1. Knowledge is paramount, nothing compares,
Its seeker succeeds, its pursuer excels,

2. Man is distinguished only by his knowledge,
Keen minded and judicious stand out,

3. Our lives and learning seem too short,
Recording them burdens us and we suffer,

4. In all is goodness but the foundation,
Is grammar, beware those who deny it,

5. Through it the Quran and Sunna are known,
The origin of God's faith you worship,

6. Let alone the lofty discipline built,
On pillars it strengthens and secures,

7. In this world it brought pride and fortune,
Abu Al-Aswad al-Du’ali, his glory is unmatched,

8. He originated this supreme science,
And the glory of Arabs flew high by it,

9. His son Ata’ succeeded and Ibn Harmaz,
And Yahya, Nasr, then Maymoon the guide,

10. Unbasa was the most eloquent of his company,
He wore the necklace of supreme virtues,

11. This knowledge was developed by masters,
Learned jurists nurtured and supported it,

12. Until time brought one man from Azd,
The cloud’s core - that mentor Khalil Bin Ahmad -

13. Conceded he led this field, despite envy,
In Basra dawn rose for Al-Khalil,

14. His insights shone, his words convinced,
With the keenest mind and truthful tongue,

15. If he opined, his witness would agree,
Not only did he master it, but all knowledge,

16. Defeated every opposing argument,
The second founder, surpassing the first,

17. None rivals the pillars of his principles,
He was the sage of his times,

18. Devout, upright, bowing nights in worship,
Dividing his years between retreats

19. And passion as God promised reward,
A year for Hajj, a year for Jihad,

20. The Ancient House knows him as a visitor,
Never distracted from science and piety,

21. By tempting beauties and flirts,
Often dwelling in the wilderness,

22. With only deer and wild goats as company,
His food merely barley and spring water,

23. Streams not reaching his dwellings,
Indifferent to worldly vanity and flowers,

24. Yearning for the Master and His promise,
When he saw Sibawayh’s brilliance,

25. And knew he was the best to inherit his learning,
He favored him as if he were his own son,

26. And taught him his knowledge bit by bit,
Until his features shone and his power peaked,

27. So when God took him as promised,
He died unique in his era,

28. For without him grammar would be void.
He revealed a book which was glory incarnate,

29. As Ka’b bin Maro’s descendant takes pride,
Gathering what scattered throughout the land,

30. Flowing back through him and his origins,
Named after Omar bin Othman bin Qanbar,

31. Even rebels submitted to his command,
Pair it with Qanbar’s grammar reader!

32. Its signs evident and examples clear,
Abu Bishr’s book, accept no other,

33. All beauty is lost if you abandon it,
They are seas of knowledge, when waves swell,

34. Pearls appear as you watch them surge,
Never count what he achieved, for he remains matchless,

35. Containing all you seek inside,
If you ever preside as judge over his book,

36. Among us your value and glory peak,
Do not keep pacing if you unlock its codes,

37. Has time worn you down or misfortunes overburdened?
It attracts swords if war cries sound,

38. Only a fool protests what it makes plain,
Some old man conspired, his head swollen,

39. Deeming grammar easy to grasp,
Busy only with juristic trivialities,

40. Jotting them in his papers as he spied,
Gaining status and position among people,

41. Distracted from seeking higher merits,
Never tasting the flavor of literature,

42. Or excelling in prose or poetics,
Composing beginner’s metaphors, seeking,

43. Well matched words to contract with them,
He saw arrogance and uncouthness in Sibawayh,

44. Unfit for his elevated gatherings,
So I said: Avoid what you cannot understand!

45. For you are feeble minded and stagnant,
By your life! One with a beard and turban,

46. Bowing as all directions aid him,
Walking the low earth while his sights,

47. Are fixed on highest summits,
Claiming to be a scholar, uniquely virtuous,

48. Having shunned the nightly grammar lessons!
You dare criticize what you are unqualified to grasp,

49. Mere turmoil of confused thoughts,
Goodness is in persevering vigilantly in its lessons,

