أَركانُ دُنيانا غَرائِرُ أَربَعٌ

جُعِلَت لِمَن هُوَ فَوقَنا أَركانا

The pillars of this world are four strange truths

Set for Him who is above us as pillars

وَاللَهُ صَيَّرَ لِلبِلادِ وَأَهلِها

ظَرفَينِ وَقتاً ذاهِباً وَمَكانا

And Allah has made for every land and its people

Two circumstances, time that passes and place

وَالدَهرُ لا يَدري بِمَن هُوَ كائِنٌ

فيهِ فَكَيفَ يُلامُ فيما كانا

And fate does not know who will be

In it so how can it be blamed for what has been

وَالمَرءُ لَيسَ بِزاهِدٍ في غادَةٍ

لَكِنَّهُ يَتَرَقَّبُ الإِمكانا

A man is not ascetic in youth

But he awaits possibility

وَالحَيُّ تُخلِقُ جِسمَهُ حَرَكاتُهُ

فَيَكِلُّ وَهوَ يُحاذِرُ الإِسكانا

The living, their bodies are moved by their actions

So they weaken while avoiding stillness

نَبكي وَنَضحَكُ وَالقَضاءُ مُسَلَّطٌ

ما الدَهرُ أَضحَكَنا وَلا أَبكانا

We cry and laugh while fate reigns

Not time that made us laugh or cry

نَشكو الزَمانَ وَما أَتى بِجِنايَةٍ

وَلَوِ اِستَطاعَ تَكَلُّماً لَشَكانا

We complain of time though it brought no injustice

If it could speak it would complain of us

مُتَوافِقينَ عَلى المَظالِمِ رُكِّبَت

فينا وَقارَبَ شَرَّنا أَزكانا

In agreement over wrongs committed against us

In us, nearing the worst of us

يَمضي بِنا الفَتَيانِ ما أَخَذا لَنا

نَفساً عَلى حالٍ وَلا تَرَكانا

Taking us, the youth passed, not leaving

A soul as it was or sparing us

وَأَرى الجُدودَ حَبَت قُرَيشاً مُلكَها

وَذَوَتهُ عَمداً عَن بَني مِلكانا

I see ancestry loved Quraysh, its kingdom

And glory, supporting the Bani Mlikan