أَستَغفِرُ اللَّهَ مِن تَركي وَإِخلالي

وَهَفوَةٍ خَطَرَت مِنّي عَلى بالي

I seek God's forgiveness for my shortcomings and lapses

And any fleeting thoughts that crossed my mind

قَضَيتُ عُمري بِدَرسٍ ما حَظيتُ بِهِ

وَكَيفَ يَنفَعُ عِلمٌ بَينَ جُهّالِ

I spent my life learning what I never mastered

And of what use is knowledge amongst the ignorant?

وَزادَ زُهدِيَ في أَنّي عَرَفتَهُمُ

فَما أَسَيتُ عَلى جاهٍ وَلا مالِ

My asceticism increased when I came to know them

So I don't grieve over status or wealth

قَيَّدتُ بِاليَأسِ عَزمي عَن مُطالَبَةٍ

فَلتَحمَدِ اللَّهَ أَفراسي وَأَجمالي

I've tied my determination against seeking

So my steeds and camels are to be praised

أَعُدُّ أَصدَقَ آمالي مُخادَعَةً

إِذا تَعَلَّقَ أَقوامٌ بآمالي

I consider my sincerest hopes as deception

When people cling to my hopes

وَلِلقَناعَةِ عِندي مِنَّةٌ شَكَرَت

وَالشُّكرُ أَحسَنُ إِعظامٍ وَإِجلالِ

And I owe gratitude to contentment

For gratitude is the best reverence and veneration

قَرَنتُها بِثَراءٍ غَير مُكتَسَبٍ

وَعِفَّةٍ بَينَ إِكثارٍ وَإِقلالِ

I paired it with unearned prosperity

And chastity between extravagance and scarcity

مِيراثُ قَومٍ كَفاني بَعدَ عَهدِهِم

فَتوى الظُّنونِ بِإِحرامٍ وَإِحلالِ

The inheritance of a people was enough for me after them

So interpretations of speculations on prohibited and permitted

سَقى الرَّبيعَ رَبيعٌ جادَ هاطِلُهُ

بِكُلِّ أَسحَمَ صافي الذَّيلِ هَطّالِ

The spring quenched a generous spring whose pouring rain

Falls with every smooth-tailed gray stallion

وَخَصَّ رِمسَ سِنانٍ مِن مَواهِبِهِ

بِبارِدٍ كَسُلافِ الخَمرِ سَلسالِ

And it especially rained on a fleeting portion of its blessings

With a cold drink like wine flowing down

فَقَد أَعانا عَلى زُهدٍ بميسَرَةٍ

وَأَغنَياني عَن شَدٍّ وَتَرحالِ

So it has helped us to be ascetic with ease

And enriched me against hardship and wandering

أَرَحتُ جِسمي فَلَم تَنصب جَوارِحُهُ

وَقَد أَضَرَّ بِها في الحِرصِ أَمثالي

I gave my body rest so its parts wouldn't toil

Though the likes of me had damaged it with greed

وَما جَعَلتُ اغتِرابي لِلغِنَى سَبَباً

إِذا تَفَرَّغَ أَقوامٌ لأَشغالِ

And I didn't make my isolation reason to seek money

When people preoccupy themselves with their tasks

قالوا جَميلاً وَلَكِن قَلَّما فَعَلوا

مِنهُ وَصَدَّقتُ أَقوالي بِأَفعالي

They spoke beautifully but rarely acted

And I made my words consistent with my actions

وَقَد أَجَدَّ ابنُ عَمّي في مُخالَفَتي

رَأياً فَصادَفَ عِندي غَيرَ إِجفالي

And my cousin disagreed with my opposition

So found in me no dismissal

كُن كَيفَ شِئتَ جَفاءً أَو مُواصلَةً

فَقَد خُلِقتَ بِلا عَمٍّ وَلا خالِ

Be however you want, aloof or sociable

For you were created without an uncle or aunt

وَخَلِّ عَنكَ جِدالي أَو مُعاتَبَتي

فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ فَضلَ القيلِ وَالقالِ

And spare me your quarreling or blaming

For that is the excess of sayings and words

وَعُصبَةٍ أَلَّفَ الأَحرارُ جمعهم

عَلى تَقَلُّبِ أَوقاتٍ وَأَحوالِ

And a party the noble brought together

Despite the changing of times and states

مِن كُلِّ مُعتَرفٍ بِالشَّرِّ مُضطَغِنٍ

وَقاصِدٍ بِلَئيمِ الطَّبعِ مُختالِ

From everyone who admits to evil, feeling no need

And seeking the company of those with base natures

بَيتُ المَكائِدِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ طالٌ

وَمَوضِعُ السُّوءِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ خالي

A house of schemes though it's vacant

And a place of evil though it's empty

