الأحنف بن محمّد يشكو الضوى

وتفاوتا في خطوه وبيانه

Al-Ahnaf ibn Muhammad complains of solitude

And the disparity in his step and expression

رجل يسرّ به البعيد تشوّقاً

ويصُدّ عنه لفضله جيرانه

A man made happy by the remote, longing

While his neighbors spurn him for his excellence

جيرانه أهل البطالة والغنى

يخفى عليهم في الزمان مكانُه

Neighbors of idleness and wealth

His place in time is hidden from them

ودليل من ينأى عليه غباوةٌ

وكذا الكتاب دليله عنوانه

And the guide of one who distances himself is ignorance

As is the cover of a book its title

وكذلك البيت الحرام يزورهُ

ضيفانه ويملّه خزّانه

And likewise the Sacred House is visited

By its guests who tire its keepers

يتشّرفون به ويدركه القلى

لمكان دوم بقائه رعيانه

They honor it, while the wretched attain it

For its enduring place of its subjects

لولا تشرّفهم به لتشعّثت

جدرانه وتقلبت ألوانه

Were it not for their honoring it, its walls would crumble

And its colors alter