يا مالكي لا تَعجَبَنَّ لِمَنْزلي

يا مالكي لا تَعجَبَنَّ لِمَنْزلي

إنْ عادَ مسروقَ الأَثاثِ مَضيعا

إنْ عادَ مسروقَ الأَثاثِ مَضيعا

O my master, do not marvel at my home

O my friend, do not be surprised at my abode

If it has become stripped of its furnishings and laid waste.

If it has become bare of furnishings and lost

أَعديتُه بالجودِ لمّا زُرتَهُ

أَعديتُه بالجودِ لمّا زُرتَهُ

كَرَماً فَجادَ بما حَواهُ جميعا

كَرَماً فَجادَ بما حَواهُ جميعا

I infected it with generosity when you visited it;

I was generous when I visited it

Out of generosity, it gave away all it contained.

With nobility, so it gave away all it contained

ألا مبلغٌ عنّي الوزيرَ مَقالتي

ألا مبلغٌ عنّي الوزيرَ مَقالتي

عساهُ على ضعفي بها يَتَعَطّفُ

عساهُ على ضعفي بها يَتَعَطّفُ

Will no one convey my words to the minister on my behalf?

Indeed, convey my words to the minister

Perhaps he will thereby take pity on my weakness:

Perhaps he will show mercy for my weakness

بأنّي أَعطيتُ الأَمانةَ حَقَها

بأنّي أَعطيتُ الأَمانةَ حَقَها

وَكلّفتُ صَحبي حَمْلَها فَتكلّفوا

وَكلّفتُ صَحبي حَمْلَها فَتكلّفوا

That I gave the trust its due,

That I fulfilled the trust sincerely

And charged my companions to bear it, so they undertook it.

And tasked my companions with bearing it, so they took it on

ولَمّا رأوني من مَقَرِّكَ مُبدياً

ولَمّا رأوني من مَقَرِّكَ مُبدياً

لَهُمْ صحةً في الوَزنِ لا تَتَزيّفُ

لَهُمْ صحةً في الوَزنِ لا تَتَزيّفُ

And when they saw me, from your residence, displaying

And when they saw me setting out from your abode

To them soundness of weight that could not prove counterfeit,

Showing them the weight was honest, no fraud

صُرِفْتُ على رأيِ النُّحاةِ لأَنّني

صُرِفْتُ على رأيِ النُّحاةِ لأَنّني

بلا عِلّةٍ والجيّدُ النّقْدِ يُصرَفُ

بلا عِلّةٍ والجيّدُ النّقْدِ يُصرَفُ

I was dismissed, by the grammarians’ rule, because I am

I was inclined by the grammarians’ view that

Without a defect—and good coin is exchanged.

Flawless is the excellent currency that is circulated