تقلَّبَ الدهرُ من حالٍ إِلى حالِ

فأُلبسَ النّسكَ فيه كُلُّ مُحْتَالِ

Fate keeps changing from one state to the next

So everyone dons the garb of piety as a ruse

أَما نظرتَ إِلى النَّوروزِ كيف أَتَى

شَهْرَ الصِّيام وجَلَّى شَهْرَ شّوَّالِ

Have you not seen how Nowruz came

And the fasting month cleared away the revelries of Shawwal?

وعُطِّلَتْ من عقودِ اللَّهْوِ لَبَّتُهُ

فَازْدَادَ حَلْياً وكم من عاطِلٍ حالِ

The knots of frivolity were undone

So it became more beautiful, though many lament their state

رآكَ ملءَ ثيابِ الدّينِ واسعةً

فجاءَ منها لترعاهُ بِتِمْثَالِ

It saw you wearing the ample clothes of religion

So it came to you to shepherd it with statues

أَتاكَ يُظْهِرُ منه تَوْبةً حَسُنَتْ

يمحو بها ما لَهُ من قُبْحِ أَعمالِ

It came to you feigning repentance

To erase the ugliness of its deeds

ففاز منك بأَفعالٍ تُزَيِّنُهُ

كما يُزَيِّنُ عِقْدٌ جِيدَ مِعْطَالِ

And so gained from you deeds that adorn it

As a fine necklace adorns a bare neck

لمّا رَأَيْتَ أَكُفَّ القومِ باخِلَةً

بِصَيِّبِ الماءِ فيها جُدْتَ بالمالِ

When you saw people’s palms were miserly

You brought out money to irrigate them

وما أَتَيْتَ بِبِدْعٍ يُسْتَرابُ به

هي المكارِمُ عَنْ عمٍّ وعن خال

You introduced no innovation that was suspect

These are the noble deeds of a kinsman and uncle

وللأَعاجِمِ فيه مّذْهَبٌ كَثُرَتْ

أَعلامُهُ فهو إِلاَّ ذِكْرَهُ بالِ

The foreigners have in this a doctrine which

Grew rife so it is naught but empty mention

فإِنْ جَرَيْتَ على آثارِ مذهبِهِمْ

فاقْبَلْ هديَّةَ عبدٍ ضَيِّقِ الحالِ

If you follow in the footsteps of their doctrine

Then accept the gift of a poor man

بكْرٌ أَبوها جَنَانٌ طابَ عنصرُهُ

وربُّها منكَ مَوْلًى طَيِّبُ الآلِ

Bakr, whose father is Janan, of pure stock

And whose lord is, through you, of pure family

ولي نبابِكَ آمالٌ وقد عَلِمَتْ

نفسِي بأَنَّكَ تقضِي كُلَّ آمالي

You are the hope of my aspirations, and my soul knows

That you fulfill all my hopes

فجُدْ عَليَّ بساجٍ قد فُتِنْتُ بِهِ

وما فُتِنْتُ بساجِي الطَّرْفِ قَتَّالِ

Bestow on me a horse I'm smitten with

For I'm not smitten by a deadly-glancing horse

يا حافظَ الدِّينِ دُمْ في ظِلِّ نِعْمَتِه

مُرَفّعَ القَدْرِ فيه ناعِمَ البالِ

O guardian of the faith, live in the shade of its blessing

Exalted in station, serene of mind

لا أَسأَلُ اللَّه إِلاَّ أَنْ تدومَ لنا

وقد أجابَ الدعاءَ الواحِدُ العالي

I ask of God only that you remain for us

And the Lofty One has answered the prayer