رَأَيتُ في بَعضِ الرِياضِ قُبَّرَه

تُطَيِّرُ اِبنَها بِأَعلى الشَجَرَه

I saw in a garden a sparrow

Training her fledgling on the top of a tree

وَهيَ تَقولُ يا جَمالَ العُشِّ

لا تَعتَمِد عَلى الجَناحِ الهَشِّ

She was saying: "Oh beauty of the nest

Do not rely on the fragile wing

وَقِف عَلى عودٍ بِجَنبِ عودِ

وَاِفعَل كَما أَفعَلُ في الصُعودِ

Stand on a branch next to a branch

And do as I do when ascending

فَاِنتَقَلَت مِن فَنَنٍ إِلى فَنَن

وَجَعَلَت لِكُلِّ نَقلَةٍ زَمَن

She moved from one art to another

And made for each move a time

كَي يَستَريحَ الفَرخُ في الأَثناءِ

فَلا يَمَلُّ ثِقَلَ الهَواءِ

So the chick may rest meanwhile

And not get tired of the air's weight

لَكِنَّهُ قَد خَالَفَ الإِشارَه

لَمّا أَرادَ يُظهِرُ الشَطارَه

But he disobeyed the signal

When he wanted to show cleverness

وَطارَ في الفَضاءِ حَتّى اِرتَفَعا

فَخانَهُ جَناحُهُ فَوَقَعا

And flew in the sky until he rose high

His wing failed him so he fell

فَاِنكَسَرَت في الحالِ رُكبَتاهُ

وَلَم يَنَل مِنَ العُلا مُناهُ

Both his knees broke right away

And he did not attain the height he wished

وَلَو تَأَنّى نالَ ما تَمَنّى

وَعاشَ طولَ عُمرِهِ مُهَنّا

Had he been patient he'd have attained his wishes

And lived his whole life happy

لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ في الحَياةِ وَقتُهُ

وَغايَةُ المُستَعجِلينَ فَوتُهُ

Everything in life has its time

And the fate of the impatient is to miss out