1. خَليفَةَ اللَهِ أَنتَ في الدينِ وَال

    دُنيا وَأَمرُ الإِسلامِ مُضطَلِعُ

    You are God's caliph in faith and the

    world, and Islam's cause stands strong.

  2. أَنتَ لِما سَنَّهُ الأَئِمَّةُ أَع

    لامُ الهُدى مُقتَفٍ وَمُتَّبِعُ

    You follow what the imams ordained—the

    beacons of guidance—and adhere to it.

  3. قَد عُدِمَ العُدمُ في زَمانِكَ وَال

    جَورُ مَعاً وَالخِلافُ وَالبِدَعُ

    Poverty has vanished in your time, and

    injustice with it, along with discord and religious innovations.

  4. فَالناسُ في العَدلِ وَالسِياسَةِ وَال

    إِحسانِ وَالشَرعِ كُلُّهُم شَرَعُ

    So the people, in justice, governance, and

    benevolence and sacred law, are all equal.

  5. يا مَلِكاً يَردَعُ الحَوادِثَ وَال

    أَيّامَ مِن ظُلمِنا فَتَرتَدِعُ

    O king who restrains calamities and the

    days from wronging us, so they desist!

  6. يامَن لَهُ أَنعُمٌ مُكَرَّرَةٌ

    لَنا مَصيفٌ مِنها وَمُرتَبَعُ

    O you whose blessings come again and again,

    in them we have a summer retreat and a spring pasture.

  7. أَرضِيَ قَد أَجدَبَت وَليسَ لِمَن

    أَجدَبَ يَوماً سِواكَ مُنتَجَعُ

    My land has grown barren, and for anyone

    ever stricken by drought, there is no pasture but you.

  8. وَلي عِيالٌ لا دَرَّ دَرُّهُمُ

    قَد أَكَلوني دَهري وَما شَبِعوا

    And I have dependents—may their milk never flow!—

    They have eaten me up all my life and are still not full.

  9. لَو وَسَموني وَسمَ العَبيدِ وَبا

    عوني بِسوقِ الأَعرابِ ما قَنِعوا

    Even if they branded me with the brand of slaves and

    sold me at the Bedouins' market, they would not be content.

  10. إِذا رَأَوني ذا ثَروَةٍ جَلَسوا

    حَولي وَمالوا إِلَيَّ وَاِجتَمَعوا

    When they see me possessed of wealth, they sit

    around me, lean toward me, and gather.

  11. وَطالَما قَطَّعوا حِبالِيَ إِع

    راضاً إِذا لَم يَكُن مَعي قِطَعُ

    And how often they have severed my bonds, turning

    away whenever I had no coins on me.

  12. يَمشونَ حَولي شَتّىً كَأَنَّهُمُ

    عَقارِبٌ كُلَّما سَعوا لَسَعوا

    They walk around me in all directions, as though they were

    scorpions: whenever they move, they sting.

  13. فَمِنهُمُ الطِفلُ وَالمُراهِقُ وَال

    مُرضَعُ يَحبو وَالكَهلُ وَاليَفَعُ

    Among them are the child, the adolescent, and the

    crawling suckling, the middle-aged man, and the youth.

  14. لا قارِحٌ مِنهُمُ أُؤَمَّلُ أَن

    يَنالَني خَيرُهُ وَلا جَذَعُ

    Not a full-grown steed among them can I hope will

    bring me any good, nor a young colt.

  15. لَهُم حُلوقٌ تُفضي إِلى مِعَدٍّ

    تَحَمِلُ في الأَكلِ فَوقَ ما تَسَعُ

    They have throats that lead to stomachs

    which take in, at meals, more than they can hold.

  16. مِن كُلِّ رَحبِ المِعاءِ أَجوَفَ نا

    ريِّ الحَشا لا يَمَسُّهُ الشَبَعُ

    Each is wide-gutted and hollow, with a fiery

    belly; satiety never touches him.

  17. لا يُحسِنُ المَضغَ فَهوَ يَطرَحُ في

    فيهِ بِلا كُلفَةٍ وَيَبتَلِعُ

    He cannot chew well, so he tosses food into

    his mouth without effort, and swallows.

  18. وَلي حَديثٌ يُلهي وَيُعجِبُ مَن

    يوسِعُ لي خُلقَهُ فَيَتَّسِعُ

    And I have a tale that amuses and delights whoever

    opens his good nature to me and makes room.

  19. نَقَلتُ رَسمي جَهلاً إِلى وُلُدٍ

    لَستُ بِهِم ما حَيِيتُ أَنتَفِعُ

    In my folly, I transferred my stipend to children

    from whom I shall gain nothing as long as I live.

  20. نَظَرتُ في نَفعِهِم وَما أَنا في اِج

    تِلابِ نَفعِ الأَولادِ مُبتَدِعُ

    I looked to benefit from them; I am no

    innovator in seeking benefit from children.

  21. وَقُلتُ هَذا بَعدي يَكونُ لَكُم

    فَما أَطاعوا أَمري وَلا سَمِعوا

    And I said, 'After me, this will be yours,'

    but they neither obeyed my command nor listened.

  22. وَاِختَلَسوهُ مِنّي فَما تَرَكوا

    عَيني عَليهِ وَلا يَدي تَقَعُ

    They snatched it from me, not letting

    my eye rest on it, nor my hand reach it.

  23. فَبِئسَ وَاللَهِ ما صَنَعتُ فَأَضرَ

    رتُ بِنَفسي وَبِئسَ ما صَنَعوا

    So, by God, how badly I acted: I harmed

    myself, and how badly they acted!

  24. فَإِن أَرَدتُم أَمراً يَزولُ بِهِ

    الخِصامُ مِن بَينِنا وَيَرتَفِعُ

    So if you wish for a course that will make

    the quarrel between us vanish and cease,

  25. فَاِستَأنِفوا لي رَسماً أَعوذُ عَلى

    ضَنكِ مَعاشي بِهِ فَأَتَّسِعُ

    then grant me a new stipend, a refuge against

    the straits of my livelihood, so I may find ease.

  26. وَإِن زَعَمتُم أَنّي أَتَيتُ بِها

    خَديعَةٍ فَالكَريمُ مُنخَدِعُ

    And if you claim I have brought this forward as

    a trick, then the generous man is easily deceived.

  27. حاشى لِرَسمي القَديمِ يُنسَخُ مِن

    نَسخِ دَواوينِكُم وَيَنقَطِعُ

    Far be it that my old stipend should be struck from

    the copies of your registers and discontinued.

  28. فَوَقِّعوا لي بِما سَأَلتُ فَقَد

    أَطمَعتُ نَفسي وَاِستَحكَمَ الطَمَعُ

    So approve for me what I have asked, for

    I have roused my hopes, and hope has taken firm hold.

  29. وَلا تُطيلوا مَعي فَلَستُ وَلَو

    دَفَعتُموني بِالراحِ أَندَفِعُ

    And do not keep me waiting: I shall not, even if

    you push me with your palms, be driven away.

  30. وَحَلَّفوني أَن لا تَعودَ يَدي

    تَرفَعُ في نَقلِهِ وَلا تَضَعُ

    And they made me swear that my hand would never again

    be raised or lowered in transferring it.