1. ذُو يَراعٍ يَرُوعُ كَالسَّيْفِ إمَّا

    بصَليلٍ عِداهُ أَوْ بِصَرِيرِ

    A man whose reed pen strikes terror like a sword—

    in his foes, whether with a clang or a scratch.

  2. ما رَأَى الناسُ قَبْلَهُ مِنْ يَراعٍ

    لِوَزِيرٍ صَريرُهُ كالزَّئيرِ

    Never before him had people seen a reed pen

    belonging to a vizier, with scratching like a roar.

  3. فإذا سَطَّرَ الكتابَ أَرانا

    بَحْرَ فضلٍ أمواجُهُ مِنْ سُطورِ

    So when he writes the document, he shows us

    a sea of excellence whose waves are written lines.

  4. وإذا استخرجوهُ يَسْتَخْرجُ الدُّر

    رَ نَفِيساً مِنْ بَحْرِهِ المَسْجورِ

    And when they draw him out, he draws forth pearls

    of great price from his brimming sea.

  5. نَظَرَتْ مُقْلَتِي إليهِ كأنّي

    ناظِرٌ في بَدِيعِ زَهْرٍ نَضِيرِ

    My eye looked upon him, as though I

    were beholding wondrous, fresh blossoms.

  6. ثم شَرَّفْتُ مسْمَعِي بِتُؤَامٍ

    وَفُرادَى مِنْ دُرِّهِ المَنثُورِ

    Then I honored my hearing with pairs

    and singles of his scattered pearls.

  7. لا تُطاوِلْهُ في الفخارِ فما غا

    دَرَ في الفَخْرِ مُرْتَقَىً لِفَخُورِ

    Do not rival him in glory, for he has not left

    any height of glory for a boaster to climb.

  8. ذِكْرُهُ لَذَّةُ المَسامِعِ فاسْتَمْ

    تِع به مِنْ لِسانِ كلِّ ذَكُورِ

    The mention of him delights the ears, so take delight

    in it from the tongue of everyone who recalls him often.

  9. ثَمَّ مَعْنىً وصورَةً فَهْوَ في الحا

    لَيْنِ مِلْءُ العُيونِ مِلءُ الصُّدورِ

    There are substance and form: in both

    he fills the eyes and fills the hearts.

  10. زُرْتُ أَبْوَابَهُ التي أَسْعَدَ الل

    هُ بها كلَّ زائرٍ ومَزُورِ

    I visited his gates, through which God gladdened

    every visitor and every host.

  11. كلُّ مَنْ زارَها يَعُودُ كما عُدْ

    تُ بِفَضْلٍ مِنها وَأَجْرٍ كثيرِ

    Everyone who visits them returns, as I returned,

    with bounty from them and abundant reward.

  12. وَكَفانيَ سَعْيِي إليها لأُهْدَى

    مِنه بالرُّشْدِ في جميع الأُمورِ

    And my journey to them sufficed for me to be guided

    by him toward sound judgment in all affairs.

  13. إنَّ مَنْ دَبَّرَ المَمالِكَ لا يَعْ

    زُبُ عَنْ حُسْنِ رَأْيهِ تَدْبيرِي

    Surely, one who governs kingdoms will not overlook

    the ordering of my affairs with his sound judgment.

  14. كانَ رِزْقِي مِنْ جَدِّهِ وأبيه

    أَيَّ رِزْقٍ مُيَسَّرٍ مَوْفورِ

    My livelihood came from his grandfather and his father—

    what a readily provided, abundant livelihood!

  15. وَإذا كانَ مِثْلُ ذَاك على الوا

    رِثِ إنيَ عَبْدٌ لِعَبْدِ الشَّكُورِ

    And if the like of that falls upon the heir,

    I am a servant to 'Abd al-Shakur.

  16. فارِسِ الخَيلِ العالِمِ العامِلِ ال

    حبرِ الهمامِ الحُلاحِلِ النِّحْرِيرِ

    A horseman, learned and practicing what he knows,

    a scholar, valiant, a mighty chief, a consummate master.

  17. لَمْ يَزَلْ مِنْ عُلومِهِ وَتُقاهُ

    بين تاجٍ مِنْ سُؤدُدٍ وسَريرِ

    He has ever, through his learning and piety,

    stood between a crown of eminence and a throne.