عَوَوا عَليَّ وَهَرَّتني كِلابُهُم

فَما عَبِئتُ بِرَسمِ الدِّمنَةِ البالي

They turned against me and their dogs startled me

But I don't care about the pattern of fading ruins

الحَقُّ أَبلَجُ فاعرِف مَن تُنازِعُهُ

وَدَع وَساوِسَ أَفكارٍ وَأَقوالِ

The truth is evident so know who argues it

And leave the whisperings of ideas and words

وَلِلعَداوَةِ أَسبابٌ وَأَظهَرُها

فيها تَباينُ أَغراضٍ وَأَشكالِ

And enmity has reasons, the most apparent being

In them, divergence of motives and forms

والنّاسُ شَتّى وَإِن عَمَّتهُمُ صوَرٌ

هِيَ التَّناسُبُ بَينَ الماءِ والآلِ

And people vary though one image envelops them

It's the compatibility between water and tools

تَبارَكَ اللَّهُ هَل لِلخَيرِ مِن أَثَرٍ

يُقفى فَيَتبَعُ فيهِ سابِقاً تالي

Blessed is God! Is there any trace left for good

That a successor pursues where a predecessor once trod?

وَهَل تَبَيَّنَ سَيفٌ أَنَّ مَنزِلَهُ

في رَأسِ غَمدانَ دارٌ غَيرُ مِحلالِ

Has a sword realized that its sheath

Is in a scabbard whose house allows no visitors?

أَم هَل لِسابورَ عِلمٌ مِن مَدائِنِهِ

فَيَستَهِلُّ لآثارٍ وَأَطلالِ

Or does a sword know from its mines

To inspire towards ruins and vestiges?

يا شائِداً رَفَعَ الإِيوانَ مُجتَهِداً

خَفِّض عَلَيكَ فَإِنَّ الحادِرَ العالي

O you who tirelessly raised the palace

Lower it upon you, for the lofty partition

وَقَد عَجِبتُ مِنَ الرُّهبانِ إِذ صَدَقوا

لِلنُّسكِ عَن ذَبحِ خِلانٍ وَأَطفالِ

And I'm amazed by the monks, for they were true

To asceticism, abstaining from slaughtering lambs and calves

يَكفيكَ قوتك مِمّا أَنتَ تذخره

وما يَصونك من بيت وَسربال

Your sustenance suffices you from what you store

And what protects you from home and cloak

لم يولِموا حَيوانَ البَرِّ واقتَصَروا

عَلى كَوامِنَ في الأَفواهِ أغفالِ

They did not wrong the beast of the land and sufficed

With latent desires in their mouths they ignored

فَحَرَّموا الصَّيدَ جُهداً وَهوَ أَيسَرُ في ال

عُقولِ لَو عَلِموا مِن صَيدِ مُغتالِ

So they prohibited the easier hunting through effort

If only they knew of the hunting of a lurking killer

وَمُديَةُ الذَّبحِ أَوحى مِن عَذابِهِمُ

لِلسّانِحاتِ عَلى رِفقٍ وَإِمهالِ

And the ordeal of slaughter inspired in their tongues

Gentleness and respite for the slaughterers

أَم عِندَهُم أَن حَيّاً لا يُحِسُّ إِذاً

هَيهاتَ ما ذاكَ إِلّا خَبطُ جُهّالِ

Or do they believe that the living feel nothing?

Nonsense! That is but the rambling of fools

ما أَكثَرَ الجَهلَ في فُسقٍ وَفي نُسُكٍ

وَالمُضحكين بِأَقوالٍ وَأَعمالِ

How abundant is ignorance in immorality and asceticism

And those who laugh at words and deeds

أَنَختُ عَنسي وَسارَت في الوَرى حِكمي

فَجالَ فِكري وَشَخصي غَيرُ جَوّالِ

I withdrew into solitude and my wisdom roamed the land

So my thoughts and persona remained unmoving

وَلَستُ مِن وُدِّ إِخواني عَلى ثِقَةٍ

فَكَيفَ آمَنُ حُسّادي وَأَقيالي

And I'm not confident in the affection of my brothers

So how can my enviers and blamers feel safe?

فَاسمَع كَلامِيَ وافهَم ما أُريدُ بِهِ

وَاستَوصِ خَيراً بِأَغراضٍ وَأَمثالِ

So listen to my words and understand what I mean

And seek the best in purposes and examples

وَاجعَل عِظاتِيَ نُوراً تَستَضيء بِهِ

فَهيَ المَصابيحُ ما شُبَّت لِقُفّالِ

And make my sermons a light you illuminate with

For they are lamps not locked up

وَخَلِّ مَدحي إِذا ما ضَمَّني جَدَثي

فَلا انتِفاعٌ لِتُربٍ فيهِ مِنهالِ

And spare my praise if my personality carries me

For there is no benefit to soil when a stream flows in it