بلغ بني الحرص والآمال مبتدياً

بلغ بني الحرص والآمال مبتدياً

بي ان نصحت وخير النصح ما نفعا

بي ان نصحت وخير النصح ما نفعا

Tell the sons of greed and hopes, beginning

Convey to the sons of greed and hopes at the outset

With me, if you counsel—the best counsel is what benefits.

That I advise you and the best advice is what benefits

أبقى ابن طه لكم في موته عظة

أبقى ابن طه لكم في موته عظة

ملساء لن تقبل الأعذار والخدعا

ملساء لن تقبل الأعذار والخدعا

Ibn Taha left you, in his death, a lesson:

Ibn Taha's son remains for you in his death a lesson

Smooth and unyielding, accepting neither excuses nor deceit.

Smooth, he will not accept excuses and deceptions

قد كان طلاع انجاد أخا كلبٍ

قد كان طلاع انجاد أخا كلبٍ

على الحطام بأمر الفخر مضطلعا

على الحطام بأمر الفخر مضطلعا

He had been a scaler of heights, ravenously greedy

He who rises like a star had a brother who was a dog

For worldly chaff, vigorously pursuing glory.

Preoccupied with wreckage by order of pride

درت حلوبة اقبال الزمان له

درت حلوبة اقبال الزمان له

يزداد منها أوماً كلما كرعا

يزداد منها أوماً كلما كرعا

The milch-cow of time's favor yielded richly for him;

The sweetness of the turning of time smiled on him

He grew thirstier from it whenever he drank deeply.

Increasing from it misfortune whenever he drank

كان بعد ارتكاب الموبقات سوى

كان بعد ارتكاب الموبقات سوى

سارٍ أغد فجب الظهر فانقطعا

سارٍ أغد فجب الظهر فانقطعا

After committing ruinous sins, he was no more than

After committing atrocities he was nothing but

A night traveler who hurried, wore out his mount, and was stranded.

A walker in the morning, his back hunched in the evening

تاللَه لم آله نصح الرفيق به

تاللَه لم آله نصح الرفيق به

وكنت أخشى عليه الأزلم الجزعا

وكنت أخشى عليه الأزلم الجزعا

By God, I withheld no counsel from him as one who cared for him;

By God, I did not neglect to advise the friend about him

And I feared for him the smooth, ever-young one—Time.

And I feared for him intense grief

فسل مغانيه عنه إن مررت بها

فسل مغانيه عنه إن مررت بها

بعد التي واللتيا ما الذي صنعا

بعد التي واللتيا ما الذي صنعا

So ask his dwellings about him, if you pass them:

So ask his singing girls about him if you pass by them

After the great ordeal and the little, what did he accomplish?

After this one and that one, what did they do?

لكن اللَه حكما لا مرد له

لكن اللَه حكما لا مرد له

وان في جنب عفو الله ما وقعا

وان في جنب عفو الله ما وقعا

But God has a decree that cannot be reversed,

But God judges with no way to reverse it

And what occurred pales beside God's forgiveness.

And in God's forgiveness lies what has come to pass