وَكُنتَ أَخي أَيّامَ عودُكَ يابِس

فَلَمّا اِكتَسى وَاِخضَرَّ صِرتَ مَع الدَهرِ

You were my brother in the days when your bough was dry;

but once it clothed itself and turned green, you sided with Time.

لَعَمرُكَ لَو ذَوَّقتَني ثَمرَ الغِنى

أَذَقتُكَ ما يُرضيكَ مِن ثَمَرِ الشُكرِ

By your life, had you let me taste the fruit of wealth,

I would have let you taste, from gratitude’s fruit, enough to please you.

فَلَو نِلتُ ما يُغني بِكَ اليَوم أَو غَداً

أَنَلتُكَ ما يَبقى إِلى آخرِ الدَهرِ

Had I obtained through you what would suffice me today or tomorrow,

I would have granted you what endures until the end of time.

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ الفَقرَ يُرجى لَهُ الغِنى

وَأَنَّ الغِنى يُخشى عَلَيهِ مِنَ الكُفرِ

Do you not see that poverty may hope for wealth,

while wealth has ingratitude to fear?