مِن صِفَةِ الدُنيا الَّتي أَجمَعَ النا

سُ عَلَيها أَنَّها ما صَفَت

The nature of this world that all people agree on

Is that it never stays the same

كَم عَفَّةٍ ما عَفَّ عَنها الرَدى

وَكَم دِيارٍ لِأُناسٍ عَفَت

How many virtuous people has time not spared?

And how many homes for people have perished?

إِلتَفَّت الآمالُ مِنّا بِها

وَقَد مَضى آمَلُها ما اِلتَفَت

Our hopes were fixed on it

But the hopes we pinned on it did not last

يا شَفَّةً هَمَّت بِرَشفٍ لَها

فَاِنتَزَعَت أَكؤُسَها ما شَفَت

O lips that intended to take a sip from it

But had their cups snatched away before they could sip

خَفَّت لَها نَفسُ الفَتى جاهِداً

وَبَينَما يَدأَبُ فيها خَفَت

The soul of the young man strove hard for it

Yet while he labored for it, his soul departed

لَو أَنَّها تَسكُنُ في مِثلِها

لَكُلِّفَت فَوقَ الَّذي كَلَّفَت

If it were to settle in the likes of itself

It would be tasked beyond what it has been tasked

وَالأَرضُ غَذَّتنا بِأَلطافِها

ثُمَّ تَغَذَّتنا فَهَل أَنصَفَت

The earth nourished us with its blessings

Then nourished itself - did it deal justly?

تَأكُلُ مِن دُبٍّ عَلى ظَهرَها

وَهِيَ عَلى رُغبَتِها ما اكتَفَت

It eats from a worm on its back

Yet in its greed it did not refrain

أَتَنتَفي مِنّا لِآثامِنا

وَخِلتُها لَو نَطَقَت لَاِنتَفَت

Does it spare us for our sins?

If it could speak, it would confess and relent