أبْلغ أبا سهلٍ فتى العَجَم الذي

أضحتْ تَمنَّى كونَهُ منها العَرَبْ

Convey to Abu Sahl, the noble Persian youth, whom

The Arabs have come to wish would become one of them,

يا من غَدا وعزيمُهُ ولسانُهُ

سيفان شتّى في الخُطوب وفي الخُطَبْ

O you whose resolve and tongue the next morning

Became two swords, keen in battles and in orations,

الحمدُ للّه الذي من فضلِهِ

أنَّا رُزِقْنا فيك حُسْنَ المنقلبْ

Thanks be to Allah who, from His bounty,

Granted us in you beauty in reversal of fortunes,

والحمدُ للّه الذي صَرف الردى

والحمد للّه الذي كشف الكُرَبْ

And thanks be to Allah who turned adversity aside,

And thanks to Allah who removed distress,

كُنّا نُكلِّفك المواهبَ مرةً

حتى إذا استُنْقِذْت من كفِّ العطَبْ

We used to grant you gifts time after time

Until, when you were rescued from the grasp of sterility,

عَظُمتْ بك النُّعمى فقد ألهيتنا

عن كل شيء كان فيه لنا أرَبْ

Great gifts accrued to you, for you made us forget

Everything in which we had taken pride,

فدع المواهب أنت موهبةٌ لنا

من ذي المعارج والمواهب لا تهبْ

So leave off gifts! You yourself are a gift to us

From Him of the Ladders, and gifts should not be demanded,

إنا لَنستحيي وقد وافيتنا

من بعد يأسٍ أنْ نَكُدَّك بالطّلَبْ

We are too shy, now that you have come to us,

After despair, to weary you with requests,

من ذا يراكَ وقد سلِمتَ فلا يرى

فيك الغِنى لا في اللُّجين ولا الذهبْ

Who sees you, when you are safe, and does not see

Richness in you, not in pearls or gold?

لا نَبْتغي شيئاً سواك وإنما

طَلَبُ امرىءٍ ما بعدَ حاجتهِ كَلَبْ

We seek nothing but you; the craving of a man

For more than his needs is the craving of a dog.