فُقِدَت في أَيّامِكَ العُلَماءُ

وَاِدلَهَمَّت عَلَيهِمُ الظَلماءُ

The scholars lost their way in your days,

And the ignorant led them into darkness.

وَتَغَشّى دَهماءَنا الغَيُّ لَمّا

عُطِّلَت مِن وُضوحِها الدَهماءُ

Our ignorance was shrouded in confusion, when

The clear sky was shut off from its brightness.

لِلمَليكِ المُذَكَّراتُ عَبيدٌ

وَكَذاكَ المُؤَنَّثاتُ إِماءُ

The masculine nouns are slaves to the King,

And likewise the feminine ones are slave girls.

فَالهِلالُ المُنيفُ وَالبَدرُ وَالفَر

قَدُ وَالصُبحُ وَالثَرى وَالماءُ

So the crescent moon, the full moon, dawn,

Morning, land, water, Sirius, sun, fire,

وَالثُرَيّا وَالشَمسُ وَالنارُ وَالنَث

رَةُ وَالأَرضُ وَالضُحى وَالسَماءُ

Plowshare, earth, mid-morning, and sky.

All these to your Lord are obedient,

هَذِهِ كُلُّها لِرَبِّكَ ماعا

بَكَ في قَولِ ذَلِكَ الحُكَماءُ

As the wise say in their words about this.

Leave me be, brother, to ask God for forgiveness,

خَلِّني يا أَخيَّ أَستَغفِرُ اللَ

هَ فَلَم يَبقَ فِيَّ إِلّا الذَماءُ

For nothing remains in me but sorrow.

And it is said the generous only remain in name,

وَيُقالُ الكِرامُ قَولاً وَما في ال

عَصرِ إِلّا الشُخوصُ وَالأَسماءُ

For in this age there are only titles and names.

And tales spread by transgressors,

وَأَحاديثُ خَبَّرَتها غُواةٌ

وَاِفتَرَتها لِلمَكسِبِ القُدَماءُ

And lies invented by ancients for profit.

These celebrities, weaved by the rhythm of time,

هَذِهِ الشُهبُ خِلتُها شَبَكَ الدَه

رِ لَها فَوقَ أَهلِها إِلماءُ

Over their people ignorance reigns.

How strange is destiny, it is accomplished for creation,

عَجَباً لِلقَضاءِ تَمَّ عَلى الخَل

قِ فَهمَّت أَن تُبسِلَ الحَزماءُ

So even the rational plan to wear out.

Or do they not see the havoc of those who make mischief,

أَو ما يُبصِرونَ فِعلَ الرَدى كَي

فَ يَبيدُ الأَصهارُ وَالأَحماءُ

How in-laws and loved ones disappear?

Oppression has conquered since it came upon creation,

غَلَبَ المَينُ مُنذُ كانَ عَلى الخَل

قِ وَماتَت بِغَيظِها الحُكَماءُ

And the wise died of anger because of it.

So watch out, O determined one, even if

فَاِرقُبي يا عَصامِ يَوماً وَلَو أَنَّ

كِ في رَأسِ شاهِقٍ عَصماءُ

You had the height of impregnable mountains.

And I see the four instincts in us

وَأَرى الأَربَعَ الغَرائِزَ فينا

وَهيَ في جُثَّةِ الفَتى خُصَماءُ

Quarrelling in the body of the youth.

Whether they agree or not, diseases and swoons

إِن تَوافَقنَ صَحَّ أَو لا فَما يَن

فَكُّ عَنها الإِمراضُ وَالإِغماءُ

Will not cease from them.

And I found time to be a foreigner, violent,

وَوَجَدتُ الزَمانَ أَعجَمَ فَظّاً

وَجُبارٌ في حُكمِها العَجماءُ

In its rule the non-Arabs reign.

Verily your world is but a day and a night,

إِنَّ دُنياكَ مِن نَهارٍ وَلَيلٍ

وَهيَ في ذاكَ حَيَّةٌ عَرماءُ

And in it is a cunning old serpent.

And the innocent will fulfill the debts of the demise

وَالبَرايا حازوا دُيونَ مَنايا

سَوفَ تُقضى وَيَحضُرُ الغُرَماءُ

That will be settled when the creditors are present.

And the people returned after Ka'b died

وَرَدَ القَومَ بَعدَما ماتَ كَعبٌ

وَاِرتَوى بِالنُمَيرِ وَفدٌ ظِماءُ

And a thirsty band was saturated with wine.

