1. هل أنت من مرتجيك مستمعُ

    يا من إليه يوائل الفزِعُ

    Will you listen to one who hopes in you?

    O you to whom the frightened seek refuge!

  2. أصغِ إليه فلم يُحابك في ال

    مدح ولا قال وهو مخترعُ

    Listen to him: he has not flattered you in

    praise, nor spoken as a fabricator.

  3. يا من إذا أشرقت محاسنه

    ظلت رؤوس العداة تنقمع

    O you whose beauties, when they shine,

    keep the enemies' heads bowed down;

  4. ومن إذا غرَّبت مكائده

    كادت قلوب العتاة تنخلع

    and whose stratagems, when they grow keen,

    nearly wrench the defiant men's hearts free;

  5. ومن إذا أمطرت فواضله

    عاد الصفا وهو معشب مرع

    and whose bounties, when they rain down,

    turn smooth rock into grassy, lush pasture!

  6. ما أعذر القِرنَ في تذبذبه

    يُهوي إليك الشبا وينقدع

    How excusable is your rival's wavering:

    he thrusts his blade-points toward you, then recoils.

  7. قد علم القرن عند حيصته

    عنك بأي السيوف تضطبع

    Your rival has learned, when swerving

    away from you, what swords you gird yourself with.

  8. وقد درى حين زال مطمعه

    فيك بأي الدروع تدَّرع

    And he has learned, when his hopes

    against you vanished, what shields you wear.

  9. أنت الذي أصبحت عوارفه

    درعاً له والدروع تنصدع

    You are the man whose favors have become

    his shield, while other shields split apart.

  10. وأنت من لم تزل مكائده

    سيفاً له والسيوف تنقطع

    And you are he whose stratagems have always been

    his sword, while other swords break.

  11. تصرع من شئت عند لبسهما

    يوم الوغى والجدود تصطرع

    You fell whomever you wish when wearing both,

    on battle's day, while fortunes wrestle.

  12. يدب في غيرك المديح ولَ

    كنا رأيناه فيك ينذرع

    Praise creeps along in others, but

    we have seen it stride swiftly in you.

  13. وتهطل الدهرَ فيك ديمتُهُ

    لكنها عن سواك تنقشع

    Its steady rain pours upon you for all time,

    but clears away from everyone else.

  14. وأين معط وقلبه بهجٌ

    ممن تمنى وقلبه وجع

    How far apart are a giver whose heart is glad

    and one who yearns with an aching heart!

  15. لا يَزَلِ الشرُّ عنك مندفعاً

    وسيل خير إليك يندفع

    May evil always be driven away from you,

    and a flood of goodness rush toward you.

  16. يا سيداً لم نزل بعقوته

    إذا عدمنا الربيع نرتبع

    O master, in whose grounds we have always,

    when spring was lacking, found spring pasture!

  17. ولم نزل من ثدِيِّ نعمته

    إذا فقدنا الرضاع نرتضع

    And never have we ceased, at the breasts of his bounty,

    to suckle whenever we lacked milk.

  18. ومن علمناه غير متَّبعٍ

    في المجد بل لا يزال يبتدع

    And you whom we have known as no follower

    in glory, but one who ceaselessly breaks new ground;

  19. ومن عرفناه غير مبتدعٍ

    في الدين بل لا يزال يتبع

    and whom we have known as no innovator

    in religion, but one who ceaselessly follows.

  20. أعاذك الله أن نراك وأف

    عالك بعد العلو تتضع

    May God protect you from our seeing you and your

    deeds sink low after rising high.

  21. عد لي فليس الجميل فاحشة

    تركبها تارة وتتَّزع

    Renew your kindness to me: goodness is no indecency

    to commit once and then refrain from,

  22. ولا طريقاً تخاف غَيلته

    تركبه تارة وترتدع

    nor a road whose ambushes you fear,

    to travel once and then shrink from.

  23. والعائد العرف بعد بدأته

    ينفع إخوانه وينتفع

    One who repeats a kindness after first bestowing it

    benefits his brothers and benefits himself.

  24. والبادئ العرف لا معاد له

    يعير إحسانه ويرتجع

    One who begins a kindness but never repeats it

    lends his favor, then takes it back.

  25. لو كنتَ ممن يحب ثروته

    أو كنت ممن جداه ممتنع

    Had you been one who loves his wealth,

    or one whose bounty is withheld,

  26. إذاً عذرناك في المطال به

    لكن عذر الجواد منقطع

    we would have excused your delay in granting it;

    but the generous man has no excuse.

  27. ما دفع مثلي والحال موجبة

    والصدر رحب والوجه متسع

    Why turn one like me away, when the circumstances demand giving,

    the breast is broad and the face open?

  28. لا تمنعنِّي لهى مُمَنَّحةً

    أضحت عليها الأكفُّ تقترع

    Do not deny me gifts freely bestowed,

    over which hands now draw lots.

  29. يا من أراه رضا لمنتجعٍ

    إن قال أي الرجال أنتجع

    O you whom I deem fit for a seeker of bounty,

    when he asks, 'Which man should I approach?'

  30. رِشْني تجدني رضى لمصطنع

    إن قلت أي الرجال أصطنع

    Feather me with bounty: you will find me fit for a patron,

    if you ask, 'Which man should I foster?'

  31. كم سائل عن نداك قلت له

    مُخدَّع بالسؤال منخدع

    How many asked about your bounty, and I told them:

    'The question has beguiled you; you are deceived.'

  32. وسائل عن حجاك قلت له

    يحط أمواله ويرتفع

    And one who asked about your wisdom, I told him:

    'He diminishes his wealth, yet rises high.'

