Sol 6.1

  1. What you wrote impressed the people and alarmed

    every wealthy man who exalts himself through his riches.

  2. You are one who appreciates wealth and knows

    how a wealthy man lives and enjoys peace of mind.

  3. For him, a sufficient path to God is to listen

    to what you have said and follow the example.

  4. You are no miserly hoarder, nor a spendthrift,

    except when you come to men's aid.

  5. May God bless the youth in which you mastered

    your soul, so you do not swagger in conceit.

  6. With your wealth you seek only knowledge,

    through which you attain glory and perfection.

  7. So win renown through the pen, for you spare

    Egypt the need to brandish spears and blades.

  8. The pen favors only a man of prowess

    who has witnessed war and put heroes to the test.

  9. You are like Ibn al-Muʿtazz in excellence and letters,

    and Harun in resolve and bounty.

  10. New attainment meets the finest ancestral heritage,

    and a beacon rises above a towering pillar.

Sol 6.1