قولا لِحَمدانَ وَما شيمَتي

أَن أَهدِيَ النُصحَ لَهُ مُخلِصا

Say to Hamdan, though it is not my way

Say to Hamdan—though it is not my custom

To give sincere advice to him as a gift,

To tender sincere counsel unto him:

ما أَنتَ بِالحُرِّ فَتُلحى وَلا

بِالعَبدِ أَستَعتِبُهُ بِالعَصا

You are not free that I should wheedle you,

You are not free, that you might be dignified with reproach,

Nor a slave that I should chastise you with a stick.

Nor a slave, that I might discipline you with the staff.

فَرَحمَةُ اللَهِ عَلى آدَمٍ

رَحمَةَ مَن عَمَّ وَمَن خَصَّصا

So may God have mercy on Adam

So may the mercy of God be upon Adam,

A mercy on him who rules and him who is ruled.

The mercy of the One who gives broadly and precisely—

لَو كانَ يَدري أَنَّهُ خارِجٌ

مِثلُكَ في أَبنائِهِ لَاِختَصى

If only he had known that the likes of you

For had he known that there would issue forth

Would come from his children, he would have been more careful in choosing.

Among his sons one such as you, he would have castrated himself.