ما خَصَّ مِصراً وَبَأٌ وَحدَها

بَل كائِنٌ في كُلِّ أَرضٍ وَبَأ

Not only has disaster befallen Egypt alone,

But misfortune exists in every land.

أَنبَأَنا اللُبُّ بِلُقيا الرَدى

فَالغَوثُ مِن صِحَّةِ ذاكَ النَبَأ

The hyenas informed us of the discarded corpses -

So salvation lies in the truth of that news.

هَل فارِسٌ وَالرومُ وَالتُركُ أَو

رَبيعَةٌ أَو مُضَرٌّ أَو سَبَأ

Are the Persians, Romans, and Turks,

Or Rabia, Mudar, and Saba,

ناجِيَةٌ في عِزِّ أَملاكِها

أَن يُظهِرَ الدَهرُ لَها ما خَبَأ

Safe in the peak of their kingdoms,

That fate will reveal to them what it has concealed?

وَمِن سَجايا نَبلِهِ أَنَّها

كُلُّ قَتيلٍ قَتَلَت لَم يُبَأ

And of the wonders of its nobility,

Every warrior it killed was not mourned.

إِن سارَ أَو حَلَّ الفَتى لَم يَزَل

يَلحَظُهُ المِقدارُ بِالمَرتَبَأ

Whether the gallant departs or settles,

Destiny continues to watch him in ambush.