أَستَغفِرُ اللَّهَ لا فَخرٌ وَلا شَرَف

وَلا وَفاء وَلا دينٌ وَلا أَنُفُ

I seek forgiveness from Allah, no pride or glory

No loyalty, no faith, no zeal either

كَأَنَّما نَحنُ في ظَلماء داجِيَةٍ

فَلَيسَ تُرفَعُ عَن أَبصارِنا السُّجُفُ

As if we are in deep darkness

And the veils are not lifted from our eyes

تَزيدُ بِالبَحثِ جَهلاً إِن طَلَبتَ هُدى

وَهَل تُضيء لِعَينِ المُدلِجِ السُّدُفُ

You increase ignorance if you seek guidance

Can the lantern enlighten the eyes of the blind?

وَفي الفَلاسِفَةِ الماضِينَ مُعتَبَرٌ

فَطَالَما قَصَدوا فيها وَما عَسَفوا

And the ancient philosophers are exemplary

They strived in this path and did not transgress

وَقَد أَتُوكَ بِمَينٍ مِن حَديثِهمُ

يَكادُ يَضحَكُ مِنهُ الحِبرُ وَالصُّحُفُ

And they have brought you strange tales

That make the ink and pages laugh

ظَنٌّ بَعيدٌ وَأَقوالٌ مُلَفَّقَةٌ

تَخفى عَلى الغمرِ أَحياناً وَتَنكَشِفُ

Far-fetched conjectures and fabricated words

That sometimes are hidden and sometimes exposed

الأَمرُ أَكبَرُ مِن فِكرٍ يُحيطُ بِهِ

وَالعُمرُ أَقصَرُ أَن يُلقى لَهُ طَرَفُ

The matter is greater than any enclosing thought

And life is too short to be fully grasped

فاعظِم بِدائِكَ إِن حاوَلتَ واضِحَةً

وَمُت بِهِ فَعَلى هَذا مَضى السَّلَفُ

So exalt your Creator if you attempt the absolute

And die for Him - for so the predecessors passed

جاءَت أَحاديثُ عَن قَوم أَظُنُّهُمُ

عاشُوا طَويلاً وَقالوا بَعدَ ما خَرَقوا

Strange accounts have come about a people I believe

Lived long and spoke nonsense after they declined

سَخيفَةٌ وَيَزيدُ المُخبِرونَ بِها

فَقَد تَجَمَّع سُوء الكَيلِ وَالحَشَفُ

Absurdities to which the narrators add more

Evil measuring and recklessness abound

يا حاكِمَ المِصرِ لا تَحفَل بِذَمِّهِمُ

فَإِنَّ كُلَّ قَضاء عِندَهُم جَنَفُ

O Governor of Egypt, do not heed their condemnation

For with them all judgment is crooked

وَلا يَغُرُّكَ مِن دَعواهُمُ قَسَمٌ

فَالقَومُ أَكذَب ما كانوا إِذا حَلَفو

And let not their oaths deceive you

They are the most mendacious when swearing vows

يَدِينُ قَومٌ بِأَنَّ الشُّهبَ خالِدَة

وَعِندَ قَوم لَها وَقتٌ وَتَنصَرِفُ

Some claim the meteors are eternal

Others say they have a time and then disappear

وَما رَضيتُ بِعَقلي في جِدالِهِمُ

وَلا تَوَهَّمتُ إِلّا غَيرَ ما وَصَفوا

I did not trust my intellect in their quarrel

Nor imagined anything but what they described

يا أُمَّ ذُفرٍ جَزاكِ الله صالِحَةً

وَإِن أَضافَ إِلَيكِ القَومُ ما اقتَرَفوا

O Mother of Dhufr, may Allah reward you with goodness

Even if the people ascribe to you what they fabricated

قالوا يُغَرُّ بِهِم جَهلاً وَعِندَهُمُ

مِنَ المَواعِظِ فيكِ المَوتُ وَالخَرَفُ

They say you are foolishly deceived by them

While the lessons of death and senility are within you

وَما تَرَكتِ قَبيحاً تُعرَفينَ بِهِ

لَو كانَ يَأَنَفُ مِنكِ الهائِمُ الدَّنِفُ

You left no disgrace that you could be identified by

Even if the roaming beast disdained you

وَرُبَّ قَوم أَضاعوني وَقَد فَهِموا

قَدري فَما أَنكَروا فَضلي وَلا عَرَفوا

Many a people made me lose my way though they understood

My worth, yet neither recognized my merit nor knew me