هَيهاتَ لا أَبتَغي عَن بابِكُم حِوَلا

أَأَبتَغي حِوَلاً بِالغَبنِ حينَ خَلا

Alas! I do not seek favor from your door

Shall I seek favor through deceit when alone?

مَغنى الغِنى فَإِذا زاوَلتُ عَقوَتَهُ

وَجَدتُ كُلَّ مَحَلٍّ آهِلٍ طَلَلا

The richness of wealth, when I familiarized with its harm

I found every place inhabited ruined

فَمَكَّنَ اللَهُ مِن صَدرٍ وَمِن عُنُقٍ

مِمَّن يُفارِقُهُ الأَغلالَ وَالعِلَلا

So God has enabled one whose chest and neck are free

From shackles and diseases that bind

اللَهُ أَسلَكَنا مِن قَصدِهِ سُبُلاً

سَدَّت عَلى كُلِّ خَطبٍ رامَنا السُبُلا

God guided us to walk His straight path

Blocking for us every difficult affair, smoothing the roads

قَد كُنتُ ما لي سِوى عَتبي لَهُ شُغُلٌ

فَاليَومَ لَيسَ سِوى شُكري لَهُ شُغُلا

I used to have no concern but complaining of Him

Today I have no concern but thanking Him

ما كانَ عَن واقِعِ الأَطماعِ مُمتَنِعاً

قَد صارَ عِندي وَفي كَفَّيَّ قَد حَصَلا

What was impossible to attain from ambitions

Is now in my hands, attained

دامَت لَكُم مِثلَ ما دامَت بِكُم نِعَمٌ

أَمّا تَخَيُّلُ مَعنىً لِلمَزيدِ فَلا

May blessings continue for you as they lasted with you

As for imagining more, that cannot be

خَلَّدتَ جودَكَ في أَهلي فَأَذكَرَني ال

دُنيا وَأَمَّنَني تَخليدُكَ الأَجَلا

You immortalized your generosity among my family

So the life mentioned me and your eternity gave me safety

أَمّا الوِلايَةُ فَالمَعروفُ خُطبَتُها

وَلَستُ أَقبَلُها عَن بابِكُم بَدَلا

As for authority, its good deed is well-known

And I will not accept it from your door as a substitute

وِلايَةُ البابِ عَنها لَستَ تَعزِلُني

وَما سِواها فَمَن وُلِّي فَقَد عُزِلا

The authority of the door, you do not distance me from it

And anything other than it, he who is delegated has been dismissed

فَما تُكَلِّفُني صَبراً عَلى صَبِرٍ

وَلا أُكَلِّفُها أَن تَسكُبَ العَسَلا

So do not burden me with patience upon patience

Nor burden it to pour honey

سِلاحُ حَربي مَعَ الأَيّامِ عَطَّلَهُ

رَأيٌ مِنَ الرَأيِ حَليٌ يُشبِهُ العَطَلا

My weapon for war, an opinion has disabled it

An opinion in opinion is an ornament resembling retirement

فَلا حَديثي بِنوناتٍ تُعَظِّمُني

وَلا كِتابي إِلى قَومٍ بِمِن وَإِلى

So my talk is not with glorifying polite phrases

Nor my writing to people with "from" and "to"

