1. مَزج البلاغَةَ بالجزالةِ مُوجِزا

    وأتَى بهِ في الحُسْنِ بِدْعاً مُعجزا

    He blended eloquence with forceful diction, concisely,

    and brought it forth as an unprecedented, inimitable marvel of beauty.

  2. يَنْسابُ بين حَلاوةٍ وطلاوةٍ

    جمع البديع بها البديعَ فأوْجَزا

    It flows between sweetness and charm;

    the ingenious one gathered ingenious artistry in it, and kept it brief.

  3. وافَى يُجاذِبُني الحَدِيثَ وإنَّما

    وافى يُجَشَّم بَذْلَ نَيْلٍ مُعْوِزا

    He came to exchange conversation with me, yet in truth

    he came, charged with bestowing a gift, though lacking means.

  4. هَلّا ومَلْعَبُ خَيْلِيَ الآدابُ إذْ

    أسْمو لَها من قَبْلِ أن تُتَنَجَّزا

    Why not when letters were my steeds' arena, when

    I aspired to them before they were requested?

  5. تَهْفُو بِعِطْفي نَحْوَها خُلُق الصِّبا

    مَيْلاً لِحَيِّز حُسْنِها وتَحَيُّزا

    The spirit of youth swayed my side toward them,

    inclining toward their realm of beauty and siding with them.

  6. أمّا وقَد جَذَبَتْ عِنانَ عِنايَتي

    أيْدِي الحَقائِقِ فانْتَبَذْتُ تَجَوُّزا

    But now that the reins of my attention have been drawn

    by the hands of truths, I have cast figurative speech aside.

  7. هَمِّي تَلَقِّي عِلْمٍ اَوْ إلقاؤُهُ

    مما يُؤَمَّلُ نَفْعُهُ يومَ الجَزا

    My concern is to receive knowledge or impart it,

    of the kind whose benefit is hoped for on the Day of Recompense.

  8. وعَقائل الآدابِ ما لَمْ تُصْطَنَع

    بعد التَّثَنِّي أوشكَتْ أن تَنْشزا

    And the noble ladies of letters, unless cultivated,

    after their graceful swaying, are soon to rebel.

  9. وعَزيزة الأبياتِ أودعَ نَظْمَها

    مِن واضحِ الآياتِ ما قَدْ أعْجَزا

    And the cherished poem—he placed within its verse

    manifest signs that have defied imitation.

  10. أو واصِل بن عطاء أُعطيَ وَصْلَها

    لم يَعْتزلْ عن حُسْنها ولها اعْتَزى

    Or, if Wasil ibn Ata were granted union with her,

    he would not withdraw from her beauty, and would profess allegiance to her.

  11. ولأَصبحَتْ فيما أتاهُ أُسوةً

    يَعْتادُها مَنْ جَدَّ قَوْلاً أو هَزا

    And she would become a model in what he produced,

    revisited by anyone who spoke in earnest or in jest.

  12. حَيَّا بها كالاحى بل أحْيا بِها

    ماضِي البَديهةِ مُسْهباً أو مُوجِزا

    With her he greeted [unclear reading]—indeed, with her he gave life—

    keen in spontaneous wit, whether expansive or concise.

  13. قَسَماً بما خَطَّت عَوالي نَفْسهِ

    في وَجْهِ صَفحَتِها الَّذي لا يُوْتزا

    I swear by what his soul's spearheads inscribed

    on the face of its page, which cannot be assailed:

  14. ما جنّة بالحَزْنِ دَبَّج وَشْيَها

    وَكّاف مُزْنٍ لَمْ يَبِتْ مُسْتَوفِزا

    no garden on rugged ground, whose brocade was embroidered

    by a pouring raincloud, unhurried through the night,

  15. قد عَمَّها وَجْهُ الزَّمانِ مَحاسِناً

    تَسْتَوْقفُ الأحْداقَ أنْ تَتَجَوَّزا

    which the face of time has covered with beauties

    that hold the eyes back from passing on,

  16. لِغناءِ ساجِعها افْتِنانُ مُساجِلٍ

    يُثني عَلَيْها مُفْصِحاً أو مُلْغِزا

    whose warbler's song has a rival's varied artistry,

    praising it openly or in riddles,

  17. سَحبَ النَّسيمُ بِها فُضولَ ذُيولِهِ

    فتضوَّعت طِيْباً ولانَتْ مَغْمَزا

    where the breeze trailed the long hems of its skirts,

    so it breathed perfume and grew soft to the touch,

  18. بأتَمَّ أنفاساً وأعْذَبَ نَغْمةً

    مِنْهُ لِذي سَمْعٍ وآنقَ حَيِّزا

    is more perfect in breath or sweeter in melody

    than it to one who hears, or more enchanting in its setting.

  19. إيْهٍ مُهَيِّجةَ الجوى لِجَوانحي

    شَوْقاً لمنْ بِحُلى عُلاهُ تَمَيَّزا

    Go on, you who stir burning longing within my breast,

    with yearning for him distinguished by the jewels of his eminence.

  20. بحياة وُدِّي في امْتدادِ حَياتِهِ

    ووَفاءِ عَهْدٍ صُنتُه أنْ يُغْمَزا

    By the life of my love throughout the span of his life,

    and by the faithfulness of a pledge I guarded from reproach,

  21. قولي وزِيْدي وابْسُطي لي حالَهُ

    لا تُوجِزي ما حَقُّه أنْ يُوجزا

    speak, add more, and unfold his condition for me;

    do not abridge what rightly deserves abridgment.

  22. وَصِفي فَفي أوْصافِهِ ما يُجْتَلى

    صَدْعاً بها فَبِوَحْيِها لا يُجْتزا

    And describe him: his qualities hold much to be revealed

    by open proclamation; hints at them alone will not suffice.

  23. لمحمدِ بنِ جُزَيِّ آيةُ سُؤددٍ

    قد ظَلَّ في العَليا بِها مُتَمَيِّزا

    Muhammad ibn Juzayy has a mark of nobility,

    by which he has remained distinguished in the heights.

  24. نَدْبٌ إذا ما المجدُ نِيْلَ بِمِهْنَةٍ

    لم يأْلُ أنْ يَحْظى بهِ مُتَعَزّزا

    A man of mettle: when glory is won through toil,

    he spares no effort to attain it with dignity.

  25. أضْحى ذكاء بَني جُزَيٍّ غدوةً

    شُهب العَلاءِ بِكُلِّ أُفقٍ حَيِّزا

    At dawn, the sun of Banu Juzayy has become

    a realm for glory's bright stars on every horizon.

  26. وغدا الزَّمانُ به اعتدالَ مَحاسِنٍ

    والآنَ آنَ لِوَعْدِهِ أنْ يُنْجَزا

    And through him time has become a harmony of beauties;

    and now the time has come for its promise to be fulfilled.

  27. وإليكَها مِنِّي تَعِلَّةَ مُعْوِزٍ

    فلَقَدْ سَموت إليه سَهْلاً مُعْوزا

    Here it is from me to you, a needy man's consolation;

    for I have aspired to it—easy, yet elusive.

  28. جانَبْتُ ما جانَبْتَ فيه تَشَيُّعاً

    فَمَنِ انْتَبَذْتَ فَنَبْذُهُ عِندي الجَزا

    I avoided what you avoided in it, out of allegiance;

    for whoever you cast aside, his rejection is, to me, recompense.