1. If I were to show restraint, then rulership
Would become wasted on the impudence of evildoers,

2. Or if I expelled the immoral, I would fear
God, if I were asked about their sins,

3. Or if I retired, affairs would become chaos,
Where lambs frolic with butchers.

4. Or if I got involved and was appointed, I would hear
Criticism whether collecting or spending,

5. Blame is always upon him, be he
An old man, his son, or a donkey,

6. I readied them for jihad, yet they complained of weakness
And clamored from too much traveling,

7. I inclined towards peace, but they called peace evil,
Unlike what the Mighty Creator has said,

8. I judged them, for I seek nothing but God’s truth
Or upholding the rights of neighborliness,

9. So they rewarded me with the reward of one who serves the
Sultan from past eras,

10. From slaves like lions, Ethiopians, Turks, and Tatars.
I have not found a Muslim who would uphold my rights,

11. Looking at me with the eye of esteem,
Or a patron who would give my case its due

12. And see his excellence over others.
Except for one blind of heart who ties

13. To my feet the vines of orchards from trees,
Seeking all that his passions demanded,

14. Give it through profit or loss.