1. The buyer's wand like Saturn is hoped
To awaken the sleepers from their hated slumber
١. قِرانُ المُشتَّري زُحَلاً يُرَجّى
لِإيقاظِ النَواظِرِ مِن كَراها
2. Alas, ignorance is in misguidance
As the perceptive realized what ails it
٢. وَهَيهاتَ البَريَّةُ في ضِلالٍ
وَقَد فَطَنَ اللَبيبُ لِما اِعتَراها
3. How many vacant homes and thriving dwellings
Have seen tribes, then became their graves
٣. وَكَم رَأَتِ الفَراقِدُ وَالثُرَيّا
قَبائِلَ ثُمَّ أَضحَت في ثَراها
4. People pass away, generation after generation
While stars remain as you see them
٤. تَقَضّى الناسُ جيلاً بَعدَ جيلٍ
وَخُلِّفَتِ النُجومُ كَما تَراها
5. The wilderness' inhabitants are fully tattooed
With chiefs' coats of arms from their villages
٥. قَراءُ الوَحشِ وَهيَ مُسَوَّماتٌ
بِرَبّاتِ المَعاطِفِ مِن قِراها
6. No injustice by a clan or town
Was done by the barren or their villages
٦. وَما ظَلَمَ العَشيرَ وَلا قِراهُ
ظَليمُ المُقفِراتِ وَلا قُراها
7. When the wise man returns to his senses
He disregards doctrines and spurns them
٧. إِذا رَجَعَ الحَصيفُ إِلى حِجاهُ
تَهاوَنَ بِالمَذاهِبِ وَاِزدَراها
8. So take from it what an intelligent mind concluded
And do not let ignorance immerse you in its calamities
٨. فَخُذ مِنها بِما أَدّاهُ لُبٌّ
وَلا يَغمِسكَ جَهلٌ في صَراها
9. Their religions have faltered from every perspective
Is there a mind to mend its nakedness?
٩. وَهَت أَديانُهُم مِن كُلِّ وَجهٍ
فَهَل عَقلٌ يُشَدُّ بِهِ عُراها
10. Do you know of fortified mountains
That ancestors saw which they saw?
١٠. أَتَعلَمُ جارِساتٌ في جِبالٍ
أَراها قَبلَها سَلَفٌ أَراها
11. With the corruption that people harbor
It hid in souls or hid behind them
١١. بِما فيهِ المَعاشِرُ مِن فَسادٍ
تَوارى في الجَوانِحِ أَو وَراها
12. An ongoing decree from your God
Seasons emerged from it in their lands
١٢. قَضاءٌ مِن إِلَهِكَ مُستَمِرٌّ
غَدَت مِنهُ المَعاطِسُ في بُراها
13. It reduces the sublime to ruins every moment
The sublime's invincibility from its particles
١٣. يَحُطُّ إِلى الفَوادِرِ كُلَّ حينٍ
مَنيعاتُ الفَوادِرِ مِن ذَراها
14. Neither signs remain under protection
Nor the vicious lion in its den
١٤. وَما تَبقى الأَراقِمُ في حِماها
وَلا الأُسدُ الضَراغِمُ في شَراها
15. The bearer of the Torah, Moses, set forth
And caused ruin to those who denied it
١٥. تَقَدَّمَ صاحِبُ التَوراةِ موسى
وَأَوقَعَ في الخَسارِ مَنِ اِفتَراها
16. His men said it was revelation that came to him
While the unjust said he fabricated it
١٦. وَقالَ رِجالُهُ وَحيٌ أَتاهُ
وَقالَ الظالِمونَ بَلِ اِفتَراها
17. A Hebrew indulged in farfetched tales
So he bought and sold ambiguities
١٧. أَعِبرِيٌّ تَهَوَّكَ في حَديثٍ
فَباعَ المُشكِلاتِ كَما اِشتَراها
18. And matters were proposed to go to extremes
Which plotters plotted as they plotted them
١٨. وَغاياتٌ بُسِطنَ إِلى أُمورٍ
جَراها الآجِرونَ كَما جَراها
19. I see that the mother of all towns was abandoned
And the ants of Mecca left their homes
١٩. أَرى أُمَّ القُرى خُصَّت بِهَجرٍ
وَسارَت نَملُ مَكَّةَ عَن قِراها
20. How many times did friends set out for integrity
Then experienced hardship in their travel
٢٠. وَكَم سَرَتِ الرِفاقُ إِلى صَلاحٍ
فَمارَسَتِ الشَدائِدَ في سُراها
21. They visit the girl idols annually
To cast down what disgraces their towns
٢١. يُوافونَ البَنِيَّةَ كُلَّ عامٍ
لِيُلقوا المُخزِياتِ عَلى قُراها
22. Guests that Allah did not look upon kindly
Rather from their tribulations he looked upon them
