أربّ القوافي قد غدا لكَ مذعناً

أربّ القوافي قد غدا لكَ مذعناً

بها محرزُ الفضل اكتساباً ووارثُهْ

بها محرزُ الفضل اكتساباً ووارثُهْ

O master of rhymes, now yielding to you

The rhymes' master has become submissive to you

through them are both he who earns distinction and he who inherits it.

Through it, excellence's merit is gained and inherited

لو المتنبّي شاهد الحِكَم التي

لو المتنبّي شاهد الحِكَم التي

نطقتَ بها ما شكَّ أنَّك باعثُهْ

نطقتَ بها ما شكَّ أنَّك باعثُهْ

Had al-Mutanabbi seen the wise sayings that

If Al-Mutanabbi witnessed the wisdom

you uttered, he would not have doubted that you had resurrected him.

You spoke, he wouldn't doubt you revived it

هي الباقيات الصالحات أطايب ال

هي الباقيات الصالحات أطايب ال

قريض ولكن ما سواها خبائثُهْ

قريض ولكن ما سواها خبائثُهْ

They are the enduring good deeds, the choicest of

They are the remaining good things, the finest

verse; but all the rest of it is vile.

Poetry, but anything else is worthless

فحسبُك منها معجزاً بمديحِ مَن

فحسبُك منها معجزاً بمديحِ مَن

معاجزُ كلّ الأنبياء موارثُهْ

معاجزُ كلّ الأنبياء موارثُهْ

So their praise of him is miracle enough for you:

It suffices you from it as a miracle, praising one

the miracles of all the prophets are his inheritance.

Whose miracles all prophets inherited

غدت كعصا موسى ولكنَّما بها

غدت كعصا موسى ولكنَّما بها

قد التقفا سحر القريض ونافثُهْ

قد التقفا سحر القريض ونافثُهْ

They have become like Moses’ staff, yet through them

It became like Moses' staff, but with which

the magic of verse and its spell-breather have both been swallowed.

The sorcery of poetry came together and blew

كفى أنَّها في أمَّة الشعر قبلةٌ

كفى أنَّها في أمَّة الشعر قبلةٌ

إليها قديمُ النظم صلَّى وحادثُهْ

إليها قديمُ النظم صلَّى وحادثُهْ

It suffices that, in the nation of poetry, they are a focus of prayer,

Enough that among the nation of poetry it is a direction

toward which verse, ancient and new alike, has prayed.

To which old and new poems prayed