يا عليُّ بْنَ سُلَيْمانَ وَيا

مَعْدِنَ العِلْم ويَنْبُوعَ الأَدَبْ

O Ali son of Suleiman, O mine of knowledge and spring of literature

By my father and mother and He who desired and loved everything

بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وأُمِّي والّذي

اشْتَهى من كلِّ شَئٍ وأُحِبْ

Your complaints have caused my heart such agony

The like of which it has never endured before

كَسَبَتْ شَكْوَاكِ قَلْبي لَوْعةً

ما أراهُ مثلَها قَطُّ اكْتَسَبْ

You did not become sick, but high position and dew did

And that is a wondrous thing

أنت لم تَعْتَلَّ لكنَّ العُلا

والنّدى اعتلاَّ وذا شئٌ عَجَبْ

Some people wrongly claimed

That it was due to cold in the nerves

ولَقْدْ أَخْطَأَ قومٌ زَعَمُوا

أنّها من فضلِ بَرْدٍ في العَصَبْ

It is that brilliant mind, whose fire is the keenest

And that excessively hot temperament

هُوَ ذَاكَ الذِّهْنُ أذْكَى نَارَهُ

والمِزَاجُ المُفْرِطُ الحَرِّ التَهَبْ

And indeed I said to Isaac - and Isaac

With pains and illnesses is a physician -

ولقد قُلْتُ لإسْحاقَ وإسْ

حاقَ بالأوجاع والأدْوَاءِ طَبْ

How can the organs of a young man not become confused

When each of his organs contains a thousand hearts

كيفَ لا تَحْتَرُّ أعضاءُ فَتًى

كلَّ عُضْوٍ مِنْهُ فيهِ أَلفُ قَلْبْ