وَلا حَصاةُ فُؤادي تَحتَ مَحملِها

مِن هَمِّ زَيدٍ وَعَمرٍو تَحمِلُ الجَبَلا

Nor is my heart's pebble under its burden

From the worries of Zayd and Amr, bearing mountains

وَالبَحرُ لَو مَنَّ يَمَّمتُ التُرابَ وَلَم

أَسَرَّهُ أَنَّ في كَفّي لَهُ بَلَلا

And if the sea would grant, I would face the dust and not

Conceal that my palm has wetness for it

أَقسَمتُ لَو قَذَفَت أَمواجُهُ دُرَراً

وَلَو تَحَوَّلَ يَوماً مِلحُهُ عَسَلا

I swear if its waves cast pearls

And if its salt one day turned to honey

لَما مَدَدتُ إِلَيهِ راحَتي أَنَفاً

وَلا رَفَعتُ إِلَيهِ ناظِري كَسَلا

I would not stretch my palm to it haughtily

Nor raise my gaze to it lazily

لَولا مَنازِلُ مَولانا وَأَنَّ بِها

لِلَهِ إِذ يَنزِلُ العافي بِها نُزُلا

If it were not for our Master's abodes that

When God descends well-being upon, it lodges

كانَت مَطامِعُ دُنيانا إِذا حَمَلَت

سِلاحَها تَتَّقيني فارِساً بَطَلا

Then our worldly ambitions, when they carried

Their weapons, would avoid me as a brave hero

وَكُنتُ أُبطِئُ وَالآمالُ مومِضَةٌ

بِطءَ الجَبانِ إِذا ما اِستَشعَرَ الوَجَلا

And I would be slow while hopes are flashing

The slowness of a coward when he senses alarm

حَتّى يُقالَ أَما الإِنسانُ مِن عَجَلٍ

فَما لِهَذا إِلى الأَطماعِ ما عَجِلا

Until it is said, "As for man, of haste

So why does this one not hasten to ambitions?"

وَلَم أُبَل حينَ يُنشي المُزنُ عارِضَهُ

أَعارِضاً مَطِلاً أَم عارِضاً هَطِلا

And I did not stay up when misfortune furrowed its brows

Furrowing prolonged brows or pouring brows

وَكُنتُ مِن أَنَفٍ في مُرتَقى زُحَلٍ

وَلَو حَكى الحَظُّ في إِبطائِهِ زُحَلا

And I was from a self on the ascent of Saturn

Even if fortune told in its tardiness Saturn's tale

اللَهُ أَغنى بِمَولانا وَنِعمَتِهِ

عَنِ الكِرامِ فَلا تَذكُر لِيَ البُخَلا

God has enriched us with our Master and His bounty

From generosity so do not mention stinginess to me

مَواهِبٌ قَرَّ عَيناها فَلَيسَ لَنا

سِوى التَفَكُّهِ في جَنّاتِها شُغُلا

Gifts that delighted his eyes so we have no duty

Except to indulge in its gardens, that occupies us

كَم جاءَ قَلبي بِحاجاتٍ مُفَضَّلَةٍ

ثُمَّ اِنصَرَفتُ بِها في راحَتي جُمَلا

How my heart came with preferred needs

Then I left with them at ease, all together

وَخَفَّفَ اللَهُ عَن قَلبي بِما حَمَلَت

مِنها يَمينِيَ مِن فَضلٍ وَإِن ثَقُلا

And God lightened from my heart what it carried

Of them in my right hand of grace though heavy

فَلا عَدِمتُ يَداً إِن جِئتُها بَذَلَت

وَعُدتُ عَنها كَريمَ الوَجهِ ما بُذِلا

So I do not lack a hand if I came to it, it gave

And I returned from it, noble of face, nothing offered

أَعطى وَلَم يَعِدِ الجَدوى وَعَجَّلَها

وَأَينَ مَن وَعَدَ الجَدوى وَما مَطَلا

He gave and did not promise benefit and hastened it

And where is he who promised benefit but did not hasten?

يا مُشبِهَ المُعتَفي حاشا مَكارِمَهُ

وَما زَلَلتُ فَلا تُلحِق بِيَ الزَلَلا

O you who resemble the noble, far are his virtues

And I have not slipped so do not attribute slips to me

الناسُ يُعطونَ إِن أَعطَوا إِذا سُئِلوا

وَأَينَ أَينَ الَّذي يُعطي إِذا سُئِلا

People give if they give when asked

And where, where is he who gives when not asked?

وَقَد مَلَأتَ أَمانَ المُعتَفينَ يَدي

أَدنى الفَواضِلِ مِنهُ يَملَأُ الأَمَلا

You have filled the safety of the poor, my hands

The lowest of your virtues fills hopes

حَتّى خَلَقتَ إِباءً في خَلائِقِهِم

فَلا عَدِمناكَ مِن مُجدي غِنىً وَعُلا

To the extent you created refusal in their natures

So we have not lacked you for enriching elevation

فَصِرتَ إِن قُلتَ خُذ ما أَنتَ تَسأَلُهُ

أَبى وَتَسأَلُهُ أَخذاً وَما قَبِلا

You became, if you said take what you request

He refuses, and requests taking but does not accept

مِن ثَمَّ ما ساغَ لي إِن قُلتَ تُشبِهُهُ

وَأَينَ شِبهُ ثَرىً مِن صَيِّبٍ هَطَلا

Therefore it did not befit me if I said you resemble him

And where is the likeness of a torrential rain to a drizzle?

