لَقَد أَتَوا بِحَديثٍ لا يُثَبِّتُهُ

عَقلُ فَقُلنا عَن أَيِّ الناسِ تَحكونَه

They came with a tale not proven true,

So we asked, "Of whom is this tale you construe?"

فَأَخبِروا بِأَسانيدٍ لَهُم كُذُبٍ

لَم تَخلُ مِن كَرِّ شَيخٍ لا يَزكونَه

With chains of narrators known to err

Not one free of an old man's character.

عَجِبتُ لِلأُمِّ لَمّا فاتَ واحِدُها

بَكَت وَساعَدَها ناسٌ يُبَكّونَه

I wondered at the woman when her one son died

She wept and people came to mourn at her side.

وَكُلَّ يَومٍ تَداعى مِنهُمُ نَفَرٌ

لِبالِغِ السِنِّ أَو طِفلٍ يُذَكّونَه

Yet every day some of them pass away,

Be they grown men or children at play.

وَيَنصِبونَ لِوَحشِيِّ حَبائِلَهُم

أَو بِالسِهامِ عَلى عَمدٍ يَشُكّونَه

And they set up snares for the wild beast,

Or aim arrows produced for the feast.

هُمُ أَسارى مَناياهُم فَما لَهُم

إِذا أَتاهُم أَسيرٌ لا يَفُكّونَه

They are prisoners of their fates, so why

When a prisoner comes do they not free the tie?

فَلَو تَكَلَّمَ دَهرٌ كانَ شاكِيَهُم

كَما تَراهُم عَلى الإِحسانِ يَشكّونَه

If time could speak it would complain of them,

As you see them complaining of doing good men.

أَما تَرَونَ دِيارَ القَومِ خالِيَةً

بَعدَ الجَماعاتِ وَالأَجداثَ مَسكونَه

Do you not see the places of the people bare

After the crowds and events that flourished there?