  18. أبَداً بِالصَّوابِ يَنْظُرُ في المل

    كِ وَفي بَيتِ مالِهِ المَعْمُورِ

    Always with sound judgment he attends to the realm

    and to his well-stocked treasury.

  19. فَغَدا الجُنْدُ والرَّعِيَّةُ والما

    لُ بخيرٍ مِنْ سَعْيهِ المَشْكُورِ

    Thus the troops, the subjects, and the finances

    fared well through his praiseworthy efforts.

  20. فأقَلَّ الأجنادِ في مصرَ يُزْرِي

    مِنْ بِلادِ العِدا بأَوْفَى أمِيرِ

    Even the least of Egypt's soldiers puts to shame

    the most accomplished emir in enemy lands.

  21. قُلْ لِمَنْ خابَ قَصْدُهُ في جميعِ ال

    نَاسِ مِنْ آمِرٍ وَمِنْ مَأْمُورِ

    Tell whoever found his quest disappointed among all

    people, whether commanding or commanded:

  22. يَمِّمِ الصاحِبَ الذِي يُتَرَجَّى

    فَتْحُ ثَغْرٍ بهِ وسَدُّ ثُغُورِ

    Seek the minister through whom one hopes

    to open a frontier stronghold and seal frontier gaps.

  23. وَبَعِيدُ الأُمورِ مِثْلُ قَرِيبٍ

    عندهُ وَالعسيرُ مِثْلُ يَسيرِ

    Distant affairs are like nearby ones

    to him, and difficult ones are like easy ones.

  24. آه مِمَّا لَقِيتُ مِنْ غَيْبَتِي عَن

    هُ ومِنْ نِسْبَتِي إِلى التَّقْصِيرِ

    Ah, what I have suffered from my absence

    from him, and from being charged with neglect!

  25. كَثُرَ الشَّاهِدُونَ لِي أَنَّني مت

    تُ وفي البُعدِ عنه قَلَّ عَذِيرِي

    Many were those who testified that I had died,

    and, far from him, I had little excuse.

  26. مَنْ لِشَيْخٍ ذِي عِلَّةٍ وعِيالٍ

    ثَقَّلَتْ ظَهْرَهُ بِغَيرِ ظَهيرِ

    Who will aid an old man with illness and dependents

    who weigh down his back, without a supporter?

  27. أَثْقَلُوهُ وَكَلَّفوهُ مَسيراً

    ومِنَ المُسْتَحيلِ سَيْرُ ثَبيرُ

    They burdened him and demanded that he travel,

    though it is impossible for Thabir to move.

  28. فَهْوَ في قيدِهِمْ يُذادُ مِنَ السع

    يِ لِتحصيلِ قُوتِهِمْ كالأَسيرِ

    So, in their fetters, he is barred from striving

    to earn their food, like a captive.

  29. وعَتَتْ أُمُّهُمْ عليَّ وَلَجَّتْ

    في عُتُوٍّ مِنْ كَبْرَتِي ونُفُورِ

    Their mother defied me and persisted

    in rebellion and aversion because of my old age.

  30. وَدَعَتْ دونَهُمْ هَنالِكَ بِالوي

    لِ لأَمْرٍ في نَفْسِها والثُّبورِ

    There, apart from them, she called out for woe

    and ruin, over some matter in her mind.

  31. حَسِبَتْ عِلَّتِي تَزُولُ فقالتْ

    يا كَثِيرَ التَّهْوينِ وَالتَّهْوِيرِ

    She thought my ailment would pass, and said:

    You, so given to belittling things and blundering!

  32. كُلُّ داءٍ لهُ دواءٌ فَعَجِّلْ

    بَمُداوَاةِ داءِ عُضْوٍ خَطِيرِ

    Every ailment has a remedy, so hurry

    to treat the ailment of an important organ.

  33. قُلْتُ مَهْلاً فما بِمِلحِ السَّقَنْقُو

    رِ أُدَاوِي وَلا بِلَحْمِ الذُّرورِ

    I said: Easy now! Neither with the salt of the skink

    do I treat myself, nor with the flesh of the dhurur.

