أقسمتُ والحنثُ له آثامُ

بمن له المشْعَرُ والمقامُ

I swear, and breaking an oath is sinful,

By the One to whom Mash'ar and Maqam belong,

أنكَ ما راضَ لك الصيامُ

طرْفاً ولا فرْجاً له عُرامُ

That fasting did not please you,

Not an eyelash, nor privacy without shame,

ولا لساناً سيفُه حُسامُ

عادته التكْذابُ والتأثامُ

Nor a tongue whose sword is sharp,

Whose way is lying and wrongdoing,

لوجهك الإجلالُ والإكرامُ

عن ذاك والتبجيلُ والإعظامُ

To your face belong reverence and honor,

Not that, but glory and magnificence,

يفديك مَنْ في سيره اقتحامُ

ما لم يُكفكِفْ غربَه اللجامُ

He who plunges into peril would sacrifice himself for you,

If unrestraint did not hold back his rein,

راض سواك الجوعُ والأُوامُ

وراضك الإيمانُ والإسلامُ

Content with none but you, neither hunger nor affliction,

And you are pleased with faith and Islam,

والولدُ الصالح والأعمامُ

رياضةً أيسرُها الإحكامُ

And a righteous son and uncles,

As recreation, easiest for you is self-restraint,

أولئك الساداتُ والأقوامُ

حَلّوْكَ آداباً لها نظامُ

Those are the masters and the peoples,

They endowed you with manners that have a system,

أدابَ أملاك لهم أحلامُ

تُشْفَى بها الأدواء والأسقامُ

The manners of rulers who have dreams,

By which illnesses and pains are healed,

لا صَدِيَتْ هاتيكمُ العِظامُ

ولا أغَبَّتْ سقْيها الرّهامُ

Those bones did not turn brittle,

Nor were they wasted by arrows that pierced,

حتى تُرَوَّى تلْكُمُ الرّمامُ

بل أدَّبتْك الفطرةُ التَّمامُ

Until those wounds were saturated,

Rather, perfect nature disciplined you,

ومَحْتَدٌ أَعراقُه كرامُ

من قبل أن تلزمك الأَحكامُ

And your roots are honorable and generous,

Before obligations burdened you,

وقبلِ قِيلِ الناس يا غلامُ

فُطِمتَ مذ آن لك الفِطَامُ

And before people said: O boy!

