1. ثَلاثُ بُحورٍ يا لَعَمري تَجَمَّعَت

    بِعَيني أَراها وَهيَ تَبدو بِلا اِمتَرا

    Three seas—ah, by my life!—have gathered together.

    With my own eyes I see them, appearing without a doubt.

  2. فَبَحرٌ غَزيرُ العِلمِ ماجَ معارفاً

    إِمام إِلى الأَوزاعِ يُنسَبُ في الوَرى

    One sea, rich in learning, has surged with knowledge:

    An imam known among people by his affiliation with al-Awzāʿ.

  3. وَبَحرٌ غَزيرُ الجودِ قَد فاضَ جودُهُ

    فَأَخجَلَ وَبْلَ السّحبِ لا شَكَّ وَاِزدَرى

    And a sea rich in generosity—its bounty has overflowed,

    And so it shamed the clouds’ downpour, without doubt, and scorned it.

  4. وَبَحرٌ هوَ المِلحُ الأُجاجُ وَإِنَّهُ

    لَقَد راقَ لي ثَغراً كَما راقَ مَنظَرا

    And one sea is the salty, bitter one; and indeed it

    Has surely delighted me as a harbor, just as it has as a sight.