1. A deserted abode did not make me weep
But a companion whose covenant was a dream

2. An intimate who deserted me for a new bounty
And so he repaid me with what he decreed

3. I committed no sin known to him
Nor did he wrong the one who served

4. But his bounty betrayed him
As he betrayed me when we parted

5. He denied me, wronging me, so I denied him
His companion; thus he regained composure and took revenge

6. Bounty and advice never fail
To caution the youth against spurning bounty

7. The prayer of an intimate outcast
To whom the Beloved inclines, not to vengeance

8. When his breast swelled with rage
He prayed only for what fate had decreed

9. He prayed to be blinded, fearing sedition
Upon a brother, so he sought protection for him

10. And good faith prevailed then towards him
So he did not fear to suspect or imagine

11. Nor do I see him regarding reproach from one who
Curses as the same as one who vilifies

12. The fair arbiter will not see one who
Reproaches a Prophet as one who defamed

13. So may he rejoice in lasting bliss
And advice that will protect him from blame

14. Until God sees him acknowledging
The truth, upholding rights and sanctities

15. And does not see one who, when
Bounty is poured upon him, spurns nobility

16. Oh Abu al-Qasim, who brazenly rode the
Tyrannical wave and drowned himself in tyranny

17. Tell me, why did you not correct yourself
With knowledge of truth and self-restraint?

18. You went astray when you attained a lofty
Position - not extremism in ascendance but excellence

19. Did you gain prominence in the blessed
Radiant state except by the fortune of one who submitted?

20. You were neither native to its bureaucracy nor did you reach it by merit
You were like those appointed or engraved

21. Your ascendance brought no benefit
Except self-aggrandizement which then crumbled

22. You accompanied him, then betrayed him, and then
Your treachery came, and treachery can be a pit

23. Had you assumed humility, you would have kept
What you were given, but you insisted on ruin

24. You imposed your great tyranny
Upon your affairs, so it collapsed after being strong

25. You forgot past covenants
When you attained the lofty position

26. Scornful of old friends, pretentious,
Seeing them as dwarfs

27. I swear I persevere and turn away
From the path of the sinner

28. God does not elevate an ambition that
Inclines to betrayal, or a sign that swears

29. No, nor does He diminish one that tends
To loyalty, as some claim

30. I reproach you plainly, not bashful
Can reproach be bashful for the reproacher?

31. The intimates blamed a companion who hoarded
Wealth and took to squandering obligations

32. One made heedless by his might reminded him
Of his lowliness - worldly riches deceived him

33. Like one whose ancestors were not
The first in knowledge or merit

34. One of feeble reputation who gained insight
So it exaggerated his arrogance though he had none

35. He forgot his deficiency - woe to him
If only he had concealed it!

36. The blemished do not act thus
When deficient, but excel when complete

37. How then one in whom no
Defect ever existed or who was never ignoble?

38. A curse on your days which gathered
Equity’s foes and nothingness

39. May God never bestow on you an hour that
Gathers both and rains calamities without cease

40. No good in wealth that openly encourages
Betrayal and corrupts morals

41. I implore you by God and the affection
Between us, for I count that a womb-tie

42. That you not be like one whom
Bounty clothed then betrayed

43. Like one adorned with raiment
Devoid of decency or dignity

44. Who then felt conceit and admired
Her reflection, impressed by her garb

45. Ever discontent with her nature
A witness of her sincerity if blamed

46. Cursing her face, making
Her companion the butt of blows

47. She flourishes in borrowed garb while
The one of virtuous nature remains obscure

48. She gleams like a hillock with a branch
And full moon illuminating the darkness

49. Take her unconsciously - I set her forth
As a symbol - or rather erected her as a sign

50. In her is a reproach that chastises
The oppressor until he reconsiders

51. Once I did not neglect a friend or
Reproach until deemed hostile

52. But I say to him plainly, instilling
In his reproach only subtle words

53. I treat the ailing companion, not
Tearing him apart and so increasing his pain

54. I prune the branch to set it right, not
Breaking it violently causing it to snap

55. I am not saddened by loss of an unworthy one
If he transgresses, or regret his estrangement

56. I deter him from sin, pardoning,
Not shouting if he persists and offends

57. You corrected my worth unjustly -
Consult the wise to know true value

58. You considered me a fool -
Leave him to his fabrications and let him perish

59. Why can you not be like the virtuous
Husayn, the guided servant of God, unveiler of clouds

60. Al-Bāqillānī, the eloquent and expert
Debater whom honorable deeds made great

61. A brother invited me to share
What his hands contained, appealing to me

62. He called and I responded, coming to find
One profuse in glory, no mere pretender

63.
If the noblest of all people

64. Shared glory, good, and bounty, he would take the portion
With open palm, not withholding,

65. Greeting bounty with generosity whoever requests
His generosity is never lacking

66. And principles are a pillar of his obtaining
He meets want, not mere sufficiency

67. And abundant blessings, not meager ones
He restores customs of nobility

68. An open-handed one who knows no fatigue
Following his exemplar, the patron

69. Enriching the land though it suffice when allotted
His promises are nullified by his loyalty

70. Never saying no or yes
