جَزى اللَهُ عَنّي في الأُمورِ مُجاشِعاً

جَزاءَ كَريمٍ عالِمٍ كَيفَ يَصنَعُ

May God reward me with obedience in matters

The reward of a generous, wise one, knowing what to do

فَإِن تَجزِني مِنهُم فَإِنَّكَ قادِرٌ

تَجُزُّ كَما شِئتَ العِبادَ وَتَزرَعُ

If you reward me among them, you surely have power

To reward as you wish the servants and plant

يُرِقّونَ عَظمي ما اِستَطاعوا وَإِنَّما

أَشيدُ لَهُم بُنيانَ مَجدٍ وَأَرفَعُ

They wear away my bones as much as they can, but I

Erect for them a structure of glory and raise high

وَكَيفَ بِكُم إِن تَظلِموني وَتَشتَكوا

إِذا أَنا عاقَبتُ اِمرَأً وَهوَ أَقطَعُ

How could you wrong me and complain

If I punish a man, and he is most unjust?

إِذا اِنفَقَأَت مِنكُم ضَواةٌ جَعَلتُمُ

عَلَيَّ أَذاها حَرقَها يَتَزَرَّعُ

If embers flare up among you, you blame

Their harm and burning on me, it spreads

تَرَونَ لَكُم مَجداً هِجائي وَإِنَّما

هِجائي لِمَن حانَ الذُعافُ المُسَلَّعُ

You see for yourselves glory in blaming me, but

My blame is for those whom senility makes raggedy

وَإِنّي لِيَنهاني عَنِ الجَهلِ فيكُمُ

إِذا كِدتُ خَلّاتٌ مِنَ الحِلمِ أَربَعُ

And yet there forbid me from ignorance among you

When I am about to err, four comrades of forbearance

حَياءٌ وَبُقيا وَاِتِّقاءٌ وَإِنَّني

كَريمٌ فَأُعطي ما أَشاءُ وَأَمنَعُ

Modesty, dignity, piety and that I

Am generous, so I give what I wish, and withhold

وَإِن أَعفُ أَستَبقي حُلومَ مُجاشِعٍ

فَإِنَّ العَصا كانَت لِذي الحِلمِ تُقرَعُ

And if I pardon, I preserve the hearts of the obedient

For the stick was for the forbearing to tap

أَلَم تُرجِلوني عَن جِيادي وَتَخلَعوا

عِناني وَما مِثلي مِنَ القَومِ يُخلَعُ

Did you not unhorse me from my steeds and strip

My reins, and none like me from the people is stripped

كَما كانَ يَلقى الزِبرِقانُ وَلَم يَزَل

يُعالِجُ مَولىً يَستَقيمُ وَيَظلَعُ

As the piercing did, and he never stopped

Treating a master, upright and long-suffering

وَإِنّي لَأَجري بَعدَما يَبلُغُ المَدى

وَأَفقَأُ عَينَي ذي الذُبابِ وَأَجدَعُ

And yet I race on after reaching the goal

And gouge out the eye of annoyance and uproot

وَأَكوي خَياشيمَ الصُداعِ وَأَبتَغي

مَجامِعَ داءِ الرَأسِ مِن حَيثُ يَنقَعُ

And cauterize the nostrils of headache and seek

The joints of the pain in the head wherever it oozes

وَإِنّي لِيَنميني إِلى خَيرِ مَنصِبٍ

أَبٌ كانَ أَبّاءً يَضُرُّ وَيَنفَعُ

And yet it directs me to the best position

A father who was fathers, harming and benefiting