وَعِصابَةٍ بِالخَيرِ أُلِّفَ شَملُهُم

وَالخَيرُ أَفضَلُ عُصبَةً وَرِفاقا

United by virtue, their fellowship was mended,

For virtue makes the best of comrades and allies.

جَعَلوا التَعاوُنَ وَالبِنايَةَ هَمَّهُم

وَاِستَنهَضوا الآدابَ وَالأَخلاقا

They made cooperation and building their care,

And revived morals and ethics.

وَلَقَد يُداوونَ الجِراحَ بِبِرِّهِم

وَيُقاتِلونَ البُؤسَ وَالإِملاقا

Verily they cure wounds with their righteousness,

And battle misery and despair.

يَسمونَ بِالأَدَبِ الجَديدِ وَتارَةً

يَبنونَ لِلأَدَبِ القَديمِ رِواقا

They acclaim the new literature at times,

And build halls for the old at others.

بَعَثَ اِهتِمامَهُمو وَهاجَ حَنانَهُم

زَمَنٌ يُثيرُ العَطفَ وَالإِشفاقا

Their care was stirred and their affection aroused

By an age that excites sympathy and pity.

عَرَضَ القُعودُ فَكانَ دونَ نُبوغِهِ

قَيداً وَدونَ خُطى الشَبابِ وِثاقا

Inactivity posed, lacking his brilliance,

A bond below the strides of youth and its vigor.

البُلبُلُ الغَرِدُ الَّذي هَزَّ الرُبى

وَشَجى الغُصونَ وَحَرَّكَ الأَوراقا

The warbling nightingale who shook the branches

And stirred the boughs and shuffled the leaves,

خَلَفَ البَهاءَ عَلى القَريضِ وَكَأسِهِ

فَسَقى بِعَذبِ نَسيبِهِ العُشّاقا

Left behind elegance in his ode and his glass,

Quenching with the soft drink of his pure love the enamored.

في القَيدِ مُمتَنِعُ الخُطى وَخَيالِهِ

يَطوي البِلادَ وَيَنشُرُ الآفاقا

Though fettered in his steps and imagination,

He spanned countries and expanded horizons.

سَبّاقُ غاياتِ البَيانِ جَرى بِلا

ساقٍ فَكَيفَ إِذا اِستَرَدَّ الساقا

A precursor of the goals of rhetoric, he ran without

Feet, so imagine if he regained his footing!

لَو يَطعمُ الطِبُّ الصَناعُ بَيانَهُ

أَو لَو يُسيغُ لِما يَقولُ مَذاقا

If only the physician's art were to feed on his rhetoric,

Or if only it were to make palatable what he says.

غالى بِقيمَتِهِ فَلَم يَصنَع لَهُ

إِلّا الجَناحَ مُحَلِّقاً خَفّاقا

He is too precious to be utilized

Except for the wing, fluttering and hovering.