حالَ الشَجا دونَ طَعمِ العَيشِ وَالسَهرِ

وَاِعتادَ عَينَكَ مِن إِدمانِها الدّرَرُ

The suffering of the anxious kept the taste of life and wakefulness away,

And your eyes have gotten used to shedding tears out of habit,

وَاِستَحقَبَتكَ أُمورٌ كُنتَ تَكرَهُها

لَو كانَ يَنفَعُ مِنها النَأيُ وَالحَذَرُ

And you've started to dislike things you used to hate,

If avoiding them and being cautious could be of any use.

وَفي المَوارِدِ لِلأَقوامِ تَهلُكَةٌ

إِذا المَوارِدُ لَم يُعلَم لَها صَدَرُ

And for people there is demise in the watering places,

If the breasts supplying the watering places are not known.

لَيسَ العَزيزُ بِمَن تُغشى مَحارِمُهُ

وَلا الكَريمُ بِمَن يُجفى وَيُحتَقَرُ

The honorable one is not the one whose sanctities can be transgressed,

Nor is the generous one the one who is uncared for and belittled.

أَمسى العِبادُ بِشَرٍّ لا غَياثَ لَهُ

إِلّا المُهَلَّبُ بَعدَ اللَهِ وَالمَطَرُ

The servants have come to an evil for which there is no savior

Except the Cloud after Allah and the rain.

كِلاهُما طَيِّبٌ تُرجى نَوافِلُهُ

مُبارَكٌ سَيبُهُ يُرجى وَيُنتَظَرُ

Both are good - its supererogatory acts are hoped for -

Blessed are its forests, they are hoped for and awaited.

لا يَجمُدانِ عَلَيهِم عِندَ جَهدِهِم

كَلاهُما نافِعٌ فيهِم إِذا اِفتَقَروا

They do not hold back from the people when they are in need,

Both are beneficial among them when they are poor.

هذا يَذودُ وَيَحمي عَن ذِمارِهُم

وَذا يَعيشُ بِهِ الأَنعامُ وَالشَجَرُ

This one protects and guards them from annihilation,

And the other one provides subsistence for the cattle and trees.

وَاِستَسلَمَ الناسُ إِذ حَلَّ العَدُوُّ بِهِم

فَلا رَبيعَتُهُم تُرجى وَلا مُضَرُ

And the people surrendered when the enemy descended upon them,

So neither their spring nor their pastures are hoped for.

وَأَنتَ رَأسٌ لِأَهلِ الدينِ مُنتَخَبٌ

وَالرَأسُ فيهِ يَكونُ السَمعُ وَالبَصرُ

And you are a head chosen for the people of religion,

And in the head lies the hearing and the sight.

إِنَّ المُهَلَّبَ في الأَيّامِ فَضَّلَهُ

عَلى مَنازِلِ أَقوامٍ إِذا ذُكِروا

Indeed, the Cloud has given preference in the days

To the stations of people when they are mentioned

حَزمٌ وَجودٌ وَأَيّامٌ لَهُ سَلَفَت

فيها يُعَدُّ جَسيمُ الأَمرِ وَالخَطَرُ

Decisiveness, generosity and days which had past,

In which grave matters and dangers were counted.

ماضٍ عَلى الهولِ ما يَنفَكُّ مُرتَحِلاً

أَسبابَ مَعضِلَةٍ يَعيا بِها البَشَرُ

Departing, not ceasing, facing horrors,

Bearing the causes of insoluble difficulties that perplex people.

سَهلُ الخَلائِقِ يَعفو عِندَ قُدرَتِهِ

مِنهُ الحَياءُ وَمِن أَخلاقِهِ الخَفَرُ

Gentle with the creations - he forgives when he is able,

From him come bashfulness, and from his manners, chivalry.

شِهابُ حَربٍ إِذا حَلَّت بِساحَتِهِ

يُجزي بِهِ اللَهُ أَقواماً إِذا غَدَروا

A flame of war - if it descends upon his plains,

Allah damages therewith people when they betray.

تُزيدُهُ الحَربُ وَالأَهوالُ إِن حَضَرتَ

حَزماً وَعَزماً وَيَجلو وَجهَهُ السَفَرُ

War and terrors increase him, if they are present,

In decisiveness, resolve and his face lights up from travel.

ما إِن يُزالُ عَلى أَرجاءِ مُظلِمَةٍ

لَولا يَكَفكِفُها عَن مِصرِهِم دَمَروا

He does not cease to be in gloomy lands,

If he did not restrain them from their country, they would have perished.

سَهلٌ إِلَيهِم حَليمٌ عَن مَجاهِلِهِم

كَأَنَّما بَينَهُم عُثمانُ أَو عُمَرُ

Gentle towards them, clement regarding their ignorance,

As if between him and them is Uthman or Umar.

كَهفٌ يَلوذونَ مِن ذُلِّ الحَياةِ بِهِ

إِذا تَكَهَّفَهُم مِن هَولِها ضَرَرُ

A cave they take refuge in from the humiliation of life,

When its difficulties make them seek refuge.

أَمنٌ لِخائِفِهِم فيضٌ لِسائِلِهِم

يَنتابُ نائِلَهُ البادونَ وَالحَضَرُ

Safe are those fearing for themselves, abundant for those asking from him,

Both the nomad and the city dweller share his company.