1. قَد آذَنَتنا بِأَمرٍ فادِحٍ أُذُنٌ

    وَإِنَّما قيلَ آذانٌ لِإيذانِ

    An ear has indeed warned us of a grievous matter;

    And ears were so named only for giving notice.

  2. شَمسٌ وَبَدرٌ أَنارا في ضُحىً وَدُجىً

    لِآدَمٍ وَهُما لا رَيبَ هَذانِ

    A sun and a full moon shone at midmorning and in darkness

    For Adam; and they are, beyond doubt, these same two.

  3. وَاللَيلُ وَالصُبحُ ما اِنجَذَّت حِبالُهُما

    وَكُلَّ حَبلٍ عَلى عَمدٍ يَجُذّانِ

    And night and morning—their cords have not been severed;

    Yet they deliberately sever every cord.

  4. وَيَأكُلانِ وَلَم يَستَوبِلا مِقَراً

    مِنَ الطَعامِ وَلا شَهداً يَلَذّانِ

    And they eat, yet have never found bitter aloe unwholesome

    Among their food, nor do they relish honey.

  5. إِنَّ الجَديدَينِ ما ظَنّا وَما عَلِما

    بَل طائِرانِ عَلى جَدٍّ أَحَذّانِ

    The two ever-new ones have neither surmised nor known;

    Rather, they are two fleet birds flying on in earnest.

  6. طِرفانِ لِلَّهِ ما بُذّا وَلا لُحِقا

    وَلَم يَزالا بِمِقدارٍ يَبُذّانِ

    Two steeds of God's, never outstripped or overtaken,

    And they have never ceased to outstrip others, by an allotted measure.

  7. هَذّا العِظاتِ عَلَينا في سُكونِهِما

    كَصارِمَينِ ذَوي غَربٍ يُهَذّانِ

    They poured forth admonitions upon us in their stillness,

    Like two keen-edged swords being swiftly swung.

  8. وَقالَتِ الأَرضُ مَهلاً يا بَنِيّ أَلا

    سِيّانِ فَوقَي أَجمالي وَقَذّاني

    And the earth said: Gently, my sons! Behold,

    My camels and my tiny ticks are alike upon me.

  9. غَذاكُمُ اللَهُ مِنّي ثُمَّ عَوَّضَني

    مِمّا لَقيتُ فَبِالأَجسامِ غَذّاني

    God nourished you from me, then compensated me

    For what I suffered; so with bodies He nourished me.

  10. وَطِئتُموني بِأَقدامٍ وَأَحذِيَةٍ

    فَقَد أُدِلتُ فَتَحتي مَن تَحَذّاني

    You trod upon me with feet and shoes;

    Now I have the upper hand: beneath me lies whoever made me his footwear.

  11. كَم مَرَّ في الدَهرِ مِن قَيظٍ وَمِن شَبَمٍ

    وَلاحَ في الأَرضِ مِن وِردٍ وَحَوذانِ

    How much summer heat and cold has passed through the ages,

    And how many roses and buttercups have gleamed upon the earth!

  12. يا صاحِبَيَّ اللَذَينِ اِستَشفَيا لِضَنىً

    بِمَن تَلوذانِ أَو مِمَّن تَعوذانِ

    O my two companions who sought healing for wasting sickness,

    With whom do you seek refuge, or from whom do you seek protection?

  13. بُقراطَ عَمري وَجالينوسُ ما سَلِما

    وَالحَقُّ أَنَّهُما في الطِبِّ فَذّانِ

    Hippocrates, by my life, and Galen were not spared,

    And the truth is that both were unrivalled in medicine.