إِن تَأَمَّل مَحاسِنَ الأَصبَهانِيِّ

تَجِد طولَهُ أَخا طولِ باعِه

If you examine the beauties of al-Asbahani

You will find his height like the length of his stature

أَو تُحَصِّلهُ لا تُحَصِّل خِلافاً

بَينَ مَرآهُ بادِياً وَسَماعِه

Or assess him, you will not find contrary

Between his appearance openly and his hearing

يُؤخَذُ الحِلمُ مِن مَكيثِ تَأَنّي

هِ وَنُجحُ العِداتِ مِن إِسراعِه

Wisdom is taken from the deliberation of his composure

And the success of his tools from his hastening

يَنزِلُ القَومُ أَنفُساً وَسَجايا

عَن تَعَلّيهِ فَوقَهُم وَاِرتِفاعِه

The people descend themselves and gravitas

From his exaltation above them and his loftiness

مُنصِبٌ نَفسَهُ لِمُكتَسِبِ الحَم

دِ يُرى أَنَّهُ مَكانُ اِتِداعِه

Appointing himself to the earner of praise

It is seen that it is the place of his gathering

يا أَبا عَبدِ اللَهِ عَمَّرَكَ اللَ

هُ لِعُرفٍ عَمَمتَنا بِإِصطِناعِه

O Abu Abdullah, may God make you live

For a norm that has generalized us with its manufacture

أَكثَرُ النَيلِ ضائِعٌ غَيرَ ما يَس

ري إِلى نابِهِ الثَناءِ مُذاعِه

Most of the attainment is lost except what flows

To the source of praise being propagated

لا تَلُمني إِن ضِقتُ ديونَ قَوافي ال

شِعرِ أَو كِلتُ لِلصَديقِ بِصاعِه

Do not blame me if I fell short of the debts of the verse meters

Or got tired from carrying to a friend his measure

وَلِضَنّي بِالشِعرِ أَعذَبُ مِن ضَنِّ

وَجيهٍ بِكُتبِهِ وَرِقاعِه

And my stinginess with poetry is sweeter than the stinginess

Of dignitaries with their books and papers

إِنَّ هَذا القَريضَ نَبتٌ مِنَ القَو

لِ يَزيدُ الفَعالُ في إِناعِه

This poetry is a growth from the saying

The doer increases in its flexibility

هُوَ عِلقٌ تاجَرَتني فيهِ بِالحي

لَةِ حَتّى غَبَنتَني بِإِبتِياعِه

It is a temptation in which I was decieved by guile

Until you duped me by acquiring it