رأيت بني الدنيا يؤمل نفعهم

على بخل أيد واختلال مكاسبِ

I have seen the sons of this world, their help hoped for,

despite stingy hands and unstable earnings.

وأجدر بالتأميل في كل معضل

بنو الدين والراجون حسن العواقب

And worthier of hope in every difficulty

are the sons of faith and those who hope for good outcomes.

هم القوم لا ينفعك راجي نوالهم

لدى طلّ أدواح وطلّ سحائب

They are the people; a seeker of their bounty does not benefit you,

amid the dew of spreading trees and the drizzle of clouds.

غيوث جدوب أو شموس معارف

هضاب حلوم أو نجوم غياهب

Life-giving rains for parched lands, or suns of knowledge,

lofty hills of forbearance, or stars in deep darkness.

وإنّ بأكناف المرية منهم

لفدُّ السجايا والحلى والمناقب

And indeed, in the environs of Almería, one of them is

truly [peerless?] in character, graces, and virtues.

بقيةُ من في الكتب ديناً وسنة

فشاهِدُهُ قد ناب عن كلِّ غائب

A remnant of those in the books, in faith and tradition,

so his presence has stood in for every absent one.

تكسَّب من علمي كتابٍ وسنةٍ

كريم المساعي في سديد المذاهب

He drew gain from the two sciences of Scripture and prophetic tradition,

noble in his endeavors, following sound paths.

ولم يبتدع في الدين بدعةً غيرِهِ

ولا شدَّ عن بادٍ من الحق لا حب

And he introduced no innovation of another into religion,

nor rushed away from manifest truth—[ending unclear: ‘no love’].

وما قلتُ إلاَّ بالذي قد أفادني

تواتر نقلٍ من ثقاتِ الأصاحب

And I have said only what was conveyed to me

by successive reports from trustworthy companions.

ولولا اتّقاء المدح أطنبتُ مثنياً

على فضلِهِ قيلُ امرىء غير كاذب

And but for caution about praise, I would have spoken at length in praise

of his excellence—the words of a man who does not lie.

إذا كان مدحُ المتقين فضيلةً

فمدح أبي إسحاق آكد واجب

If praising the God-fearing is a virtue,

then praising Abu Ishaq is the most binding duty.

تشوقتُ فيه فاستنبت صحيفتي

وربَّ كتاب نائب عن مُكاتِب

I longed for him, so I made my page my proxy,

and many a letter stands in for a correspondent.