1. كم من فويجر طغى

    وجار فينا وبغى

    How many a petty sinner has transgressed,

    And wronged us and oppressed us!

  2. رجوت من ربّ الوغى

    خذلان من بنا غدر

    I hoped the Lord of battle would

    Forsake whoever betrayed us.

  3. كم قرّر الد

    رس له

    How often was the les-

    son explained to him,

  4. من مهجة لي ولهُ

    .................

    From a heart of mine and his.

    .................

  5. لمّا حوى مقصدهُ

    بنعمة الله كفر

    When he attained his aim,

    He was ungrateful for God's favor.

  6. كم علّمن الأدبا

    وأجلسنّ وقرّبا

    How often he was taught good manners,

    And seated and brought near!

  7. ونال منّا منصبا

    وصار شخصاً مفتخر

    And he gained a position from us,

    And became a proud person.

  8. ثمّ غدا متابعاً

    إبليس والنّفس معا

    Then he became a follower of

    Iblis and his own self together.

  9. لدى الشرور قد سعا

    سعي حمار قد نفر

    Amid evil deeds he strove,

    With the rush of a donkey that has bolted.

  10. ويل لمن تجرّا

    في سبِّ من يتسرّا

    Woe to whoever dares

    To revile one who takes a concubine,

  11. وقد غدا مستهزأ

    ويل له يوم المفرّ

    And now he has become an object of mockery!

    Woe to him on the day of flight,

  12. يوم التقاءِ الخُصما

    يوم اختيار الحُكما

    The day adversaries meet,

    The day the sages are chosen,

  13. يوم ارتفاء العلما

    عند مليكٍ قد قهر

    The day the scholars rise,

    Before a Sovereign who has conquered.

  14. يا من يرد أن يسلّما

    أو يحويّن المغنما

    O you who wish to be kept safe,

    Or to win the spoils,

  15. أو يرتجي أن يرحما

    فليلزمن أهل الخير

    Or hope to be shown mercy,

    Then let him keep to the people of goodness:

  16. أهل المعالي والعلى

    أهل المكارم والولا

    People of eminence and lofty rank,

    People of noble virtues and loyalty.

  17. بهم غدا يُجلى البلا

    وجوههم مثل القمر

    Through them affliction is now dispelled;

    Their faces are like the moon.

  18. هم الملوك في الورى

    هم وارثو خير الورى

    They are the kings among humankind;

    They are the heirs of the best of humankind;

  19. هم النجوم في الثّرى

    غيث إذا ضنّ المطر

    They are the stars upon the earth,

    Life-giving rain when the rain is miserly.

  20. همو إذا ضاق الخناق

    غياثنا يوم التّلاق

    They, when the noose tightens,

    Are our succor on the Day of Meeting.

  21. يا فوز من لَهُ اعتلاق

    بهم يجار من سَقر

    How fortunate is one who has an attachment

    To them—he is sheltered from Saqar!

  22. ربّي بهم يحيي البلاد

    مع المواشي والعباد

    My Lord, through them, gives life to the lands,

    Along with the livestock and His servants.

  23. ذكراهمو في كلّ ناد

    عمّ البوادي والحضر

    Their remembrance in every gathering

    Has spread through the deserts and the towns.

  24. فاحذر أخي من سبِّهم

    واحذر تخض في عرضهم

    So beware, my brother, of reviling them;

    And beware of assailing their honor.

  25. واحرص تكن من حزبهم

    تنجو إذا برق البصر

    And strive to belong to their company:

    You will be saved when sight is dazzled.