يَا لَكَ مِنْ ذِي أَدَبٍأَطْلَعَتْ

فِكْرَتُهُ ثَاقِبَةَ الأَنْجُمِ

O you of such refinement

His keen mind ascends like the stars

حَازَ مَدَىً قَصَّرَ عَنْ شَأْوِهِ

كُلُّ أَخِي سَابِقَةٍ مِرْجَمِ

He has attained what evades the grasp of

All my racing brethren

فَهْوَ إِذَا قَالَ عَلا أَوْ جَرَى

بَرَّزَ أَوْ نَاضَلَ لَمْ يُحْجِمِ

Thus when he speaks, rises, pours forth

Or contends, he does not falter

ذُو فِكْرَةٍ فَاضَتْ بِمَا أُودِعَتْ

مِنْ حِكْمَةٍ كَالْعَارِضِ الْمُثْجِمِ

One whose overflowing intellect is filled

With wisdom like cloudbursts

ذَاكَ فَتَىً نَبْعَتُهُ لَمْ تَلِنْ

لِعَاجِمٍ مِنْ خَوَرِ الْمَعْجَمِ

That is a stalwart whose font gushed not

For foreigners from the lexicon’s caves

أَلْفَاظُهُ تُعْزَى إِلَى يَعْرُب

وَفِكْرُهُ مُقْتَبَسٌ مِنْ جَمِ

His words derive from eloquent Arab

And his mind extracts from coal

لَمْ يَنْظِمِ الْحُوشِيَّ عُجْبَاً بِهِ

وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ الْوَرْدَ بِالْحَوْجَمِ

Al-Hushayri did not versify wonder at him

Or name him the bouquet’s sweet basil

لَكِنَّهُ رَازَ الْحِجَا فَاكْتَفَى

بِوَاضِحِ الْقَوْلِ عَنِ الْمُعْجَمِ

But he hinted at the sanctuary, so he sufficed

With the clear words instead of the lexicon

دَانَ لَهُ بِالْفَضْلِ عَنْ خِبْرَةٍ

كُلُّ فَصِيحِ الْقَوْلِ أَوْ أَعْجَمِ

Every eloquent or inarticulate speaker

Concedes to him superiority out of knowledge

دَلَّ عَلَى مَعْدِنِهِ فَضْلُهُ

دَلالَةَ التِّبْرِ عَلَى الْمَنْجَمِ

His merit indicates his origin

Like flint indicates the star