1. I warned you against Ṣāliḥ, but you insisted,

    in your obstinacy, on nothing but deluded confidence about Ṣāliḥ.

  2. I warned you not to ride headlong into folly,

    lest it hurl you into deadly places of downfall.

  3. And what fault did you find in him, but for your injustice

    and your plunging into a dark, surging deep?

  4. A sincere counselor to the Commander of the Faithful, and his sword;

    one who harbors deceit is not like another who counsels sincerely.

  5. The retainers strengthen his two pillars, and he declares allegiance

    to a course clear to the caliph.

  6. He has laid bare his secrets and hidden affairs,

    as a star emerges, shining in the darkness.

  7. And there was room for you to avoid defying him,

    had you chosen the wide-open avenues of escape.

  8. For your wealth has come to light after being concealed,

    and after being hidden away, as scandals come to light:

  9. treasures from which rightful claims were barred, and over which were shut

    the locks of miserly breasts.

  10. You refused to meet needs, until it seemed

    you were asked for the pupils of your glancing eyes;

  11. and shunned kindness, as though you

    saw in it a sickness for healthy souls.

  12. And whoever missed the retainers' day and yours

    missed a day of grievous calamities.

  13. He went forth at dawn, and so did you, the pavilion a meeting-place

    for two foes: soon one standing firm, the other fallen.

  14. So Mercury's form could not stand against Mars,

    nor could you stand against those men in close combat.

  15. And when your pens met their swords,

    the blue-eyed birds of prey destroyed the weak birds.

  16. So, after you, may no scribe's power deceive me,

    if he does not grasp a spearman's waistband.

  17. O Abū al-Faḍl, may you never lack eminence when assault comes

    from an enemy's tongue, or a hidden foe's heart turns against you.

  18. The men's cords of support were severed, and they came

    to a crushing calamity from fortune's adverse turn.

  19. So nothing remained but the force of one seeking

    vengeance for his grudges, or a favor from one forgiving.

  20. And whoever forgets clemency, you do not let its merit

    slip your mind, nor stand aloof from those who hope for it.

  21. If you do not turn away from rancor, you will not win

    renown, nor be gladdened by a praiser's tribute.

  22. And there can be no hope, in a master who is not lenient,

    of success, nor in one with power who does not pardon.

Sol 6.1