يعيبُ رِجالٌ زَماناً مَضى

يعيبُ رِجالٌ زَماناً مَضى

وَما لِزَمانٍ مَضى مِن غِيَر

وَما لِزَمانٍ مَضى مِن غِيَر

Men find fault with a time gone by,

Men blame the passing days of yore,

Men find fault with a time gone by,

Yet time gone by has not changed.

Yet days of yore have no defect or flaw.

Yet time itself has not altered its nature.

أَرى اللَيلَ يَجري كَعَهدي بِهِ

أَرى اللَيلَ يَجري كَعَهدي بِهِ

وَأَنَّ النَهارَ عَلَينا يَكِر

وَأَنَّ النَهارَ عَلَينا يَكِر

I see the night pass as I have known it,

I see night darkening as before;

I see the night running its course as I have always known it,

And the day comes round to us again.

The sun and moon still keep our ancient law.

And the day returning upon us in its cycle.

وَلَم تَحبِسِ القَطرَ عَنّا السَما

وَلَم تَحبِسِ القَطرَ عَنّا السَما

وَلَم تَنكَشف شَمسُنا وَالقَمَر

وَلَم تَنكَشف شَمسُنا وَالقَمَر

The sky has not withheld rain from us,

The clouds withhold not from us rain they bore;

The heavens have not withheld their rain from us,

Nor have our sun and the moon been uncovered.

The stars still glitter as they used to draw.

Nor have our sun and moon been stripped of light.

فَقُل لِلَّذي ذَمَّ صَرفَ الزَمانِ

فَقُل لِلَّذي ذَمَّ صَرفَ الزَمانِ

ظَلَمتَ الزَمانَ فَذُمَّ البَشَر

ظَلَمتَ الزَمانَ فَذُمَّ البَشَر

So tell the one who blamed time's vicissitudes:

Then say to him who blames time gone before:

So say to the one who condemns the vicissitudes of time:

You have wronged time, so blame humankind.

You wrong the time; go, blame the faults you saw!

"You have been unjust to time; blame instead mankind."