تَنافَسَ قَومٌ عَلى رُتبَةٍ

تَنافَسَ قَومٌ عَلى رُتبَةٍ

كَأَنَّ الزَمانَ يُديمُ الرُتَب

كَأَنَّ الزَمانَ يُديمُ الرُتَب

Some people competed for a rank,

People vie for rank

as though time perpetuates ranks.

As if time will make rank endure

وَدُنياكَ غُرَّ بِها جاهِلٌ

وَدُنياكَ غُرَّ بِها جاهِلٌ

فَتَبَّت عَلى كُلِّ حالٍ وَتَبّ

فَتَبَّت عَلى كُلِّ حالٍ وَتَبّ

And a fool was beguiled by your world;

Yet your world has fooled an ignorant one

so may it perish in any case, and he too.

So it faltered at every state and stumbled

وَكَم مِن بَعيرٍ قَضى دَهرَهُ

وَكَم مِن بَعيرٍ قَضى دَهرَهُ

بِشَدِّ البِطانِ وَعَضِّ القَتَب

بِشَدِّ البِطانِ وَعَضِّ القَتَب

And many a camel has spent its life

And many a camel lived out its life

with its girth tightened and its pack-saddle biting,

With tight saddles and biting halters

وَآخَرَ في مَرتَعٍ هامِلٍ

وَآخَرَ في مَرتَعٍ هامِلٍ

تَظالَعَ مِن أَشَرٍ أَو عَتَب

تَظالَعَ مِن أَشَرٍ أَو عَتَب

and another, unattended in a pasture,

While another in a fertile pasture

affected a limp from wantonness or infirmity.

Watched out for harm or knotty reins

وَلي عَمَلٌ كَجَناحِ الغُرابِ

وَلي عَمَلٌ كَجَناحِ الغُرابِ

أَو جِنحِ لَيلٍ إِذا مارَتَب

أَو جِنحِ لَيلٍ إِذا مارَتَب

And my conduct is like a raven's wing,

As for me, my work is like the raven’s wing

or the darkness of night when it settles.

Or the folds of night when it grows dark

فَإِن كانَ يَكتُبُهُ كاتِبٌ

فَإِن كانَ يَكتُبُهُ كاتِبٌ

فَقَد سَوَّدَ الصُبحَ مِمّا كَتَب

فَقَد سَوَّدَ الصُبحَ مِمّا كَتَب

So if a scribe is recording it,

So if a scribe records it

then he has blackened the dawn with what he wrote.

He has blackened the dawn with what he wrote