1. بدأ بالحمد وبالصلاة

    على نبي اللطف والصلات

    He began with praise and blessings

    Upon the Prophet of kindness and gifts,

  2. وآله آل العلا والمجد

    حبهم المغني لنا والمجدي

    And his family, the family of loftiness and glory;

    Love for them enriches us and brings us benefit.

  3. وبعد فاللحظ اجال طرفه

    حيث به الناظر يجلو طرفه

    And now: the gaze has turned its eye about

    Where, through it, the beholder unveils its rare delights.

  4. وهي رياض الكلم النواضر

    في رعيها تبتهج النواظر

    And these are gardens of flourishing words;

    The eyes rejoice in grazing upon them.

  5. بدت نجوم فاجتليت زهرها

    زهت نجوم فاجتليت زهرها

    Stars appeared, and I beheld their radiance;

    Herbs flourished, and I beheld their blossoms.

  6. اقطف ما شئت من الأنوار

    اقبس ما شئت من الأنوار

    Pluck whatever blossoms you wish;

    Draw whatever light you wish.

  7. خميلة من عرفها تهدي الصبا

    شذى له كل لبيب قد صبا

    A grove from whose fragrance the east wind wafts

    A scent for which every discerning soul has yearned.

  8. مسك به أرجاؤنا تمسكت

    روح به أرواحنا تمسكت

    Musk with which our surroundings grew fragrant;

    A spirit to which our souls have clung.

  9. قد كان في طي الخفاء نشرها

    واليوم فاح طيبها ونشرها

    Its unfolding once lay folded in concealment;

    And today its perfume and fragrance waft abroad.

  10. ما خلتها الا شذورا من ذهب

    بفضلها عبد الرحيم قد ذهب

    I deemed it nothing but nuggets of gold;

    Abd al-Rahim carried off its distinction,

  11. في صغر ولم يكن قد شبا

    لكن جمر فكره قد شبا

    In childhood, when he had not yet reached youth;

    Yet the embers of his thought had blazed.

  12. قد راق علماً ورقى ذكاء

    فكان في أوج العلا ذكاء

    He excelled in learning and rose in intelligence;

    So at the zenith of eminence he was Dhuka', the sun.

  13. منظومة جاءت على عهد الطفل

    والشمس شمس في الضحى وفي الطفل

    A verse composition made in childhood;

    And the sun is the sun at forenoon and at dusk.

  14. جادت بها فكرته بدرها

    وقد اجاد بانتظام درها

    His thought lavished it in its outpouring;

    And he excelled in stringing its pearls.

  15. فحاز من اسمائه الحديث

    ما اصطلح القديم والحديث

    Thus he gathered from the terminology of hadith

    What the ancients and moderns agreed upon.

  16. وان في علم الحديث الشرفا

    كم ارتقى الحفاظ فيه شرفا

    And in the science of hadith lies honor;

    How many heights its memorizers have scaled through it!

  17. ان رجال العلم عنه تروي

    اثار فضل للظماء تروي

    Indeed, the men of learning narrate from him

    Signs of excellence that quench the thirsty.

  18. أرسل من فكرته شعاعا

    من الحديث ناظماً شعاعا

    He sent forth a ray from his thought,

    Stringing scattered pieces of hadith into verse.

  19. لما تجلى بالبيان الشامس

    راض من الالفاظ كل شامس

    When he shone forth with sun-bright eloquence,

    He tamed every unruly word.

  20. ان له فضل استباق الغاية

    في نظم مشروع جليل الغايه

    Indeed, his is the merit of reaching the goal first

    In versifying an undertaking of noble purpose.

  21. فأن يحز من الرهان خصله

    فكم له أمثالها من خصلة

    So if he gains a victory in the contest,

    Then how many virtues like it are his!

  22. فانه المفرد فضلا والعلم

    وانه المنار هدياً والعلم

    For he is peerless in merit and learning;

    And he is a beacon of guidance and a banner.

  23. للعلم كان شيخه وجده

    فعاذر ان جد فيه جده

    His teacher and his grandfather were devoted to learning;

    So excuse him if his diligence in it grows intense.

  24. حديث اباء له قد سلسلا

    بالنقل يسقى السامعين سلسلا

    His forefathers' hadith has been linked in a chain;

    Through transmission he gives listeners sweet, clear water to drink.

  25. تعرف الفرع من الأصول

    وانظر إلى الفصول في الاصول

    Recognize the branch by its roots;

    And look at the chapters on the fundamentals.