٢٢. ضُيوفٌ ما قَراها اللَهُ عَفواً
وَلَكِن مِن نَوائِبِها قَراها
23. I do not travel to the stones of a house
Where wine cups are drunk in its regions
٢٣. وَما سَيري إِلى أَحجارِ بَيتٍ
كُؤوسُ الخَمرِ تُشرَبُ في ذَراها
24. The open deserts have been degraded since their existence
By the dissolute staining its expanse
٢٤. وَلَم تَزَلِ الأَباطِحُ مُنذُ كانَت
يُدَنَّسُ مِن فَواجِرُها بُراها
25. And before all people are sermons
Which a debauched woman has forgotten
٢٥. وَبَينَ يَدَي جَميعِ الناسِ خَطبٌ
لَهُ نَسِيَت مُوَلَّعَةٌ غَراها
26. Careful! If you allow violation from her
You are her raider or her panderer
٢٦. مَهالِكُ إِن أَجَزتَ الخَرقَ مِنها
فَأَنتَ سُلَيكُها أَو شَنفَراها
27. A sphere appeared as if time concealed it
In it the Almighty glorified when He abhorred it
٢٧. بَدَت كُرَةٌ كَأَنَّ الوَقتَ لاهٍ
بِها عَزَّ المُهَيمِنُ إِذ كَراها
28. Blessed is He who created the celestial bodies
And originated bliss in its heat
٢٨. تَبارَكَ مَن أَدارَ بَناتِ نَعشٍ
وَمَن بَرَأَ النَعائِمَ في حَراها
29. The people vie in claims and they neglected
The life of this world so they all desired it
٢٩. تَمارى القَومُ في الدَعوى وَهَبّوا
إِلى الدُنيا فَكُلُّهُمُ مَراها
30. How much did the Lord of wealth amass
But when he parted he scattered it
٣٠. وَكَم جَمَعَ النَفائِسَ رَبُّ مالٍ
فَلَمّا جَدَّ مُرتَحِلاً ذَراها
31. The eyes of this time roam around misguided
Counting female camels and old sheep
٣١. تَظَلُّ عُيونُ هَذا الدَهرِ خُزراً
تَعُدُّ الماشِياتِ وَخَوزَراها
32. Squadrons the night drafts are being recited
With dawn believed due to its stealth
٣٢. كَتائِبُ مِنسَراها اللَيلُ يُتلى
بِصُبحٍ يُؤمَنُ مِن سَراها
33. Illnesses have left Hippocrates dead
And Galen perished though unaware of them
٣٣. وَأَدواءٌ ثَوى بُقراطُ مَيتاً
وَجالينوسُ فادَ وَما دَراها
34. Time does not cease with wrongdoing
Its phases obey whoever harnessed them
٣٤. وَما اِنفَكَّ الزَمانُ بِغَيرِ جُرمٍ
طَوائِفُهُ تُطيعُ مَنِ اِدَّراها
35. Is this house an owned land of earth's son?
He intended residence or purchased it?
٣٥. أَهَذي الدارُ مُلكٌ لِاِبنِ أَرضٍ
بِها رامَ المُقامَ أَمِ اِكتَراها
36. Reluctantly he headed towards it and cast
Resentfully his belongings and acquired it
٣٦. عَلى كُرهٍ تَيَمَّمَها فَأَلقى
بِها رَحلاً وَعَن سُخطٍ شَراها
37. The cadaver remains on the beasts
While those are our souls until He created them
٣٧. وَما بَرِحَ الوَجيفُ عَلى المَطايا
وَتِلكَ نُفوسُنا حَتّى بَراها
38. When anarchy is provoked and aroused
Who loosened the slave girls and who herded them?
٣٨. إِذا ما حُرَّةٌ هُرِيَت وَسيفَت
فَمَن سافَ الإِماءَ وَمَن هَراها
39. We are as if we are barren hamlets
Barefoot, not enabling who dressed them
٣٩. وَنَحنُ كَأَنَّنا هَملٌ بِجَدبٍ
عُراةٌ لا نُمَكِّنُ مَن عَراها
40. Your youth is like the night's wings so watch
Who restored to adolescence those it fatigued?
٤٠. شَبابُكَ مِثلَ جِنحِ اللَيلِ فَاِنظُر
أَعادَ إِلى الشَبيبَةِ مَن سَراها
41. The of impure birth will not attain glories
If he proposes to the virtuous woman and shelters her
٤١. وَما نالَ الهَجينُ مِنَ المعالي
إِذا خَطَبَ الكَريمَةَ وَاِستَراها
42. Shall I rob this dust colored woman violently
As fire equals however it desires her?
٤٢. أَنَرهَبُ هَذِهِ الغَبراءَ ناراً
تُطَبِّقُ مِثلَ ما تَهوي سَراها
43. God is surely beyond blame for deeds
If He blankets the firewood over her
٤٣. فَإِنَّ اللَهَ غَيرُ مَلومِ فِعلٍ
إِذا أَورى الوَقودَ عَلى وَراها