  33. وسائل عن ثناك قلت له

    لا يسأم الدهر منه مستمع

    And one who asked about praise of you, I told him:

    'No listener ever tires of it.'

  34. وكلهم كان في مسائله

    أعمى عن الصبح وهو منصدع

    Each of them, in his questioning, was

    blind to the dawn even as it broke.

  35. يستوضح الصبح بالمصابح وال

    مصباح عند الصباح مختشع

    He sought to make dawn clearer with lamps, while the

    lamp, beside the morning, was humbled.

  36. لا زلت ما عشتَ للعدوِّ شجىً

    في حيث لا يستطيع منتزع

    May you, while you live, remain a bone in the enemy's throat,

    where no remover can extract it.

  37. تسطو وتعفو وأنت مقتدر

    لا ورَعٌ عند ذاك بل ورِع

    You strike and pardon while holding power;

    no coward then, but a pious man.

  38. ما أقبح المطل من أخي كرم

    وعيب من قل عيبه شَنِع

    How ugly is delay in a man of generosity!

    A flaw in one with few flaws is monstrous.

  39. ولم تَعِدني بل المنى وعدت

    والحرُّ من خُلفِ طيفه جزع

    You did not promise me; my hopes made the promise.

    A noble man grieves when his dream fails him.

  40. متى تعللت أم متى عرف ال

    إقلاع شؤبوب سيبك الهمِع

    When have you made excuses, or when has

    the streaming downpour of your bounty ever known a pause?

  41. ألست من لم تزل تُحَمِّلُهُ ال

    علياء أعباءها فيضطلع

    Are you not he whom, unceasingly,

    high glory loads with its burdens, and he bears them?

  42. ويرتجي خيرَه اليؤوسُ إذا

    لم يرجُ ما عند غيره الطمِع

    The despairing man hopes for his goodness when

    even the avid hopes for nothing from another.

  43. ويعتفي فضله العزوف إذا

    لم يلتمس فضل غيره الجشِع

    One who shuns requests seeks his bounty when

    the greedy seeks no bounty from another.

  44. ويشمخ المعتفي عليه إذا

    لاقى بخيلاً وخده ضرِع

    His petitioner holds his head high over him, though when

    he meets a miser, his cheek is abased.

  45. تفترق الصالحات في فِرَقٍ

    وفيك دون الجميع تجتمع

    Virtues are scattered among separate groups,

    but in you alone, of all men, they unite.

  46. بلى بلى أنت أنت فلا فلا

    يقطعك دون التمام مقتطع

    Yes, yes, you are you; so let no—no—

    interrupter cut you off before completion.

  47. يا ذاكر الغنم عند مغرمه

    وذاكر الريع حين يزدرع

    O you who remember gain when bearing its cost,

    and remember the yield when sowing!

  48. أولعْ بِيَ العارفاتِ في يدك ال

    سمحة إن الزمان بي ولِع

    Set the kindnesses in your hand upon me—

    your generous hand—for Time has set upon me.

  49. والغوث منه أوانَ ينتهي ال

    شلو ولا غوث حين يبتلع

    Rescue from it must come as the

    torn body reaches its end; none once it is swallowed.

  50. أبا الحسين اهتزز فإنك لا ال

    ناكل في موطن ولا الطبِع

    Abu al-Husayn, rouse yourself, for you are neither

    a shirker in any situation nor a base man.

  51. ولينعطف منك معطفٌ حسنُ ال

    طاعة لا مانع ولا جزِع

    And may a side of you turn toward me, gracious in

    compliance, neither withholding nor fretful.

  52. يا من دعاني إلى الغنى أثرٌ

    لطابع الجود فيه منطبع

    O you in whom a trace has called me toward wealth—

    the imprint of generosity's seal, stamped within you.

  53. شهدت أني اعتقدت منك أخاً

    لم يخدع الرأيَ فيه مختدع

    I bear witness that I have taken you as a brother,

    concerning whom no deceiver misled my judgment:

  54. متيماً بالعلا أخا شعفٍ

    يخطبُ أبكارها ويفترع

    enthralled by high glory, possessed of ardor,

    wooing its virgins and taking their virginity.

  55. يمزح بالجود لا السفاه فإن

    جدَّ فزولٌ ذو عقدةٍ مَصِع

    He jests through generosity, not foolishness; but if

    serious, he is formidable, resolute, a fierce fighter.

  56. ما زلت بالإذن لي وبالأَذَن ال

    مجدى وأي الجميل تتَّدع

    You have always granted me leave and a hearing that

    helps me; what kindness do you ever leave undone?

  57. تمهَدُ لي مطلبي وآونةً

    تمهد لي مضجعي فأضطجع

    You smooth the way to what I seek, and at times

    prepare my resting place, where I lie down.

  58. خذها كصمِّ الصخور أقلعتُها

    من جبل شامخ فتنقلع

    Take these verses as solid rocks I have pried loose

    from a towering mountain, and they come away.

  59. مجدك ذاك الذي أناف على ال

    نجم أصيل من طوده فرِع

    Your glory, which rises above the

    stars, is the source; from its mountain comes this lofty offshoot.

  60. ومن أبى ما أقول فيك فحي

    ياه بموسى قعساء مجتدِع

    And whoever rejects what I say of you—may he be greeted

    by a nose-cutter with an unyielding razor.

  61. وبعد فاسلم على الزمان ولا

    زالت يد السوء عنك تندفع

    And now, may you remain safe through Time, and may

    the hand of evil always be driven away from you.