أَمِن آلِ سَلمى الرَسمَ أَنتَ مُسائِلُ

نَعَم وَالمَغاني قَد دَرَسنَ مَوائِلُ

Are you from the family of Salma, the one who questions?

Yes, and the songs have taught their ways.

فَظَلتَ بها تُغضي عَلى حَدّ عَبرَةٍ

كَأَنَّكَ مِن تَجريبِكَ الدَهرَ جاهِلُ

So you remained, closing your eyes to the brink of tears

As if, from your life's trials, you were ignorant.

وَغَيَّرَ آياتٍ بِبُرقِ رَواوَةٍ

تَنائي اللَيالي وَالمَدى المُتَطاوِلُ

And it changed verses with the lightning of happiness

As the nights grew long and the distances stretched.

وَقَد كانَ فيهِ لِذي اللُبِّ عِبرَةٌ

وَرَأيٌ لِذي رَأيٍ فَهَل أَنتَ عاقِلُ

Yet in it was a lesson for the wise,

And an opinion for those with reason. Are you sensible?

تَذَكَّرُ إِخواناً مَضوا فَتَتابَعوا

وَشَيبٌ عَلى مِنكَ المَفارِقَ شامِلُ

Remember brothers now gone who passed away

While grey hair covers those left behind.

غَوادٍ مِنَ الأَشراطِ وَطفٌ تُقِلُّها

رَوائِحُ أَنواءِ الثُرَيّا الهَواطِلُ

Waves of lifetimes diminish, blown

By scents of rainshowers that pour down.