1. بِمكتبة ابنِ زَيدانَ حَلَلتُ

    وطَرفي في نَفائِسِها أجَلتُ

    I alighted at the library of Ibn Zaydan.

    And I let my gaze roam among its treasures.

  2. فخامَرَني سرورٌ وابتهاجٌ

    وإعجابٌ بها حتى ذَهِلتُ

    Then joy and delight stole over me,

    And admiration for it, until I was spellbound.

  3. وصَلتُ بها إلى أمَلٍ كبيرٍ

    ولولاها إليه ما وصَلتُ

    Through it I realized a great hope,

    And without it I would not have attained it.

  4. فآمالي أرى آثارَ مَجدٍ

    لِقَومي إذ بمجدهِمُ شُغِلتُ

    For I aspire to see traces of glory

    Of my people, for their glory has engrossed me.

  5. ظفِرتُ بها بِيَنبوعِ زُلالٍ

    بِمَورِدِه نَهلتُ كما عَللتُ

    In it I found a spring of limpid water,

    At its source I drank, then drank again.

  6. وأبصرتُ العجائِبَ ناطقاتٍ

    بِعَجزي إن وصَفتُ فما فَعلتُ

    And I beheld wonders proclaiming

    My inadequacy, should I describe them—so I did not.

  7. ولا عَجبٌ فصاحِبُها المُفَدَّى

    فَريدُ العَصرِ إن عَنه سُئِلتُ

    And no wonder, for its cherished owner

    Is peerless in his age, if I am asked about him.

  8. وبحرٌ زاخرٌ بالعِلم حيناً

    وحيناً بالنَّوالِ ومنهُ نِلتُ

    And an ocean, at times brimming with knowledge,

    And at times with bounty, which I received from him.

  9. وخُلقٌ فاوحَ الأزهارَ نَشراً

    جُعِلتُ فِداهُ مِن خُلُقٍ جُعِلتُ

    And a character that rivaled flowers in fragrance—

    May I be his ransom—what a character!—may I be!

  10. نَعِمتُ بِقُربشه زمناً طويلاً

    فكيفَ أكونُ إن عنه ارتَحلتُ

    For a long time I delighted in his company;

    So how shall I fare if I depart from him?

  11. سَأذهبُ مُرغَماً عنه صباحاً

    وفي سفري على اللهِ اتَّكَلتُ

    I shall leave him against my will in the morning,

    And on my journey I have put my trust in God.