He does the deeds of the noble

71. Though bashfulness might hinder him
Scornful of the little he is given

72. When hopes are abundant and ambitions lofty
A feared adversity made me seek refuge in him

73. He gave me sanctuary and became inviolable
His munificence made me safe

74. His fidelity reassured me against loss
One who could not redeem me if fate

75. Afflicted me, though I had no life left to redeem
From each dilemma the magnanimous one refused

76. To give little but his utmost
He does not grant relief vainly, and if

77. Asked, you would think the question caused him pain
Had he cut parts of himself for a beggar

78. It would not have pained him
He would ransom those who could never

79. Free him one day if catastrophe struck
He refuses pleasant things but gives his body

80. When calamity comes and fates decree
A man whose generosity the palm hides

81. Not displaying it, and when mentioned, you'd think it pained him
He rises to charity, giving freely

82. And sometimes profits, defeating ignominy
Had he resented giving his soul to a beggar

83. He would have given the dearest parts without pain
He ransoms those who cannot pay his ransom

84. When dire straits descend suddenly
In your hands is the sword - if you strike

85. Yourself with it, or one you intend to wound
Sheathe the sword and save it

86. For one who opposes you, that they may flee
Your brother whom you contend with

87. Remains, since his people called him forbearing
A lamp of light, flame of fire

88. Guiding but not igniting when kindled
Comforting with opinion and leniency when relaxed

89. And pliable, felling quandaries
Be discreet in his old age when he shines

90. And beware his flames when impassioned
Consult him, ask his opinion, but beware

91. A wedge of his plots if provoked
Master of his peers - and if the envious

92. Criticizes that status, let him blind himself
Meet him with utmost grace and intelligence

93. If his opponents show grace, for there lies his blood-wealth
Meet him with greater eloquence than

94. The gentle blowing wind when it breezes
Meet him with greater munificence

95. In everything precious, hand and mouth
Meet him with greater courage than

96. A stalwart lion roused to determination
Meet him with greater honesty in speech

97. And gentler restraint than a suppressed groan
Meet him with subtler style and flow

98. Letting his pen glide more smoothly
His writing dispels blindness when applied as kohl

99. And his eloquence heals leprosy
He whom the eminent Abu Isa, sage of the land,

100. Chose since weaned from his mother's milk
Whose hands the two viziers kiss

101. And pick him out when he smiles
Leader of all the gentlefolk

102. Who give him the reins on his right
A noble whose words and deeds both

103. Command veneration if observed
The best description of others is

104. To portray the example he has painted
He depicts the flawed with reforms

105. Like the hand of a mender mends distortions
Awake whether asleep or roused

106. Like fire when flames are kindled
Wisdom never eludes his insight

107. When events rush in suddenly
At times his thoughts roam and see

108. The unseen though obscured in darkness
Prudent, not hastening in resolve

109. Or hesitating when resolved
Seeking solitude, his view there

110. Is like one seeking a conjecture by casting lots
He was given precedence until his

111. Creator chose him over all creation
How many gloomy depths, if not him

112. Their murky bottoms would be pits for him
But his sound opinion and success -

113. Indeed, he was never ignorant or blind
Auspicious of fortune, most fit to be bound

114. To righteous works, whoever clings to him
The weighty adviser in public and secret

115. When charges are suspect
Woe to them in their entirety - your

116. Explanation sufficed if you are reasonable
A breach that saw time rending yet

117. Continued surmounting the ridges
Then succeeded him Abu Muhammad

118. The praised in deed, who never wearied
Fine in nature and character, despite

119. Whoever shows enmity
A noble whose generosity if impeded

120. By lack, he reflects upon you, not himself
God's grace on one whose glory

121. Charged at glory, no matter its ore
From him wealth, counsel, and status are sought

122. When affairs whiten with tribulation
An ocean of purpose, wit, and attainment;

123. Meet him rich, not wanting
To behold him is a garden illuminated,

124. Suckling the whole night a teat
They bring me all good traits

125. Without lack, and are never lacking in good
Thus praises on both equally became

126. Supererogatory, divided between them
With them, Abu Ahmad is not

127. Like a monk or mendicant without access
Servant of the Majestic, the Majestic One, if

128. A visitor seeks him as refuge and sanctuary
Three intimates made

129. The pillar of every towering glory
Yet you consider them three individuals

130. And if distinguished, you find throngs
He who honored me through them prolonged

131. Their lives until stars and meteors expire
The Banū Shāhanshāh whose

132. Triumph trampled on non-Arabs and Arabs alike
If your ancestors built for you

133. A monument of glory with lofty pinnacles
Your present actions have now fulfilled

134. Their right, restoring those ruins
Your deeds revived your ancestry

135. Not their souls or breaths
Can it harm one of noble lineage

136. If his living body is made dust?
Lower them and I do not feel safe with them

137. Radiant, speaking of pearls and corals
How can I boast or rebuild with them

138. A structure when they are no foundation?
I praised two laudable ones through the ages

139. With praises preceding my precedent
I did not innovate in praising you

140. Though people before me versified extensively