مَعاصٍ تَلوحُ فَأوصيكُمُ

بِهِجرانِها لا بِإِغبابِها

The pleasures are waving, so I advise you

To abandon them, not to be desirous of them

كَأَنَّ المُهَيمِنَ أَوصى النُفوسَ

بِعِشقِ الحَياةِ وَإِحبابِها

As if the Overseer advised the souls

To love life and make it lovable

إِذا دَفَنَت في الثَرى هالِكاً

تَناسَت عُهوداً لِأَحبابِها

If he is buried in the soil, destroyed

It forgets pacts for its loved ones

أَلَبَّت عَلى غَيرِ نَفعٍ لَها

وَذاكَ لِقِلَّةِ أَلبابِها

It turned without any benefit to it

And that is due to the lack of its intellect

تَوَلّى الخَليلُ إِلى رَبِّهِ

وَخَلّى العَروضَ لِأَربابِها

The friend turned to his Lord

And left the poetry for its professionals

فَلَيسَ بِذاكِرِ أَوتادِها

وَلا مُرتَجٍ فَضلَ أَسبابِها

So he is not remembering its strings

Nor excelling in its causes