نصيبَك منْ سَفيهٍ أو فَقيهِ

ففي هَذا وذا حِصْنٌ وحُسْنُ

Your portion comes from either a fool or a jurist:

between the two lie a fortress and a grace.

فإنْ سالمتَ فالفُقهاءُ حُسْنٌ

وإنْ حارَبْتَ فالسُّفَهاءُ حِصْنُ

If you make peace, the jurists are a grace;

and if you wage war, fools are a fortress.

وما استوفى شُروطَ الجدِّ إلاّ

فتىً في خُلْقِهِ سَهْلٌ وحَزْنُ

No one fully meets the demands of earnest resolve except

a youth whose character is both gentle and rugged.