  34. سَقَطَتْ قُوَّةُ المَرِيضِ التِي كا

    نَتْ قديماً تُزادُ بالكافُورِ

    The sick man's strength has failed—the strength that

    was formerly increased by camphor.

  35. وعَصانِي نَظْمُ القَرِيضِ الذي جَر

    رَ ذُيُولاً عَلَى قَرِيضِ جَرِيرِ

    Composing verse has rebelled against me—the verse that trailed

    its hems over the verse of Jarir.

  36. وَازْدَرَتنِي بعضُ الوُلاةِ وقدْ أَص

    بَحَ شِعْرِي فيهمْ كَخُبْزِ الشَّعِيرِ

    Some governors scorned me, and my poetry has become

    among them like barley bread.

  37. وغَسَلْتُ الذي جَمَعْتُ مِنَ الشع

    رِ بِفَيْضٍ عليه غسْلَ صُخورِ

    I washed away the poetry I had gathered,

    with a flood poured over it, as rocks are washed.

  38. ونَهَتْنِي عَنِ المَسِيرِ إليهمْ

    شِدَّةُ البَأْسِ مِنْ سَخاً في مَسِيرِ

    What kept me from journeying to them

    was the harsh hardship of traveling from Sakha.

  39. وَهَجَرْتُ الكِرامَ حتى شَكانِي

    منهمُ كلُّ عاشِقٍ مَهْجورِ

    I forsook the generous, until I was reproached

    by every forsaken lover among them.

  40. وَكَزُغْبِ القَطا وَرائِي فِراخ

    مِنْ إناثٍ أعُولُهُمْ وذُكُورِ

    Behind me are chicks, like the downy young of sandgrouse,

    female and male, whom I support.

  41. يَتَعاوَوْنَ كالذِّئَابِ وَيَنْقَض

    ضونَ مِنْ فَرْطِ جُوعِهِمْ كالنُّسُورِ

    They howl to one another like wolves, and swoop

    like vultures from their extreme hunger.

  42. وَفَتاةٍ ما جُهِّزَتْ بِجهازٍ

    خُطِبَتْ للِدُّخولِ بعدَ شُهورِ

    And a maiden, not furnished with a trousseau,

    was betrothed, with consummation due after some months.

  43. وَاقْتَضَتْنِي الشِّوارَ بَغْياً عَلَى مَنْ

    بيتُهُ ليسَ فيهِ غير حَصِيرِ

    She demanded her bridal furnishings from me, wronging one

    whose house contains nothing but a mat.

  44. هِذهِ السُّورَةُ التي أقْعَدَتْني

    عنك آياتُها قُعُودَ حَسيرِ

    This is the surah that held me back;

    its verses kept me from you, seated like an exhausted man.

  45. أقْعَدَتْنِي بِقَريَةٍ أسْلَمَتْنِي

    لِضَياعٍ مِنْ فاقَتِي وكُفُورِ

    It stranded me in a village that abandoned me

    to ruin through my poverty and ingratitude.

  46. كلُّ يَوْمٍ مُنَغَّصٌ بٍطَعامٍ

    أوْ رَفِيقٍ مُنَغِّصٍ بشُرُورِ

    Every day is spoiled by food

    or by a companion who spoils it with mischief.

  47. ورِفاقِي فِي خِدْمَةٍ طُولَ عُمْرِي

    رِفْقَتي في الحِرانِ مثْلُ الحَميرِ

    My colleagues in service throughout my life—

    my companions—are, in their balking, like donkeys.

  48. كلَّما رُمْتُ أُنْسَهُم ضَرَبُوا

    مِنْ وَحْشَةٍ بينهُمْ وَبَيْنِي بِسُورِ

    Whenever I sought their companionship, they raised

    a wall of estrangement between themselves and me.

  49. وأَبَوْا أنْ يُساعِدُونِي عَلَى قُو

    تِ عِيالِي بُخْلاً بِكَيْلِ بَعِيرِ

    They refused to help me provide the food

    for my dependents, begrudging a camel-load.

