بِحَمدِ اللَهِ لَم تُخلَق كِعابٌ

تَجَنَّبُ كُلَّ مُخزِيَةٍ وَعُنفِ

With praise to Allah, no wrong was created

Avoiding all shame and violence

فَجَدعٌ حَلَّ في أُذنَي غُلامٍ

أَبَرُّ لَدَيهِ مِن قُرطٍ وَشَنفِ

Yet a deaf one dwelled in a boy's ears

More precious to him than earrings and finery

وَلا سِيَما إِذا أُعطَيتَ أَيداً

لَمَدَّ يَدَيكَ أَو أَنَفاً بِأَنفِ

Especially if given hands

That stretched out his hands or nose with a nose

أَرى الأَيّامَ تَجحَدُ ثُمَّ تَثني

بِإيجابٍ وَتوجِبُ ثُمَّ تَنفي

I see days deny, then relent

With obligation, obligate, then negate

وَإِن لَم يَعقُلِ الأَقدامَ عَّيبٌ

حَمَلنَ الثِقلَ مِن فَدَعٍ وَحَنفِ

If feet do not comprehend, it is a flaw

That they carried the burden of abandon and deviation

وَقَد يَحتالُ في رَدِّ الرَزايا

بِعودِ مُغَرِّدٍ وَبِعودِ صِنفِ

And one may scheme in rejecting calamities

With a warbling branch and branch of variety

وَكَم غُرَّت مَعاطِسُ مِن رِجالٍ

بِريحِ أُلوَّةٍ أَو ريحِ رَنفِ

And how many sniffles were fooled from men

By the wind of an instrument or wind of a fan