بَلَوتُ بَني الدُنيا فَلَم أَرى فيهُمُ

سِوى مَن غَدا وَالبُخلُ مِلءَ إِهابِهِ

I experienced the people of this world, but did not see among them

Except one who became stingy, with greed filling his clothing

فَجَرَّدتُ مِن غَمدِ القَناعَةِ صارِماً

قَطَعتُ رَجائي مِنهُمُ بِذُبابِهِ

So I unsheathed from the scabbard of contentment a sharp sword

And I cut off my hopes in them with its blade

فَلا ذا يَراني واقِفاً في طَريقِهِ

وَلا ذا يَراني قاعِداً عِندَ بابِهِ

Thus no one sees me standing in their path

Nor sitting at their door

غَنيٌّ بِلا مالٍ عَنِ الناسِ كُلِّهِم

وَلَيسَ الغِنى إِلّا عَنِ الشَيءِ لا بِهِ

Rich without wealth, needless of all people

And riches is only in needing nothing, not in it

إِذا ما ظالِمُ استَحسَنَ الظُلمَ مَذهَباً

وَلَجَّ عُتُوّاً في قَبيحِ اِكتِسابِهِ

When an oppressor takes oppression as a fine approach

And persists in the ugliness of his earning

فَكِلهُ إِلى صَرفِ اللَيالي فَإِنَّها

سَتُبدي لَهُ ما لَم يَكُن في حِسابِهِ

Then everything is left to the passage of nights, for they

Will show him what was not in his calculations

فَكَم قَد رَأَينا ظالِماً مُتَمَرِّداً

يَرى النَجمَ تيهاً تَحتَ ظِلِّ رِكابِهِ

How many oppressors, obstinate, we have seen

Who see the stars collapse under the shade of his feet

فَعَمَّا قَليلٍ وَهُوَ في غَفَلاتِهِ

أَناخَت صُروفُ الحادِثاتِ بِبابِهِ

But after a little while, when he is in his heedlessness

The vicissitudes of events will arrive at his door

فَأَصبَحَ لا مالٌ لَهُ وَلا جاهٌ يُرتَجى

وَلا حَسَناتٌ تَلتَقي في كِتابِهِ

So he is left with no money, no status to hope for

No good deeds recorded in his book

وَجوزِيَ بِالأَمرِ الَّذي كانَ فاعِلاً

وَصَبَّ عَلَيهِ اللَهُ سَوطَ عَذابِهِ

And he is rewarded for that which he did

As God poured upon him the whip of His punishment