An animal, mineral and plant that does not sleep,

حَيوانٌ وَجامِدٌ غَيرُ نامٍ

وَنَباتٌ لَهُ بِسُقيا نَماءُ

For it, irrigation brings growth.

If only people feared punishment,

وَلَو أَنَّ الأَنامَ خافوا مِنَ العُق

بى لَما جارَت المِياهَ الدِماءُ

Blood would not flow.

More deserving of mercy in consequences

أَجدَرُ الناسِ بِالعَواقِبِ في الرَح

مَةِ قَومٌ في بَديِهِمُ رُحَماءُ

Are a people gentle in their first nature.

And we were angered by the claim of one claiming truth,

وَغَضِبنا مِن قَولِ زاعِمِ حَقٍّ

إِنَّنا في أُصولِنا لُؤَماءُ

That we in our origins are wicked.

You, O Adam, are the sheep of humanity,

أَنتَ يا آدَمٌ آدَمُ السِربِ حَوّا

ؤُكَ فيهِ حَوّاءُ أَو أَدماءُ

Among them is Eve or worthless beings.

Time has worn us out, did the buzzards wail

قَرَمَتنا الأَيّامُ هَل رَثَتِ النَحّ

امَ لَمّا ثَوى بِها قَرماءُ

When the worn out ones passed away?

A confused world like the bird of the air

عالَمٌ حائِرٌ كَطَيرِ هَواءٍ

وَهَوافٍ تَضُمُّها الدَأماءُ

And the fluttering it gathers in darkness.

As if ambitions were Amr bin Dirma,

وَكَأَنَّ الهُمامَ عَمرو بنِ دَرما

ءَ فَلَتهُ مِن أُمِّهِ دَرماءُ

Cut from his mother Dirma while still unborn.

And the fragrant north wind protects it

وَالبَهارُ الشَميمُ تَحميهِ مِن وَط

ءِ مُعاديكَ أَرنَبٌ شَمّاءُ

From the garment of your enemies, a rabbit with large ears.

And it carried us, atop the rubble, a flogging

وَعَرانا عالى الحُطامِّ ضِرابٌ

وَطِعانٌ في باطِلٍ وَرِماءُ

And a piercing in falsehood and throwing.

Black of heart, black, and when

أَسوَدُ القَلبِ أَسوَدٌ وَمَتى ما

تُصغِ أُذني فَأُذنُهُ صَمّاءُ

My ear listens, his ear is deaf.

An archer has shot, so he grew and deafened,

قَد رَمى نابِلٌ فَأَنمى وَأَصمى

وَلَياليكَ ما لَها إِنماءُ

And your nights, they have no growth.

Indeed, the Lord of the erected fortress, Tayma',

إِنَّ رَبَّ الحِصنِ المَشيدِ بِتَيما

ءَ تَوَلى وَخُلِّفَت تَيماءُ

Has turned away, and Tayma' was left behind.

Or did the Pleiades refrain from wearing shoes,

أَو مَأَت لِلحِذاءِ كَفُّ الثُرَيّا

ثُمَّ صُدَّ الحَديثُ وَالإيماءُ

Then the talk stopped and hints were made?

It (the sky) witnessed with its six stars to the King,

شَهَدَت بِالمَليكِ أَنجُمُها السِتَّ

ةُ ثُمَّ الخَضيبُ وَالجَذماءُ

Then the Khadhib and Al Jathma.

So the understanding of people is like the ignorant,

فَهِمُ الناسِ كَالجُهولِ وَما يَظ

فَرُ إِلا بِالحَسرَةِ الفُهَماءُ

And only the wise are illuminated with regret.

A mother and daughter meet in the grave

تَلتَقي في الصَعيدِ أُمٌّ وَبِنتٌ

وَتَساوى القَرناءُ وَالجَمّاءُ

And the relatives and loved ones become equal.

The fine spring is reached by summer

وَأَنيقُ الرَبيعِ يُدرِكُهُ القَي

ظُ وَفيهِ البَيضاءُ وَالسَحماءُ

In which are the white and the red.

And my path to the bathroom is hated

وَطَريقي إِلى الحِمامِ كَريهٌ

لَم تُهَب عِندَ هَولِهِ اليَهماءُ

When horrors approach, the brave are not granted.

And if the desert were a fierce warrior

وَلَو أَنَّ البَيداءَ صارِمُ حَربٍ

وَهيَ مِن كُلِّ جانِبٍ صَرماءُ

And it is barren from every side.

How can a people not share the blessing

كَيفَ لا يُشرِكُ المُضيقَينِ في النِع

مَةِ قَومٌ عَلَيهِمُ النَعماءُ

Between the two constricted, when blessings are upon them?