يَعرى اللَئيمُ مِنَ الثَناءِ وَيَكتَسي

يَعرى اللَئيمُ مِنَ الثَناءِ وَيَكتَسي

حُلَلَ النَواسِجِ فَهوَ كاسٍ عارِ

حُلَلَ النَواسِجِ فَهوَ كاسٍ عارِ

The ignoble man is bare of praise, yet puts on

The base man is stripped of praise and dons

The weavers’ robes: he is clothed, yet naked.

The robes of weavers, thus a shameful cup.

وَالدَهرُ لَم يَشعُر بِما هُوَ كائِنٌ

وَالدَهرُ لَم يَشعُر بِما هُوَ كائِنٌ

فيهِ فَكَيفَ يُذَمُّ في الأَشعارِ

فيهِ فَكَيفَ يُذَمُّ في الأَشعارِ

And Time is unaware of what takes place

Time was not aware what was to come to be,

Within it; how, then, can it be blamed in poems?

So why condemn it in these verses here?

ما اِستُرجِعَت هِبَةُ الحَياةِ مِنَ الفَتى

ما اِستُرجِعَت هِبَةُ الحَياةِ مِنَ الفَتى

بَل كانَ ما يُعطاهُ رَدَّ مُعارِ

بَل كانَ ما يُعطاهُ رَدَّ مُعارِ

The gift of life was not reclaimed from the young man;

The gift of life was not recalled from him

Rather, what he was given was the return of something lent.

But rather what was given him seemed loaned.