قُل لِلّذي بِصُروفِ الدَّهر عَيَّرنا

وَلا يعار بِها في دَهرِهِ بَشَرُ

Say to him who reproached us with the vicissitudes of fate,

Yet no mortal in his time was ever free from reproach,

قَد أُولِعَ الدهرُ إِغراءً بِذي شَرَفٍ

هَل عانَدَ الدّهر إِلّا ما لَهُ خَطَرُ

Fate is ever inclined to entice the noble-minded,

Did it ever oppose any but those who dared to resist it?

وَكَم عَلى الأَرضِ مِن خَضراء مورِقةٍ

مِن ذاتِ زَهرٍ وَأُخرى ما لَها زَهَرُ

How many a verdant meadow is there on earth,

Some with flowers in bloom, while others have none,

ما لا ثِمارَ لَها أَو زهرَ قَد سَلِمت

وَلَيس يُرجم إِلّا ما لَهُ ثَمَرُ

Those with neither fruit nor blossom are spared,

Only the fruitful invite stoning.

أَما تَرى البحرَ تَعلو فَوقَهُ جِيَفٌ

وَلَيسَ يُمسِكُها في جَوفِهِ البحرُ

Do you not see how carrion floats atop the sea,

Yet the sea does not hold it in its depths,

يُريدُ إِخراجَها إِذ أَنّها قَذَرٌ

وَيَستَقِرُّ بِأَقصى قَعرِهِ الدُّررُ

It seeks to cast out the filth that sullies it,

While pearls rest tranquil at its furthest bottom.

وَفي السّماءِ نُجومٌ ما لَها عَدَدٌ

بَل لَيسَ يحصرُ مِنها ما يَرى البصرُ

In the heavens are stars beyond number,

More than eyes can see or minds can measure,

أَخسُّها لَم يَنلهُ الكسفُ في زَمَنٍ

وَلَيسَ يُكسفُ إِلّا الشّمسُ وَالقمرُ

The lowliest star has never suffered eclipse,

Only the sun and moon are subject to eclipse.