إنْ تورّعْتُ أصْبَحَتْ حوْزَةُ

المُلْكِ ضِياعاً لجُرأةِ الفُجّارِ

If I were to show restraint, then rulership

Would become wasted on the impudence of evildoers,

أوْ طَرَدْتُ العُفاةَ خِفتُ من

اللهِ إذا ما سُئِلْتُ عنْ أوْزارِ

Or if I expelled the immoral, I would fear

God, if I were asked about their sins,

أو تقاعَدْتُ أصْبَحَ الأمْرُ فوْضى

تلعَبُ الشّاةُ فيهِ بالجَزّارِ

Or if I retired, affairs would become chaos,

Where lambs frolic with butchers.

أو تعرّضْتُ وانْتَدبْتُ سمعْتُ

النّقْدَ حالَ الإيرادِ والإصْدارِ

Or if I got involved and was appointed, I would hear

Criticism whether collecting or spending,

لايزالُ المَلامُ عنْهُ بحالٍ

حالَةَ الشّيْخ وابْنِهِ والحِمارِ

Blame is always upon him, be he

An old man, his son, or a donkey,

قدْتُهمْ للجِهادِ فاشْتَكوا الضّعْ

فَ وضجّوا لكَثْرَةِ الأسْفارِ

I readied them for jihad, yet they complained of weakness

And clamored from too much traveling,

ملْتُ للصّلْحِ سمّوا الصّلْحَ شَرّاً

عكْسَ قوْلِ المُهيْمِنِ الجبّارِ

I inclined towards peace, but they called peace evil,

Unlike what the Mighty Creator has said,

سُسْتُهُمْ لسْتُ أبتَغي غيْرَ حق ال

لاهِ أو قوْمَتي بحقِّ الجِوارِ

I judged them, for I seek nothing but God’s truth

Or upholding the rights of neighborliness,

فجَزَوْني جزاءَ منْ يخدُمُ السلْ

طانَ فيما مضى من الأعْصارِ

So they rewarded me with the reward of one who serves the

Sultan from past eras,

منْ مَماليكٍ كالسِّباعِ ووُصْفا

نِ وغُزٍّ وديْلَمِ وتَتارِ

From slaves like lions, Ethiopians, Turks, and Tatars.

I have not found a Muslim who would uphold my rights,

لمْ أجِدْ مُسْلِماً يقومُ بحقي

ناظِراً لي بمُقلَةِ اسْتعْبارِ

Looking at me with the eye of esteem,

Or a patron who would give my case its due

أو وليّاً يعطي لطَوْريَ حقّاً

ويَرى فضْلَهُ على الأطْوارِ

And see his excellence over others.

Except for one blind of heart who ties

غيرَ أعْمى الفؤادِ يعْلَقُ في

رِجلي عُلوقَ الكُرومِ في الأشْجارِ

To my feet the vines of orchards from trees,

Seeking all that his passions demanded,

طالِباً كلَّ ما اقْتَضاهُ هواهُ

هبْهُ بالرّبحِ عادَ أو بالخَسارِ

Give it through profit or loss.