الأَرضُ واسِعَةٌ نَعَم لَكِنَّهُم
مَلَكوا عَلَينا نَبتَها وَالمَعدِنا
The earth is vast, yes, but they
Have owned its plants and mines over us
وَالدَهرُ يَمضي حُكمُهُ في أَهلِهِ
فَالدَهرُ قاضيهِم وَلَكِن خَصمُنا
And time passes, its rule over its people
So time is their judge, though our adversary
إِن لَم أَكُن في الفَضلِ مَغبوناً فَلا
وَأَبى الفَضيلَةِ ساءَني أُغبَنا
If I were not wronged in merit, no,
And merit refused me, I was wronged
شَهِدَت قُلوبُ الناسِ عِندَ عُيونِهِم
أَنَّ الَّذي مِن فَوقِنا مِن دونِنا
The people's hearts testified in their eyes
That the one above us, not beneath us
قَد يَشهَدُ الإِحسانُ أَنِّيَ مُحسِنٌ
في الناسِ قَد جَرَتِ المَوَدَّةُ بَينَنا
Goodness may testify I'm good
To people, affection has flowed between us
وَصَحِبتُهُ عُمري بِوَصفٍ واحِدٍ
أَرعى المُسيءَ وَإِن دُعيتُ المُحسِنا
And I accompanied him my life with one trait
I shepherd the wrongdoer, though called good
إِن قالَ خانَنِيَ الزَمانُ وَما اِقتَنى
لِزَمانِهِ إِلّا لَعَمرُكَ مُقَتَنى
If he said time betrayed me, and didn't gain
For his time, by your life, anything gained
إِن قلَ خانَنِيَ الزَمانُ فَنَفسُهُ
قَد كانَ مِنهُ لَها أَعَقَّ وَأَخوَنا
If he said time betrayed me, then himself
Had from it, for him, more faithless and hostile
سَلَفٌ يَعيشُ بِذِكرِنا فَكَأَنَّهُ
مِن بَعدُ لَو سَكَنَ التُرابَ نَبا بِنا
A predecessor living by our memory, so it's as if,
Afterward, if he dwelled in dust, he sprang from us
وَلِئامُ كُلِّ الناسِ أَحمَدُ سَعيِهِم
تَشييدُهُم ما كانَ أَوَّلُهُم بَنى
And the villainy of all people is the praise of their effort
Their building what the first of them didn't build
وَلَقَد سَكَتُّ عَلى الزَمانِ وَما جَرى
يَوماً وَلا يَجري عِتابٌ بَينَنا
And indeed I was silent about time and what transpired
A day, and no reproach flows between us
يَمضي وَما ذَمَّمتُ لَيلاً كافِرا
مِنهُ وَلَم أَحمَد نَهاراً مُؤمِنا
It passes, and I never blamed a faithless night
Of it, nor praised a faithful day
