وَعاذِلَةٍ هَبَّت بِلَيلٍ تَلومُني

وَلَم يَغتَمِرني قَبلَ ذاكَ عَذولُ

A blamer reproached me at night and blamed me,

Though I had not been blamed before that censure.

تَقولُ اِتَّئِد لا يَدعُكَ الناسُ مُملِقاً

وَتُزرى بِمَن يا اِبنَ الكِرامِ تَعولُ

She said: "Beware of flattery, lest people find you insincere."

And you judge, O son of nobles, whom you rely upon.

فَقُلتُ أَبَت نَفسٌ عَلَيَّ كَريمَةٌ

وَطارِقُ لَيلٍ غَيرَ ذاكَ يَقولُ

I said: "A noble soul within me refuses that,

And another night visitor says something else.

أَلَم تَعلَمي يا عَمرَكِ اللَهَ أَنَّني

كَريمٌ عَلى حينِ الكِرامُ قَليلُ

Don't you know, may Allah prolong your life, that I

Am noble when nobility is scarce?

وَإِنِّيَ لا أُخزى إِذا قيلَ مُملِقٌ

سَخِيٌّ وَأُخزى أُن يُقالَ بَخيلُ

I am not shamed when called a flatterer.

I am shamed when called stingy and mean.

فَلا تَتبَعي العَينَ الغَوِيَّةَ وَاِنظُري

إِلى عُنصُرِ الأَحسابِ أَينَ يَؤولُ

So do not follow the tempting eye, and look

To the essence of accounts, where they lead.

وَلا تَذهَبَن عَيناكِ في كُلِّ شَرمَحٍ

لَهُ قَصَبٌ جوفُ العِظامِ أَسيلُ

Let not your eyes wander to every coquettish one,

Hollow of bones, with slender twigs.

عَسى أَن تَمَنّى عِرسُهُ أَنَّني لَها

بِهِ حينَ يَشتَدُّ الزَمانُ بَديلُ

Maybe his bride wishes I were hers

When times get hard, her alternative.

إِذا كُنتُ في القَومِ الطِوالِ فَضَلتُهُم

بِعارِفَةٍ حَتّى يُقال طَويلُ

If I surpass the tall men in discernment

Until it is said: "He is long in wisdom."

وَلا خَيرَ في حُسنِ الجُسومِ وَطولِها

إِذا لَم يَزِن حُسنَ الجُسومِ عُقولُ

There is no good in handsome bodies and height

If minds do not weigh beauty and height.

وَكائِن رَأَينا مِن فُروعٍ طَويلَةٍ

تَموتُ إِذا لَم يُحَيهِنَّ أُصولُ

We have seen tall branches that die

When roots do not give them life.

فَإِن لا يَكُن جِسمي طَويلاً فَإِنَّني

لَهُ بِالفَعالِ الصالحاتِ وَصولُ

If my body is not tall, my deeds climb high,

And I reach by good deeds perpetually.

وَلَم أَرَ كَالمَعروفِ أَمّا مَذاقُهُ

فَحُلوٌ وَأَمّا وَجهُهُ فَجَميلُ

I have not known anything as good as kindness.

Its taste is sweet and its face is beautiful."