زَادَكَ اللهُ يَا خَليلِي رُشْداً

لَمْ أَجِدْ مِنْ هَوَى مَعَاليكَ بُدَّا

May God increase you, my friend, in wisdom

May God increase you in guidance, O my friend,

I have not found any love like yours at all

I found no escape from loving your lofty virtues.

غَيْرَ أَنِّي أَخْرَسَتْنِي عَنْ مُجَارا

ةِ القَريضِ الْمُبْتَدِي مِنَ الدُّرِّ عِقْدَا

Except that you left me speechless from conversing

Yet I have been rendered speechless, unable to rival

With a beginning poet stringing poems of pearls

Your poetry, which fashions a necklace out of pearls.

قُلْتُ صَالِحٌ قَدْ عَلاَ غَارِبَ الفَضْ

لِ وَيَعْلُو الذِي اقْتَنَى الْفَضْلَ عَبْدَا

I said the righteous has ascended the highest heaven

I said: Salih has mounted the high crest of

And ascends the one who attained virtue as a servant

Virtue, surpassing any servant who acquires such grace.

فَعَلَيْكَ السَّلاَمُ إِذْ لَمْ أُطِقْ مَا

قُلْتَهُ يَقْتَفِيكَ غَوْراً وَنَجْدَا

So peace be upon you, since I cannot bear what

So peace be upon you, for I cannot match the words

You have said following you into depth and ascent

You have spoken, tracking your path through lowlands and highlands.