تظنُّ خُطوبُ الدهرِ أني بكرِّها

تظنُّ خُطوبُ الدهرِ أني بكرِّها

أحاذِرُ حربَ الخطب وهي زبونُ

أحاذِرُ حربَ الخطب وهي زبونُ

Time’s calamities think me untried by them,

You think the turns of fate that I fear early

fearing battle with misfortune when the war is fierce.

Will make me shun the perils of events, though fierce,

ولمْ تدْرِ أنَّ الماْءَ تُحميه نارهُ

ولمْ تدْرِ أنَّ الماْءَ تُحميه نارهُ

ويُطْفئهُا بالطَّبعِ وهو سَخينُ

ويُطْفئهُا بالطَّبعِ وهو سَخينُ

Yet they did not know that water is heated by its fire,

Yet know not that the flames themselves protect the stream,

and naturally extinguishes it, even while hot.

And that its heat the very nature tempers down.