مَكارِمٌ رَحَلَت لِلناسِ قاصِدَةً

وَلَم يُكَلِّفهُمُ في قَصدِها الرِحَلا

Virtues have set out to people with intention

And did not burden them in its pursuit with saddling

وَما تُزَفُّ لَهُ بِكراً عَقيلَتُهُ

إِلّا أَفاضَ عَلَيها الحَليَ وَالحُلَلا

And he is not wedded a virgin bride of his

Except he pours upon her adornment and gowns

كَم أَنطَقَت يَدُهُ مِن لَهجَةٍ خَرِسَت

وَصَيَّرَت مِن وُلاةِ العِلمِ مَن جَهِلا

How many mute tongues his hand has spoken

And made scholars from the ignorant

وَعاوَدَ الشِعرُ مِنهُ جاهِلِيَّتَهُ

حَتّى حَكى حَوكُ جُورٍ ما تَحوكُ فَلا

And poetry regained its Ignorance from him

To the extent the looping of injustice does not loop

فَكَم تَعالى قِفا نَبكِ وَأَسيَرُ مِن

أَبياتِها فَوقَ أَلفاظِ الوَرى مَثَلا

So rise, heel, and prisoner from its verses

Above the words of creation an example

فَالبَس بِما يُلبِسُ الدُنيا نَضارَتَها

هَذا الَّذي في طِرازِ الجودِ قَد عُمِلا

Wear that which adorns the life its blossoming

This one who is tailored in the pattern of generosity

جِئناكَ نَركَبُ أَهوالاً نُسَرُّ بِها

وَلَو رَكِبنا إِلى ما سَرَّكَ الأَسَلا

We came to you riding calamities we are delighted with

And if we rode to what delights you the smooth

بِالقَتلِ هَدَّدَنا فيها فُلانُ وَلَو

كُنّا كُئوساً بِكَفَّيهِ لَما قَتَلا

So and so threatened us in it with killing, and if

We were skulls in his palms he would not have killed

فَصِرتُ لا أَتَوَقّى الظُهرَ مُفتَرِساً

وَنِمتُ لا أَتَوَقّى اللَيلَ مُحتَبِلا

So I became not fearing the predator in the afternoon

And I sleep not fearing the lurking night

وجاء عارضُ ريحٍ ما أبهتُ له

بل كدتُ أرشفُ منه عارضاً بَقِلا

And there came the cheek of a wind I did not care for

Rather, I almost sipped from it a sip of broth

لا أَتَّقي اِمرَأَةً في كَفِّهِ اِمرَأَةٌ

لِلسَيفِ بَل رَجُلاً يَسطو بِهِ رَجُلا

I do not fear a woman in his grip, a woman

For the sword, but a man who assaults with it a man

مَن كانَ يَعتادُ في أَدنى مَآرِبِهِ

خَوضَ البِحارِ فَلا تَذكُر لَهُ الوَشَلا

Whoever was accustomed in his slightest adventures

To plunge into seas, do not mention to him fear

فَأَرخِصِ النَفسَ في ذِكرٍ يُخَلِّدُها

فَما أَرىالذِكرَ إِن غاَلَ النُفوسَ غَلا

So esteem the self in a mention that immortalizes it

For I do not see that mention, if selves are valuable, as expensive

أَقبِل عَلى الحَمدِ بِالبِشرِ الكَريمِ تَجِد

عُشباً إِذا البِشرُ أَرضى رَوضَهُ خَضِلا

Come to praise with the generous good news, you will find

Grass, if the good news contents its meadow, green

قَد اِرتَبَطتُم فُؤاداً فيكُمُ جَذِلاً

أَطلَقتُموهُ لِساناً عَنكُمُ جَدِلا

You have bound me inwardly, in you a prisoner

You released outwardly from you an arguer