ولمّا رأيتُ الدَّهرَ فَوَّقَ نَبلَهُ

ولمّا رأيتُ الدَّهرَ فَوَّقَ نَبلَهُ

إلى كُلّ ذي نُبلٍ وسَلَّ حِرابَهُ

إلى كُلّ ذي نُبلٍ وسَلَّ حِرابَهُ

And when I saw Time aim its arrows

When I saw Time raise his arrows

At everyone of noble worth, and unsheathe its spears,

Against each man of excellence, and notch his bow,

وقدَّمَ في مِضمارِهِ كُلِّ كَوْدَنٍ

وقدَّمَ في مِضمارِهِ كُلِّ كَوْدَنٍ

وأخَّرَ عُدواناً وظُلماً عِرابَهُ

وأخَّرَ عُدواناً وظُلماً عِرابَهُ

And put every ill-bred horse ahead on its racecourse,

And bring forward every feeble lad

And hold its purebred Arabians back in hostility and injustice,

While holding back his hostile and unjust ones,

تَكودَنْتُ تَعويلاً على مثلِ ما جرى

تَكودَنْتُ تَعويلاً على مثلِ ما جرى

إذا اعوَجَّ سِكِّينٌ فعوِّجْ قِرابَهُ

إذا اعوَجَّ سِكِّينٌ فعوِّجْ قِرابَهُ

I made myself a plodding hack, relying on the example of what had happened:

I lamented loudly at what had come to pass,

If a knife grows crooked, then bend its sheath.

For if a knife is bent, bend its sheath.