1. إذا بَلغَ الفتى سبعينَ عاماً

    فما تَسْبِيهِ زينبٌ أو ثُمَامَهْ

    When a young man reaches seventy years,

    Then neither Zaynab nor Thumamah captivates him.

  2. ألا فاخلعْ ثيابَ اللهو والبسْ

    ثيابَ الخوفِ من يوم القيامهْ

    Take heed: cast off the garments of frivolity and put on

    The garments of fear of the Day of Resurrection.

  3. أتيتُك غ تبلغني مُرادِي

    فما زالتْ نجومُك في استقامَهْ

    I came to you—[unclear letter]—so you might help me attain my wish.

    For your stars have always remained on a straight course.

  4. وتفتى في أمورٍ معضلاتٍ

    ولا تعروهُ في الشُّورَى سَآمَهْ

    And you give rulings on difficult matters,

    And no weariness overtakes him in consultation.

  5. حكيمُ الرأيِ ليسَ له نظيرٌ

    ولا أحدٌ ينازعُه مُدامَهْ

    Wise in judgment, he has no equal,

    And no one contends with him over wine.

  6. وصالُ نزاهةٍ وتقى وبرٍّ

    وصدقٌ ليس تَعْقُبُه نَدَامَهْ

    A union of integrity, piety, and righteousness,

    And truthfulness that no regret follows.

  7. نفى آرائهِ كأبي سعيد

    وفي أنْسَابِه كأبي دُلاَمَهْ

    He rejected his opinions, like Abu Sa'id,

    And in his ancestry, like Abu Dulamah.