أَشَدْتَ بِذِكْرِي بَادِئاً وَمُعَقِّبَاً

أَشَدْتَ بِذِكْرِي بَادِئاً وَمُعَقِّبَاً

وَأَمْسَكْتُ لَمْ أَهْمِسْ وَلَمْ أَتَكَلَّمِ

وَأَمْسَكْتُ لَمْ أَهْمِسْ وَلَمْ أَتَكَلَّمِ

You extolled my name, first and then again,

You started by mentioning me, and kept at it,

And I held back: I neither whispered nor spoke.

While I stayed silent, neither whispering nor speaking.

وَمَا ذَاكَ ضَنّاً بِالْوِدَادِ عَلَى امْرِئٍ

وَمَا ذَاكَ ضَنّاً بِالْوِدَادِ عَلَى امْرِئٍ

حَبَانِي بِهِ لَكِنْ تَهَيَّبْتُ مَقْدَمِي

حَبَانِي بِهِ لَكِنْ تَهَيَّبْتُ مَقْدَمِي

And that was not from withholding affection from a man

And that was not out of stinginess with affection for a man

Who had bestowed it on me; rather, I feared to come forward.

Who gifted me with it, but out of shyness before him.

فَأَمَّا وَقَدْ حَقَّ الْجَزَاءُ فَلَمْ أَكُنْ

فَأَمَّا وَقَدْ حَقَّ الْجَزَاءُ فَلَمْ أَكُنْ

لأَنْطِقَ إِلَّا بِالثَّنَاءِ الْمُنَمْنَمِ

لأَنْطِقَ إِلَّا بِالثَّنَاءِ الْمُنَمْنَمِ

But now that requital is due, I would not

Now that it's right to repay, I could not

Speak save in finely wrought praise.

Speak anything but the most splendid praise.

وَكَيْفَ أَذُودُ الْفَضْلَ عَنْ مُسْتَقَرِّهِ

وَكَيْفَ أَذُودُ الْفَضْلَ عَنْ مُسْتَقَرِّهِ

وَأُنْكِرُ ضَوْءَ الشَّمْسِ بَعْدَ تَوَسُّمِ

وَأُنْكِرُ ضَوْءَ الشَّمْسِ بَعْدَ تَوَسُّمِ

And how could I drive merit from its dwelling,

How could I deny virtue its proper place,

And deny the sun's light after seeing it clearly?

Or ignore the sun's light after basking in its glow?

وَأَنْتَ الَّذِي نَوَّهْتَ بِاسْمِي وَرِشْتَنِي

وَأَنْتَ الَّذِي نَوَّهْتَ بِاسْمِي وَرِشْتَنِي

بِقَوْلٍ سَرَا عَنِّي قِنَاعَ التَّوَهُّمِ

بِقَوْلٍ سَرَا عَنِّي قِنَاعَ التَّوَهُّمِ

And you are the one who extolled my name and gave me plumage,

It was you who brought honor to my name and anointed me

With words that lifted from me the veil of doubt.

With words that slipped the muzzle of illusion off me.

لَكَ السَّبْقُ دُونِي فِي الْفَضِيلَةِ فَاشْتَمِلْ

لَكَ السَّبْقُ دُونِي فِي الْفَضِيلَةِ فَاشْتَمِلْ

بِحُلَّتِهَا فَالْفَضْلُ لِلْمُتَقَدِّمِ

بِحُلَّتِهَا فَالْفَضْلُ لِلْمُتَقَدِّمِ

Yours, not mine, is precedence in virtue; so wrap yourself

The precedence is yours over me in merit, so don

In its robe, for merit belongs to whoever comes first.

The garment of it, for the merit goes to the first to come forward.

وَدُونَكَهَا يَا بْنَ الْكِرَامِ حَبِيرَةً

وَدُونَكَهَا يَا بْنَ الْكِرَامِ حَبِيرَةً

مِنَ النَّظْمِ سَدَّاهَا بِمَدْحِ الْعُلا فَمِي

مِنَ النَّظْمِ سَدَّاهَا بِمَدْحِ الْعُلا فَمِي

And take it, O son of the noble, a richly patterned cloth

And below it, O son of noblemen, is a poem

Of verse, whose warp my mouth has laid with praise of greatness.

Of verse whose excellence has veiled it with your praise.