1. مضى الفراعن والأوتاد راسخة

    كالطود بين جذور الأرض والزمن

    The Pharaohs have passed away, while the stakes stand firmly rooted,

    Like a mountain amid the roots of earth and time.

  2. فلا حنتك يمين الدهر يا وتداً

    أطنابه في طباق الجو لم تهن

    So may Time's right hand never bend you, O stake,

    Whose guy ropes in the layers of the sky have not weakened.

  3. الدور حولك أطلال مقوّضة

    وأنت كالريح لم تستخذ للمحن

    The houses around you lie in shattered ruins,

    And you, like the wind, have not bowed to adversity.

  4. كأنما أنت والأطلال جاثمة

    ما بين رسمٍ عفا حوليك او سكن

    It is as though you, while the ruins crouch

    Amid faded traces or dwellings around you,

  5. قرم ينازل صرف الدهر منفرداً

    بين الرمائم من شلو ومن بدن

    Were a champion battling Time's vicissitudes alone,

    Among decayed remains of severed limbs and bodies.

  6. يا ليت للمرء من أيام شوكته

    حظّ الحجارة يبنيهن والدمن

    Oh, would that man, from his days of might,

    Had the share of the stones he lays, and of the ruins.