جَوامِعُ أَوهامي تُقَصِّرُ عَن قَدري

جَوامِعُ أَوهامي تُقَصِّرُ عَن قَدري

وَأَيدي صِفاتي لا تَطولُ إِلى فَخري

وَأَيدي صِفاتي لا تَطولُ إِلى فَخري

The sum of my imaginings falls short of my worth,

My imaginations fall short of my worth

and the hands of my descriptions cannot reach my glory.

And the attributes of my virtues do not extend to my pride

وَماأَنا إِلّا مَن إِذا نَسرُ مَجدُهُ

وَماأَنا إِلّا مَن إِذا نَسرُ مَجدُهُ

غَدا طائِراً لَم يَرضَ وَكراً سِوى النَسرِ

غَدا طائِراً لَم يَرضَ وَكراً سِوى النَسرِ

And I am but one whose eagle of glory, when it

I am but one whose glory, when it soars,

takes flight, accepts no nest but the celestial Eagle.

Becomes an eagle who accepts no nest but the eagle's

تَمَطَّيتُ في طَودِ العُلا إِذ رَقيتُهُ

تَمَطَّيتُ في طَودِ العُلا إِذ رَقيتُهُ

بِما لِيَ مِن بِشرٍ وَما لِيَ مِن بِرِّ

بِما لِيَ مِن بِشرٍ وَما لِيَ مِن بِرِّ

I stretched myself upon the mountain of eminence as I climbed it,

I mounted the summit of glory when I climbed it

through my cheerfulness and my goodness,

With my good tidings and my righteousness

وَمِن شِيَمٍ غُرٍّ وَمِن مِنَنٍ زُهرٍ

وَمِن شِيَمٍ غُرٍّ وَمِن مِنَنٍ زُهرٍ

وَمِن حَسَبٍ نَضرٍ وَمِن أَدَبٍ غَمرِ

وَمِن حَسَبٍ نَضرٍ وَمِن أَدَبٍ غَمرِ

and shining virtues, and radiant benefactions,

And my noble traits, blossoming favors

and flourishing ancestral honor, and abundant refinement.

Flourishing lineage, and overflowing refinement

إِذا الشاعِرُ المَطبوعُ جَهَّرَ شِعرَهُ

إِذا الشاعِرُ المَطبوعُ جَهَّرَ شِعرَهُ

إِلى السَمعِ لَم يَنفُق عَلَيهِ سِوى شِعري

إِلى السَمعِ لَم يَنفُق عَلَيهِ سِوى شِعري

When the naturally gifted poet declaims his verse

When the natural poet declaims his poetry

to the ear, nothing finds favor with it but my verse.

He spends on it nothing but my poetry

وَما شَرَفي بِالشِعرِ حينَ أَصوغُهُ

وَما شَرَفي بِالشِعرِ حينَ أَصوغُهُ

فَيُزهى عَلى ما صيغَ مِن خالِصِ التِبرِ

فَيُزهى عَلى ما صيغَ مِن خالِصِ التِبرِ

And my honor lies not in poetry when I fashion it,

And my nobility through poetry, when I compose it

so that it glories above what is wrought of pure gold,

To shine over what is formed of pure gold

وَلَكِن بِآباءٍ كِرامٍ غَطارِفٍ

وَلَكِن بِآباءٍ كِرامٍ غَطارِفٍ

تَزيدُ مَعاليهِم عَلى عَدَدِ القَطرِ

تَزيدُ مَعاليهِم عَلى عَدَدِ القَطرِ

but in generous forefathers, highborn lords,

But through noble fathers, honorable and generous

whose lofty merits exceed the number of raindrops.

Whose glories exceed the number of drops of rain

وَمَن جَدُّهُ جَدّي وَأُمِّيَ أُمُّهُ

وَمَن جَدُّهُ جَدّي وَأُمِّيَ أُمُّهُ

يَرى نَفسَهُ أَعلى مَحَلّاً مِنَ الزَهرِ

يَرى نَفسَهُ أَعلى مَحَلّاً مِنَ الزَهرِ

And he whose grandfather is mine, and whose mother is my mother,

He who has my grandfather as his own, and my mother his

sees himself higher in station than the bright stars.

Sees himself of higher station than flowers

فَلا يُطرِني زَيدٌ وَعَمرُو فَإِنَّني

فَلا يُطرِني زَيدٌ وَعَمرُو فَإِنَّني

بِمَنزِلَةٍ تَعلو عَلى الشَمسِ وَالبَدرِ

بِمَنزِلَةٍ تَعلو عَلى الشَمسِ وَالبَدرِ

So let neither Zayd nor Amr extol me, for I

So neither Zayd nor Amr diminishes me, for I am

am at a station that rises above the sun and the full moon.

Of a rank higher than sun and moon

إِذا كُنتُ فَوقَ الوَصفِ مَجداً فَإِنَّني

إِذا كُنتُ فَوقَ الوَصفِ مَجداً فَإِنَّني

بِحَقِّيَ أَن أَعفى عَنِ النَظمِ وَالنَثرِ

بِحَقِّيَ أَن أَعفى عَنِ النَظمِ وَالنَثرِ

If in glory I am beyond description, then I

If I am beyond description in glory, then by right

am entitled to be spared verse and prose.

I disdain rhyme and prose