ولمّا رأيتُ الدَّهرَ فَوَّقَ نَبلَهُ

إلى كُلّ ذي نُبلٍ وسَلَّ حِرابَهُ

When I saw Time raise his arrows

Against each man of excellence, and notch his bow,

وقدَّمَ في مِضمارِهِ كُلِّ كَوْدَنٍ

وأخَّرَ عُدواناً وظُلماً عِرابَهُ

And bring forward every feeble lad

While holding back his hostile and unjust ones,

تَكودَنْتُ تَعويلاً على مثلِ ما جرى

إذا اعوَجَّ سِكِّينٌ فعوِّجْ قِرابَهُ

I lamented loudly at what had come to pass,

For if a knife is bent, bend its sheath.