دَعِ الوقوفَ على الأطلال والدمَنِ

وذِكر جيرتكَ الغادين للظَّعنِ

Forget standing at the ruins and blaming

And mentioning your absent neighbors with reproach

وامدح فتى حظُّه من وفر ثَروته

كحظ ناظِرِه من وجهِهِ الحسنِ

And praise a young man whose share of abundant wealth

Is like the share of one who sees his beautiful face

كما يَرى الناسُ في يومٍ محاسِنَهُ

ما لا يَراهُنَّ بالمرآةِ في الزمن

As people see his virtues one day

That they do not see in the mirror over time

كذاك حظُّهمُ من ماله ولهُ

أدنَاهُ إذ لا يرى في ذاك من غَبنِ

So too is their share of his money and wealth

More constricted as he does not see in that any fraud

لا يشتري الحمدَ بل يُعطي اللُّهى هِبةً

لا حمدَ للمشتري في الجُود بالثمنِ

He does not buy praise but Allah gives gracefully

No praise to the buyer in generosity for a price

ممن يَرَى أنه لم يُعْطِ سائله

إلا إذا هو أَعفاه من المؤن

Of one who sees he did not give his beggar

Except when he exempted him from provision

ولا يَرَى مَنَّه مَنَّاً على أحدٍ

حتى تحمَّل عنه مَحْمل المِنَن

And does not see his favor as a favor upon anyone

Until he shoulders instead the burdens of obligations

من ذاك أضحى جميل الذكر متصلاً

به الثناء اتصالَ الروح بالبدنِ

From that he became fair of mention, inseparable

Is praise of him, attachment of soul to body

يا ابنَ المُسيَّب خُذها مِدْحةً قصُرتْ

وطال فيها عناءُ الدهرِ والفطنِ

O son of Musayyab, take it as a poem I shortened

And the misery of fate and discernment prolonged in it

لها مَحاسنُ في الأسماعِ مُونقةٌ

تدعو الحسُودَ إلى الإصغاء والأَذنِ

It has elegant virtues in hearing

That invite the envious to listen and ear