ما أنْصَفَتْ بغدادُ ناشئها الذي

كَثُرَ الثَّناءُ به على بغْدادِ

Baghdad did not do justice to its youth

Whose praises on Baghdad were plenty

سَلْ بي إذا مَدَّ الجِدالُ رواقَهُ

بصَوارمٍ غيرِ السُّيوفِ حِدادِ

Ask me when the arena of debate extends its aisles

With swords other than made by blacksmiths

وجرتْ بأنواعِ العُلومِ مَقالَتي

كالسَّيْلِ مَدَّ إلى قَرارِ الوادي

And my discourse flowed in all kinds of knowledge

Like a torrent stretching to the basin of a valley

وذعرْتُ ألْبابَ الخصوم بخاطرٍ

يقْظانَ في الإصْدارِ والإيرادِ

And I startled the minds of opponents with thoughts

Awake in wit and eloquence

فتصدَّعوا مُتَفرِّقينَ كأنَّهُمْ

مالٌ تُفَرِّقُهُ يَدُ ابن طِرادِ

So they crumbled dispersing as though they were

Wealth scattered by the hand of Ibn Tirad