كَثَّر الله زُمرةَ الأَغبياءِ

وجزاهُم خيرا عنِ الأذكيَاء

God multiplied the throng of fools,

And rewarded them well over the wise,

وَوقاهُم من كلِّ عَينٍ تُؤدِّي

بِهمُ لانقراَضهم وانقِضَائي

And protected them from every eye

That would lead to their extinction and end.

لا عَدِمنا لَهم وُجوداًفلولا

هُم لمَا بأن قطُّ فضلُ الذكاء

We could not exist without them, for if not

For them, the merit of wisdom would not shine.

وذَوو القَدرِ والمكَانةِ ساوَوا

غيرَهُم من حُثالةِ الدَّهمَاء

The ignorant and the wise attained equal

Status and position over the base rabble.

خلقَ اللهُ في التَّبايُن سِرّاً

بل حوَى فيه حكمةَ الحُكماء

God created contrast for a mystery,

Nay, He embedded in it the wisdom of sages.

فَبهِ امتازَ عالِمٌ من جَهُولٍ

وكَريمٌ عن زمرةِ البُخَلاء

By it the scholar was distinguished from the ignorant,

And the generous from the clan of misers.

آهِ لولاَهم لا استَوى كلُّ ضِدٍّ

مَعَ ضِدٍّ بلا كبيرِ عَنَاء

Oh if not for them, every opposite

Would equal its opposite without great toil.

واستَوى في الأنامِ خيرٌ وشرٌ

وتَساوى نورٌ معَ الظَّلماء

And among people good and evil would equal,

And light would equal the dark.

ولِذا فليَدُم لئامٌ وبُخَّا

لٌ وسُفلٌ وعاشَ أهلُ الغَبَاء

And so let there persist scoundrels and incompetents,

And lowly ones, and let the ignorant live.