أَقامَ بِدارِ الخَفضِ راضٍ بِحَظِّهِ

He stayed in the home of comfort, content with his share, while the greedy one travels where no one else travels.

He thinks being satisfied with divine decree is a trivial matter, yet before satisfaction lies a cup more bitter than patience.

You panicked and I did not reproach you; had you possessed true wisdom, you would have made my soul content with scant provisions.

I think the dullest of people lives the easiest life and is the most cheerful in times of plenty and want alike.

Tragically, calamities pass over him—rumbling like thunder at times, flashing with disasters at others—while he remains entirely unaware.

To the turning days, a master of experience is no different from a useless ruin that neither feathers nor whittles an arrow.

Had my Lord wished, I would not have possessed such zealous pride, striving endlessly for the ultimate heights of glory and nobility.

I humbled myself before certain men hoping for their gifts, though I once refused to yield to baseness at any price.

Yet when I saw a man spend his malice and use pleasant smiles merely as a shield to protect his hoarded wealth,

I reined in my mount, returned to my hearth, and became a devoted ally to study and deep reflection.

I consulted my brothers, and their wisest advised: "Hold fast to the Murrid youth, owner of vast character."

A young man who has never stood in a questionable place, leaving him no need for self-justification or excuses.

I seek the Rahman's protection for you from the spiteful whisper: "Does the longed-for Abu al-Faraj turn away from Amr?"

Had he truly desired him, you would have found him steadfast as he was through long seasons of ease and plenty.

Do you consent—may my soul and family be your ransom today—that my provisions are delayed while you manage my affairs?

O youth of the pen and the army, wrapped in righteousness and reinforced by victory!

I fear the evil eye or the jealous lover for you, for the loving heart is hollowed out by sudden dread.

By God, my experience of him is that he guides his own affairs wisely and protects those who stay and those who travel.

He deliberates with measured patience, completely unprovoked by the schemes of deceitful tricksters whose scorpions crawl in the dark.

With a judgment that could shift a mountain from its place, and logic clearer to an opponent than the light of dawn.

With a determination sharp as a Syrian blade, and a heart steadfast, calm, and untroubled.

O son of Najah, may God cause your endeavors to succeed and back you with victory and vast numbers!

I sat down and made no request, trembling lest I fail to find a true friend to console me and cherish my gratitude.

Even if my hands return empty while I have tied my hopes to you, my judgment has spoken and I have leaned entirely on my poetry.

I adjure you by the Rahman not to let enemies gloat over me, for poverty is far better than the schadenfreude of the malicious.

If you nurture my affection with acceptance, you are worthy of it; only those of true stature recognize proper worth.

My devotion and friendship are all you need if you so desire, and I am enough for you on the day of integrity and endurance.

Ah, how many expressions of gratitude fade away and are forgotten, while true appreciation remains carved in stone like ancient Himyaritic script!