You were weaned when you were old enough for weaning,

من كل ما تَتْبعُهُ الآثامُ

فجئتَ لا يرهقكَ الملامُ

From all that is followed by sins,

So you came not burdened by blame,

تسيرُ في القصْد ولا زمامُ

يُلْزمك القصْدَ ولا خطامُ

Walking in moderation without halter,

Moderation obliges you, not a bridle,

إذا اعتدى في لومك اللُّوَّامُ

وحاولوا الذامَ فأعيا الذامُ

If the blamers transgress in blaming you,

And they attempt to blame, but the blamers fail,

قالوا امرؤٌ لما له ظلَّامُ

ذلك عيبٌ ما بك احتشامُ

They said: a man who has no shade,

That is a defect, you have no reserve,

منه ولا فيك به اكتتامُ

لا زال مالٌ لك يستضامُ

Nor concealment in you of it,

Wealth of yours continues to be usurped,

في ظلّ عزٍّ منك لا يرامُ

يهضِمُه منك امرؤٌ هَضَّامُ

In the shade of might from you that cannot be attained,

Usurped by a voracious man,

للمال يرضى ظلمَه الحكّامُ

سيشكر الشهرُ لك الحرامُ

For wealth the rulers accept his oppression,

The sacred month will thank you,

أَنَّكَ لمَّا هَرَّهُ الطَّغامُ

ونَبَحَتْ في وجههِ اللئامُ

That when the transgressors confused it,

And the vile barked in its face,

ولم يُعَظّمْ حقَّه أقوامُ

فيهمْ عليهِ بالخنا إقدَامُ

And people did not revere its right,

Among them, boldly sinning against it,

كأنهمْ من جهلهم أنعامُ

ليس على أفواههم خِتامُ

As if they were livestock without understanding,

With no seal upon their mouths,

ولا لضيفٍ عندهم ذمامُ

بَشَّ به منك فتى بسامُ

And no guest-right for a guest among them,

You smiled, a cheerful, glorious, lofty youth,

طَلْقُ المحيَّا ماجدٌ قَمْقَامُ

أبيضُ يُستَسْقَى به الغمامُ

White, with whom clouds are watered,

With sublime ambition, his determination resolute,

سامِيَةٌ همَّتُه هُمامُ

عُرضتُه الإطعامُ لا الطعامُ

His reputation is feeding others, not food,

And his power is wisdom, not rulers,

وقوتُه الحكمةُ لا الحُكَّامُ

تَرْعى جَنَابَيْ داره الأيتامُ

The sides of his house are cared for by orphans,

And starving mothers loudly wailing,

والأمهات الجُوّعُ العِيامُ

عُروةُ صدقٍ مالها انفصامُ

An unbreakable bond of truth, all longing cling to it,

Intoxicated with chivalry, hastening,

لكلّ ملهوف بها اعْتصَامُ

متيَّمٌ بالعُرْف مستهامُ

Appealing to good manners regarding his wealth,

Never meeting his suitor with death,

للجود في أمواله احتكَامُ

لا يلتقي راجيه والإعدامُ

Or the shining meeting the dark,

Two seas with no convergence between them,

أو يلتقي الإضْحاءُ والإعْتَامُ

بحران ما بينهما التئامُ

Active in good, his ambition resolute,

Peace blossoms from his benevolence,

للخير فعَّالٌ به هَمّامُ

تُورقُ من معروفهِ السِّلامُ

The land is impregnated by his rain,

When he smiles artfully,

يلقحُ منه البلد العقامُ

له إذا ما اصطُنع ابتسامُ

Generosity and favor return through him,

For every downpour returns heavily,

يعود منه الطَّولُ والإنعامُ

إذ كلُّ غَيْث عوْدُهُ جَهامُ

He gives gifts that have no end,

Binding upon him, insisting upon him,

يعطي عطايا ما لَها انصرامُ

حَتْمٌ عليه كَرُّها لِزامُ

Their request crowds him,

Of lofty heaven that has no stars,

لها على سُؤَّاله ازدحامُ

ذاتُ سماء مالَها إنْجامُ

Followed by star upon star,

From every land its lightning is smelled,

يعقب إنجاماً لها إنْجامُ

من كل أرض برقُها يُشامُ

No darkness upon its horizons,

Steadfast, not pained by suffering,

ليس على آفاقها قَتامُ

جَلْدٌ فما تؤلمُه الآلامُ

Fasting for God, upright,

Not troubled by lassitude or boredom,

في الله صَوَّامٌ له قوامُ

لا يعتريه الأيْنُ والسَّآمُ

As if exhaustion to him is relaxation,

Light and darkness praise him,

كأنَّما الجهدُ له استجمامُ

يثني عليه النورُ والظلامُ

He forbids all lewdness,

Never ceasing, guidance his leader,

من كلّ فحشاءَ له إحْرامُ

ما زال والرشد له إمامُ

His followers, the religion does not sleep,

If the sleepy grow heavy upon it,

ترعيةً للدين لا ينامُ

عنه إذا ما استثقل النُّوَّامُ

Steadfast if feet slip,

With God's argument, his shots hit their mark,

ثبتٌ إذا زُلزلت الأقدامُ

بحجة اللَّه له رِجَامُ

Truthful, if the quarrel grows hot,

Were it not for him, idols would be worshipped,

صَدْقٌ إذا ما حَمِس الخصامُ

لولاه أضحتْ تُعبدُ الأصنامُ

And idols and statues would return,

So fast, yet feast, throwing yourself into peril,

وعادت الأنصاب والأزلامُ

فَصُمْ وأفطِرْ مارساً شَمامُ

In blessings He Who bestows would garb you,

Perfect, everlasting,

في نِعمٍ يوليكَها المِنعامُ

لها تمامٌ ولها دوامُ

A year passes and a year returns,

By them, until the years expire,

يمرُّ عامٌ ويكرُّ عامُ

بها إلى أن تنفذَ الأعوامُ

Abundant portions of them are yours,

And the lot of those who envy you is coercion,

موفورةً منها لك الأقسامُ

وحظُّ مَنْ يحسدك الإرغامُ

And the anger of those below you boils,

Prolonging their days in your day,

وحرُّ غيظ دونَهُ الضّرامُ

تَمطُلُهمْ بيومِكَ الأيامُ

While filth overtakes them beneath you,

For you are a soul, and the world is bodies,

ويعتفيهم دونكَ الحِمامُ

فأنتَ روحٌ والورى أجسامُ

They have no basis but through them,

What is in you will not perish, but speech,

ليس لهم إلا بها قوامُ

لم يفنَ ما فيكَ بل الكلامُ

And the sermon concludes, and peace.

وانقضتِ الخطُبةُ والسلامُ