; you will be sought after.

Be where you wish, you will attain what you desire.

لَقَد حَلَّت قَصائِدُكَ المَعالي

لَقَد حَلَّت قَصائِدُكَ المَعالي

صنوف الفَخرِ مَثنى أَو فُرادى

صنوف الفَخرِ مَثنى أَو فُرادى

Your poems have indeed adorned lofty virtues

Your sublime poems have certainly come

With kinds of glory, in pairs or singly.

In varieties of pride, singly or in pairs.

فَإِن أَغزلت كُنتَ لَها وِشاحاً

فَإِن أَغزلت كُنتَ لَها وِشاحاً

وَإِن أَجزَلت كُنتَ لَها نجادا

وَإِن أَجزَلت كُنتَ لَها نجادا

If you compose love verse, you are their jeweled sash,

If you compose love poems, you are a passion for them,

And if you compose stately verse, you are their sword-belt.

And if you compose seriously, you are their purpose.

بهرن فَلو تَبَين عَلى حُسودٍ

بهرن فَلو تَبَين عَلى حُسودٍ

لَقالَ بِغَيرِ شَهوَتِهِ أَجادا

لَقالَ بِغَيرِ شَهوَتِهِ أَجادا

They dazzled; were they to appear before an envious man,

Dazzling, if you appeared to the envious

He would say against his inclination, "He has excelled!"

He would against his desire say you are excellent.

سمت بِكَ هِمَّة لَم تَرضَ حَتّى

سمت بِكَ هِمَّة لَم تَرضَ حَتّى

غَدا فَلكَ النُجومُ لَها جَوادا

غَدا فَلكَ النُجومُ لَها جَوادا

An ambition bore you aloft, unsatisfied until

You set a resolve that would not be content until

The sphere of the stars became its steed.

The stars revolved around you as their steeds.

يَكون لَها الهِلال اليوم نَعلاً

يَكون لَها الهِلال اليوم نَعلاً

وَفي عَشرٍ يَكون لَها بِدادا

وَفي عَشرٍ يَكون لَها بِدادا

Today the crescent moon serves it as a horseshoe,

The crescent would be its slipper one day

And in ten days becomes its saddle-padding.

And in ten days, its armory.

أَتاني عَنك ذكر لَو تَمادى

أَتاني عَنك ذكر لَو تَمادى

إِلى الأَمواتِ كانَ لَها معادا

إِلى الأَمواتِ كانَ لَها معادا

Praise of you reached me; were it to travel onward

News of you came to me, and if it persisted

To the dead, it would be their resurrection.

To the dead, it would have brought them back to life.

ثَناءٌ أَم ثَنايا أَقحوانٍ

ثَناءٌ أَم ثَنايا أَقحوانٍ

تَبَسَّم غِبَّ أَدمعها فَزادا

تَبَسَّم غِبَّ أَدمعها فَزادا

Is it praise, or a chrysanthemum's front teeth,

Praise or the cooing of ring doves

Smiling after its tears, and growing lovelier still?

A sad tear smiled, and it increased.

حَظيت بِهِ فكنت هُناك قُسّاً

حَظيت بِهِ فكنت هُناك قُسّاً

وَكانَ الناس كلهم إِيادا

وَكانَ الناس كلهم إِيادا

I was favored with it, and there I was Quss,

I obtained it, so I was harsh there

And all the people were Iyad.

While all people were gentle.

بَعَثتُ إِلَيكَ في ميدان طِرسي

بَعَثتُ إِلَيكَ في ميدان طِرسي

مِنَ الأَلفاظِ مضمرة جِيادا

مِنَ الأَلفاظِ مضمرة جِيادا

I sent you, on the racecourse of my page,

I sent you to the battlefield of poetry

Fleet, well-conditioned steeds made of words.

Concealed words, its steeds.

وَلَو اسطيع كانَ بَياض عيني

وَلَو اسطيع كانَ بَياض عيني

لَها طَرساً وأسودها مِدادا

لَها طَرساً وأسودها مِدادا

And if I could, the white of my eye would be

If I could, the whiteness of my eye

Their page, and its black their ink.

Would be its parchment, and its blackness, its ink.

وَقَد أَسَّستَ مكرمة فَشيد

وَقَد أَسَّستَ مكرمة فَشيد

فَمثلك من إِذا أَبدى أَعادا

فَمثلك من إِذا أَبدى أَعادا

And you have laid a noble favor's foundation; build it high,

You have established a noble character, so build,

For one like you, once he gives, gives again.

For the likes of you, when he initiates, repeats.