1. O you of such refinement
His keen mind ascends like the stars

2. He has attained what evades the grasp of
All my racing brethren

3. Thus when he speaks, rises, pours forth
Or contends, he does not falter

4. One whose overflowing intellect is filled
With wisdom like cloudbursts

5. That is a stalwart whose font gushed not
For foreigners from the lexicon’s caves

6. His words derive from eloquent Arab
And his mind extracts from coal

7. Al-Hushayri did not versify wonder at him
Or name him the bouquet’s sweet basil

8. But he hinted at the sanctuary, so he sufficed
With the clear words instead of the lexicon

9. Every eloquent or inarticulate speaker
Concedes to him superiority out of knowledge

10. His merit indicates his origin
Like flint indicates the star