جُمِعَت ليَ الخَيراتُ بَعدَ شَعاعِ

لَمّا دَعاني نَحوَ فَضلِكَ داعِ

The virtues were collected for me after splendor

When you called me towards your bounty, supplicant

وَفَخَرتُ لَمّا أَن خَرَرتُ مُقبِّلا

رِجلاً لَها في الخَيرِ أَيّ مَساعِ

And I became proud when I crawled, kissing

A foot for it in good - what hearing!

شاهَدتُهُ وَسَمِعتُ فَضلَ خطابِه

يا حسنَ منظرٍ وَطيبَ سَماعِ

I saw him and heard the excellence of his speech

O good looks and pleasant hearing

أَحيا أَبا حَيّان ناشِرُ بِشرِهِ

وَحَباهُ بِالإِيناسِ وَالامتاعِ

Revived Abu Hayyan, spreader of his good news

And endowed with cordiality and enjoyment

فَبِحُبِّ صَدرِ الدينِ دِنتُ تَقَرُّباً

لِلّهِ في رَيثي وَفي إِسراعي

So with the love of Sadr al-Din I professed

To God in my slowness and haste

هُوَ أَوحَدٌ في العلمِ وِترٌ ما لَهُ

ثانٍ وَفي الإِحسانِ ذو إِشفاعِ

He is unique in knowledge, a string that has no

Other, and in benevolence one of intercession

ذو هِمَّةٍ مَلَكِيَّةٍ ذو شيمَةٍ

مَلَكية للخَيرِ فيهِ دَواعِ

With an angelic ambition, an angelic trait

For good in it the incentives

وَإِذا يَحُلُّ بِمَنزِلٍ أَضحى بِهِ

مَأوى الغَريبِ وَمَطمَحُ الأَطماعِ

And if he stays in a house, it becomes

The shelter of the stranger and the goal of greed

وَإِذا ترحَّلَ طاعِناً أَبقى بِهِ

نوراً لِسارٍ أَو قِرىً لِجياعِ

And if he travels, wounded, he leaves behind

Light for the walker or food for the hungry

وَبمَعطَسِ الأَرجاءِ مِن نَفَحاتِهِ

أَرجٌ يَضوعُ شَذاً بِكُلِّ بِقاعِ

And the corners of the earth, from his breaths

A meadow that glows with scent in every region

إِنَّ الإِمامَةَ في العُلومِ جَميعِها

ثَبتَت لَهُ بِالنَقصِ وَالإِجماعِ

Verily, the imamate in all sciences

Is proven for him by default and consensus

إِنَّ العُلومَ رِياض إِلا أَنَّها

أنفٌ وَأَنتَ لَهُنَّ أَولُّ راعِ

Verily, the sciences are gardens except that they

Are moths and you are their first herdsman

مُتَوَقِّدٌ إِن كانَ ذهنٌ خامِداً

يَقِظٌ وَفِكرُ الشَهمِ ذو تَهجاعِ

Kindling if the mind is extinguished

Vigilant, and the thought of glory accustomed to sleeplessness

تَتَوقَّفُ الأَفهامُ حَسرى دونَ ما

أَدرَكتَ فَهيَ لِذاكَ ذات نِزاعِ

Minds halt in sorrow before what

You grasped, and they quarrel over that

حَتّى إِذا تُلقي لَها ما فاتَها

أَبصَرت كَيفَ النَفثُ في الأَرواعِ

Until when you give them what escaped them

They see how the breath in perceptions

ما كُنتُ أَدري مَع تَشَعُّبِ دِريَتي

إِنّ البَراعة في شَباةِ يَراعِ

I did not know, despite my branching knowledge

That skill lies in the prime of youth

حَتّى رَأَيتُ بَنانَه بِيرَاعهِ

يبدي البيانَ مُوَشَّعَ الأَوضاعِ

Until I saw its fingers with its youth

Reveal eloquence, diverse in forms

وَيَشي بِنَفسٍ فَوقَ طُرسٍ حُلَّةً

فَتَلوحُ شَمسُ العامِ ذاتَ شعاعِ

And walk with a soul above the Pleiades in attire

So the sun of the year shows splendor

كلَمٌ مِن السِحرِ الحَلالِ تَأَلَّفَت

يَعبَثنَ بِالأَلبابِ وَالأَسماعِ

Words of lawful magic, composed

Toying with minds and hearings

لكَسَوتَني بُردَ الفَخارِ مُفَوَّفاً

أَضحَت بِهِ صَنعاءُ غَيرَ صَناعِ

For you clothed me in the cold of pride, lined

Sana'a became, by it, other than makers

فَسحِبتُهُ زَهواً كَأَنّي تُبَّعٌ

في حِميرٍ ذو المُلكِ وَالتُبّاعِ

So I dragged it vainly as if I were Tubba

In Himyar, possession and obedience

أَظهَرتَني بَعدَ الخَفاءِ كَأَنَّني

صُبحٌ بَدا أَو جَذوةٌ بِيَفاعِ

You brought me out of concealment as if I were

Dawn appearing or an ember flaming

حَسبي عُلىً بَينَ الأَنامِ وَسُؤدُداً

أَني مِن الغِلمانِ وَالأَتباعِ

It suffices me glory among people and leadership

That I am among the youths and followers