ذَكَرتُ اِبنَ وَحبٍ فَلِلَّهِ ما

ذَكَرتُ اِبنَ وَحبٍ فَلِلَّهِ ما

ذَكَرتُ وَما غَيَّبوا في الكَفَن

ذَكَرتُ وَما غَيَّبوا في الكَفَن

I remembered Ibn Waḥab—by God, what a man

I remembered Ibn Wahb—by God, what

I remembered, what a man they hid in the shroud!

I remembered, and what they hid in the shroud!

يُقطِرُ أَقلامَهُ مِن دَمٍ

يُقطِرُ أَقلامَهُ مِن دَمٍ

وَيَعلَمُ بِالظَنِّ ما لَم يَكُن

وَيَعلَمُ بِالظَنِّ ما لَم يَكُن

He makes his pens drip blood,

He makes his pens drip with blood,

and knows by intuition what has not yet come to pass.

And by conjecture he knows what has not yet come to pass.

وَظاهِرُ أَطرافِهِ ساكِنٌ

وَظاهِرُ أَطرافِهِ ساكِنٌ

وَمِن تَحتِهِ حَرَكاتُ الفِطَن

وَمِن تَحتِهِ حَرَكاتُ الفِطَن

The outward surface of his limbs is still,

And the outward aspect of his limbs is still,

yet beneath it are the stirrings of keen intelligence.

And beneath it are the stirrings of keen wit.