الجهلُ أَروَحُ للفتى من عقلِه

يُمسي ويصبحُ آمِناً مسرورا

Ignorance is more comforting to the young man than his intellect

He goes to bed and wakes up feeling safe and content

تَرَك العَواقبَ جانباً عن فكرِه

وسَعى رَواحاً في الهوى وبكُورا

He has cast aside consequences from his thoughts

And wandered freely in passion and daybreak

والعقلُ يعقِلهُ على حَسَراته

ويَصُدُّ فيرُدّه مَحسورا

While intellect makes him regretful

And holds him back, leaving him confounded

وتراه مهتماً كثيراً غَمُّه

يَحيا أسيراً أو يموتُ فقيرا

You see him very worried, his sorrow heavy

He lives captive or dies destitute

لَمّا علا الجُهّالُ في أيامنا

ورَقَوا ونالُوا مَنزِلاً وسريرا

When ignorance rose high in our time

And the foolish progressed, obtaining status and thrones

أخفيتُ عِلمي واطّرحتُ فضائلي

عَلِّي أكونُ إذا جَهِلتُ أميرا

I concealed my knowledge and discarded my merits

So that if I were ignorant, I would become a prince