50. For only the wakeful have visions as witnesses,
Do not hope for rewards in this world,

51. For with God alone they fully exist,
Few are grammarians worldly blessings,

52. While the ignorant enjoy abundant luck,
They have role models - For Ali suffered poverty,

53. Without a friend to help him,
After him, Khalil was deprived of living,

54. With no shortage of envious detractors,
Abu Bishr met the foolish side of life one morning,

55. As misguidance reached its furthest,
Haroon came to debate the master,

56. Their argument erupted unconcealed,
So he silently bowed then uttered his answer,

57. With truth - but the truth’s rejecter disavowed,
Omar plotted against Ali when he ruled,

58. And Amro he favored to spite him,
He served the poisoned cup whose intoxication,

59. Brought the fate he was destined,
Ibn Ziyad shared complicity in his aim,

60. Like Ibn Ziyad diseased hearts spread,
Together they poisoned Ali and Qanbar,

61. Lethal venom lethal asps spread,
I lament for Amro - No one resembles him,

62. If analysis falls short, the critic is dumbfounded,
His life was drained by youth’s defiance,

63. Without consideration for old age or friends’ support,
His knowledge was valued by East and West,

64. Its benefits illuminating both horizons,
Now none recite Abu Bishr’s book,

65. Except few remains in the West enamored,
Our admiration and passion in Andalus,

66. Remains - our awe of him proclaimed-
Though weak, I loyally stand by him in Egypt,

67. Supporting him as long as I draw breath,
I roused the grammar of the West from slumber,

68. Treating its wounds until its foundations manifested,
Abu Hayyan revived its deceased knowledge,

69. Resuscitating sciences that withered,
If a Maghribi travels to the East’s frontier,

70. He discovers it is grammar’s treasurer,
We suffered people forgoing gatherings for lessons,

71. With ignorance separating them from guides,
They delayed granting the deserving precedence,

72. Advancing fevered minds in frozen darkness,
The misguided policy will meet divine requital,

73. Warped beliefs cannot escape fate’s strike,
Reason defeats caprices – unable to discern,

74. Man’s passions toward Hell steadily lead,
For twenty pilgrimages we resided in Egypt,

75. In their ruler’s company and his courtiers,
Gaining nothing from them over the ages,

76. Nor finding sincere friends for comfort,
Consolation comes from those whose tales we told,

77. Potentially distracting engaged ears,
O brother - if you visit Granada one day

78. Carrying greetings as I request,
Kiss the ground where our kingdom and rule reside-

79. Gracious, glorious, custom renewed -
Vanquishing enemies completely, influence absolute,

80. Reviving supporters, the indifferent subdued,
Bestowing on Islam generosity and victory,

81. Securing the loyal, humiliating the hostile,
Spreading there glad tidings to our brothers,

82. And distinguish the mentor - may his achievements endure!
May God reward our master, imam and professor,

83. The ink of prolific wisdom flowed from him,
He exposed brilliant unique minds of the era,

84. So the West boasts what the East falls short of,
Its chronicler, grammarian and leader,

85. Nurtured by one magnificent of Thaqif descent,
Through him prestige and aid of the peninsula established,

86. Never forgetting my vigil at his door,
From early night as others slumbered.

87. His light dispels the darkness of ignorance,
Unlocking closed gates, repelling threats,

88. Though my intentions roam far,
Thanking him at all times, praising him

89. In Granada my soul, in Egypt my body,
Can individuals transcend their fate?

90. Father of Ja’far receive rhymes from one,
Whose poetry wastefully scatters,

91. It openly reaches receptive ears, relishing
Its recital and singing of its verses,

92. Marvelously shaped, extraordinarily strange,
Glorious origins, glorious ancestors,

93. Without you Master none would value my words in Egypt,
Or preserve what I compose,

94. You refined me to contain perfect verse,
Undying through ages.

95. You empowered dormant thoughts,
Unleashing unrestrained poetry.

96. I conclude by mentioning you.
For it is the musk, nay, beyond, even if unattainable.