تَعالى الَّذي صاغَ النُجومَ بِقُدرَةٍ

عَنِ القَولِ أَضحى فاعِلُ السَوءِ مُجبِرا

Come, He who shaped the stars with might

Evil-doers are now compelled to right

أَرى عالَماً يَشكو إِلى اللَهِ جَهلَهُ

وَكَم مِن بَرىً يَعلو فَيَخطُبُ مِنبَرا

I see a world complaining to its Lord, its ignorance

And how many rise up to speak from the pulpit

هُمُ القَومُ سافوا عَنبَراً بِمَعاطِسٍ

فَخافوا وَسافوا بِالصَوارِمِ عَنبَرا

They pursued ambergris with ladles

Then feared, and pursued ambergris with scimitars

يَعيشُ الفَتى ما عاشَ كَالظَبي لَم يُفِد

بِدُنياهُ إِلّا أَن يُعالَ وَيَكبُرا

The youth lives as long as he lives like a gazelle who benefits

His worldly life only by rising up and growing old

وَلَم يَدرِ لَمّا أَن أَتاها وَلا دَرى

إِلى أَينَ يَمضي فَاِستَكانَ مُدَبَّرا

He did not know why he came to it, nor does he know

Where he will go, so he resigned himself, retreating