  50. فَسَيُغْنِيني الإلهِ عنهمِ بِجَدْوَى

    خيْرِ مَولىً لَنا وخيرِ نَصِيرِ

    But God will make me independent of them through the bounty

    of our best patron and best helper.

  51. صاحِبٌ يَبْلُغُ المُؤَمِّلُ منهُ

    كلَّ ما رامَهُ بِغَيرِ سَفِيرِ

    A minister from whom the hopeful petitioner attains

    all he seeks, without an intermediary.

  52. مِنْ أُناسٍ سادوا بَنِي الدِّينِ والدُّن

    يا فما في الوَرَى لهُمْ مِنْ نَظِيرِ

    From a people who lead the men of faith and the world,

    who have no equal among humankind.

  53. سَرَّتِ الناظِرِينَ منهم وجوهٌ

    وُصِفَتْ بالجَمالِ وَصْفَ البُدُورِ

    Faces among them gladdened those who beheld them,

    their beauty described like that of full moons.

  54. وَرِثُوا الأرضَ مثلَ ما كَتَبَ الل

    هُ تعالَى في الذِّكْرِ بعد الزَّبورِ

    They inherited the earth, as God wrote,

    exalted is He, in the Remembrance after the Psalms.

  55. فَهُمُ القائمونَ في الزَّمَنِ الأو

    وَلِ بالقِسْطِ وَالزَّمانِ الأخِيرِ

    They are the upholders, in the earliest age,

    of justice, and in the last age as well.

  56. وَهُم المُؤْمِنُونَ والوارِثُوا الفِرْ

    دوسِ والمُفْلِحُونَ في التفسيرِ

    They are the believers, the inheritors of Paradise,

    and the successful, according to the exegesis.

  57. عَبَدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لهُ الدّي

    نَ لِما في قلوبِهِمْ مِنْ نورِ

    They worshipped God, devoting their faith sincerely to Him

    because of the light within their hearts.

  58. وأَحَبُّوا آلَ النبيِّ فكانوا

    معهم في مَغِيبِهِمْ وَالحُضورِ

    They loved the Prophet's family, and so they were

    with them in absence and presence.

  59. في مَقامٍ منَ الصَّلاحِ وَأمْنٍ

    وَمقامٍ مِنَ النَّعِيمِ وَثيرِ

    In a station of righteousness and security,

    and a luxurious station of bliss.

  60. أَهْلُ بيتٍ مُطَهَّرينَ مِنَ الرِّجْ

    سِ وَهُمْ أَغْنِيا عنِ التَّطْهِيرِ

    A household purified of defilement,

    they have no need of purification.

  61. حُجِبُوا بالأثاثِ عَنَّا وبالزي

    يِ وأَخْفَوْا جَمَالَهمْ بالخُدُورِ

    They were veiled from us by furnishings and attire,

    and hid their beauty in curtained chambers.

  62. لَبِسُوا الزِّيَّ بالقلوبِ وَأَغْنَوْا

    صِدْقَهُم عَنْ لِباسِ ثَوبَي زُورِ

    They wore their garb with their hearts, and spared

    their sincerity the wearing of two robes of falsehood.

  63. وَأرَوْنا أهلَ التُّقَى في الزَّوايا

    سَلَّمُوا في البَقا لأَهْلِ القُصُورِ

    They showed us the devout in their retreats

    yielding in permanence to the people of palaces.

  64. وأَتَوْا كلُّهُمْ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

    وأَتَى غيرُهمْ بِثَوْبٍ نَقيرِ

    They all came with a sound heart,

    while others came in a threadbare robe.

  65. وحَكَتهُم ذُرِّيَّةٌ كالدَّرَارِي

    مِنْ بُطُونٍ زَكِيَّةٍ وظُهورِ

    Their offspring mirrored them, like brilliant stars,

    from pure wombs and loins.

  66. يُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعامَ لا لِجَزاءٍ

    يَتَرَجَّوْنَهُ وَلا لِشُكورِ

    They give food, not for any reward

    they hope to gain, nor for thanks.

  67. عَلِمَ اللَّهُ منهم ما جَهِلْنا

    وَكَفَاهمْ شُكْرُ العليم الخَبِيرِ

    God knows of them what we do not,

    and the appreciation of the All-Knowing, All-Aware suffices them.