لا يُحمَدُ السَجلُ حَتّى يُحكَمَ الوَذَمُ

وَلا تُرَدُّ بِغَيرِ الواصِلِ النِعَمُ

Praise is withheld until blame is judged,

And bounty is not repelled except with inseparability.

وَفي الجَواهِرِ أَشباهٌ مُشاكِلَةٌ

وَلَيسَ تَشتَبِهُ الأَنوارُ وَالظُلَمُ

Among jewels there are resemblances of similarities,

Lights do not resemble darkness.

وَنَحنُ في كَنَفَي حالٍ مُساعِدَةٍ

كُلٌّ عَلى رَعيِهِ الميثاقَ مُعتَزِمِ

We are in the care of a helping state,

Each bound by a covenant to guard his flock.

كَوارِدِ الخِمسِ شَهرَ القَيظِ جادَ لَهُ

حِسيٌ وَمَدَّ عَلَيهِ ظِلُّهُ السَلَمُ

Like the downpours of the five, the month of blazing heat yielded for him

A retreat, and its shade stretched over him a ladder.

أَلهَتكَ عَن حاجَةٍ ضَيَّعتَ حُرمَتَها

وِلايَةٌ وَدَواعي النَفسِ تُتَّهَمُ

A jurisdiction distracted you from attending to a need you neglected,

While your soul’s tendencies are blamed.

أَحينَ قُمتَ مِنَ الأَيّامِ في كَتَدٍ

كَما أَنارَ بِنارِ الموقِدِ العَلَمُ

When you stood up from the days in despondency,

As the standard was illumined by the fire of the light.

أَنشَبتَ نَفسَكَ في خَضراءَ مُغدِقَةٍ

وَأَفسَدَتكَ عَلى إِخوانِكَ النِعَمُ

You clung to a soft, shaded green

And bounty corrupted you against your brethren.