لَقَد صَدِئَت أَفهامُ قَومٍ فَهَل لَها

صِقالٌ وَيَحتاجُ الحُسامُ إِلى الصَقلِ

The minds of a people have rusted; can they be polished?

And swords need sharpening.

وَكَم غَرَّتِ الدُنيا بَنيها وَساءَني

مَعَ الناسِ مَينٌ في الأَحاديثِ وَالنَقلِ

How the world has deceived its people!

I dislike the company of people; they gossip and babble.

سَأَتبَعُ مَن يَدعو إِلى الخَيرِ جاهِداً

وَأَرحَلُ عَنها ما إِمامي سِوى عَقلي

I will follow those who call to good, striving,

And leave it when my only leader is my intellect.

إِذا جَهَّزَتني غائِباً غَيرَ آيِبٍ

تَرَكتُ لَها ما حَمَّلَتني مِنَ الثِقلِ

When it sends me off, not to return,

I will leave it with the burden it loaded on me.

مُغَيَّرَةُ الحالاتِ ناقِضَةُ القُوى

مُوَثَّقَةُ الأَغلالِ مُحكَمَةُ العُقُلِ

Changer of conditions, breaker of strengths,

Binder of shackles, restrainer of intellects.

تَواصَت بِها الأَرواحُ في القَيظِ بَعدَما

تَناصَت بِها الأَرماحُ في زَمَنِ البَقلِ

The souls whispered to each other in the heat after

The spears had whispered to each other in the time of cooking greens.

وَمَن كانَ في الأَشياءِ يَحكُمُ بِالحِجى

تَساوى لَدَيهِ مَن يُحِبُّ وَمَن يَقلي

And whoever judges things by proof,

To him are equal those he loves and those he dislikes.